Living Along The Lines of Negative Ethnicity

I share the frustration felt by my fellow compatriots in seeing our political leaders deliberately dividing Kenyans along ethnic lines.

The subject has been on for decades yet, it seems like a case of two steps forward and three steps backward. This has prevented Kenyans from attaining a meaningful degree of unity and exploitation of diverse cultures.

The saddest part of the tale is that leaders, without mentioning names, vehemently condemn negative ethnicity on public platforms while propagating it at their backyards. As a matter of fact, I have noticed with considerable amusement that ethnic consciousness is a slogan that oozes nicely from our leaders' mouth. Fighting it, however, seems to be a journey that shall never come to an end. Lest we champion peace and unity, a terrible blow looms to the country's prestige and standing.

The experience has been that ethnic consciousness, tensions and conflict leave indelible marks and threaten growth, development and integrity of the state. Although other factors play a significant role, one thing that seems clear to the mind of a layman that I am, is that negative ethnicity tops the list of this country's drawbacks. This is a matter of national importance that requires thoughtful and independent conscience.

It's time to build bridges, accommodate one another, embrace our diversities and cultivate good will with our neighbors. Use Rwanda's example as a wake up lest we lose an entire nation to ethnic clashes.