Revolution in Kenya? Think again. Revolt at the ballot box not in the streets

Recently, there has been a call for an action revolution in Kenya, more so from the opposition coalition of Cord. The political rhetoric coming in their just held two Cord rallies in Kibera and Babadogo reveal an intention of using street mass protests to bring down President Uhuru’s government.  They cite the government’s failure on security and corruption through payment of Anglo-leasing scandal as the reasons.

Revolutions can be traced back as early as 2740 BC during the reign of the pharaoh Seth Preibsen of the Second Dynasty of Egypt up to the most recent in Ukraine and Thailand where leaders were forced out of power by mass protests.

Among the most notable revolutions in the world is the Great Jewish revolt that occurred in 66-70 AD leading to the fall and burning of Jerusalem by the Romans; the first of three Jewish–Roman wars that took place in Judea Province against the Roman Empire. 

Many revolutions took place in ancient China, Russia, Britain, Germany, Spain and US. Indeed, the 1775–1783 American Revolution established independence of the thirteen North American colonies from Great Britain, creating the Republic of the United States of America. 

In 1791–1804, the Haitian Revolution, a successful slave rebellion, led by Toussaint Louverture, established Haiti as the first free, black Republic

 

Throughout history, these revolutions were based on specific ideologies and causes which united the people. The ideologies ranged from social, economic, political and religious beliefs where the masses associated with and which the ruling elites never embraced.

For instance, Iran revolution was based on religious ideology; French revolution was social and economic, there was economic crisis and all people were fed up by the rich ruling class; Cuba revolution triggered by Castro was on political and economic, Cubans were tired of slavery like conditions under US farms and dictator Batista; most recent, the Arab spring was political for Egypt and Libya, and economic for Tunisia; and many more revolutions that were anchored on specific ideologies. 

What ideologies in Kenya unite the people of Nyanza, Central, Rift Valley, Coast, North Eastern  etc to trigger an action revolution?  Can high cost of living, corruption, land grabbing, nepotism; heavy taxation, rise in crime etc unite us? Shockingly in Kenya, tribesmen of the ruling elites will never be part of any revolution and will shed blood and water to defend their people. They see no problem living with these evils as long as they are done by members of their ethnic group.  We don't need action revolution, we need mind revolution.

When people still perceive, interpret and reason along partisan politics and ethnic lines; when we still vote along tribal lines; when we defend ethnic and political demigods; when the measure of good and evil is the tribe the doer is from; when boot-licking and sycophancy define our Kenyanism, I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THAT mind revolution has taken place. We urgently need it, to perhaps arouse our consciousness and consciences in the way we do business as Kenyans.

The ruling elites won't bring any solution since the status quo benefits them. We Kenyans have embraced ethnic slavery, so we are the problem and a solution must come from us. Now, we need a mental revolution for us to be aware that we have bent our backs. We need a mind revolution to be conscious of the dungeons of slavery we are in; to realize that the ruling elites have used misused and abused us. Only when this happens is when we will be able to reject them and break the chains of ethnic divisions and partisan politics.

The ruling elites use our conscientious ignorance to divide us politically and ethnically. Kenyans have bent their backs and the ruling elites are freely riding on them. We need to straighten our backs up and reject being mounted on by politicians. A solution must come from where the root cause problem is. We are the problem as people, swallowing every shit from politicians because our minds are yet to undergo a revolution.

 

We have not realized that the political class thrives on our weakness. A useless revolution will remove hyenas and replace them with wolves, a replace of a scavenger den with a lair of deadly hunters!  To achieve the realization that we are in slavery, we need a mental revolution.

But the problem isn't the government but us the people.  Do you have any ideological stand on issue like taxes, government expenditure, security, health, foreign policy, social amenities,  abortion,  homosexuality, etc, that would guide you to take a specific political stand, and associate with others believing in the same principles? Think about it!!

If Kenyans undergo mind revolution, we won't even need action revolution; the ballot box would be our Tahrir square.