For the first time in Kenya’s
history, Kenyans living in the Diaspora, will have an opportunity to cast their
votes at select voting stations wherever they live. This
is one of the perks that Kenya’s new constitution allows for and which Kenyans
are and should be very proud of. Today marks the start of the voter
registration process in Kenya. I will be exercising my right to vote for the first time in my life in
the next elections and judging by trends on social media, it is becoming imperative
that Kenyans, and especially us the youth, must exercise that right in masses.
The official statistics as of December 2011 show that 40% of Kenya’s population is unemployed. Unofficial
sources have indicated that this figure may be as high as 62% with the majority
of the unemployed being the youth. This is a ticking time bomb, and one which the current
leadership have shied away from tackling. Most of the popular presidential
aspirants (most from the upper population age groups) have not offered a
concrete plan of action on how they intend reducing this rate of unemployment, and the use of emotional
tactics to reach to this vulnerable section of the electorate have mostly been
employed. I must vote so that I can give a chance to a President willing to
work to change this state.
A few weeks ago, public servants
and specifically health and education professionals were on a
prolonged strike with both groups demanding both higher wages and better conditions
of employment. It is very embarrassing and utterly unacceptable that some public
hospitals (the only source of health care services for a majority of Kenyans) do not have basic equipment and supplies like cotton wool, swabs and test
tubes. Again, it has not been priority for government to ensure key
professionals are adequately remunerated and that their conditions of service
are improved. Instead, Kenyans watched in horror as senior government officials
struggled to take responsibility and deal with the issues. I must vote so that scenes
like those stop being the norm in Kenya.
Many Kenyans still do not have
access to water and electricity, especially those that live in rural Kenya.
Every election season, these Kenyans are bombarded with visits and messages of
change from aspiring leaders. They are given money and other short term benefits
yet the next they see those they elect is the next election season. It is not
right that in the 21st Century and with the kind of technological
advances the world has witnessed, we should have children studying using paraffin lamps or in the dark. It is
not right that there are still communities where children have to wake up early
in the morning before school to walk long distance in search of firewood and
water for the day. I must vote to ensure that each child is given an equal
opportunity to play time, quality education and access to basic services.
Very often whenever we have Kenyan
gatherings in South Africa, an odd person walks up to me and questions my
tribal affiliation in Kenya. It is common practice that people do not view
themselves as Kenyans/ Africans first but rather Kikuyu, Luo, Kamba, Kalenjin or whatever
other tribe first. Leaders in the past and present have used tribalism and
ethnicity as campaign tactics; they have used unacceptable language and
rhetoric that has had very costly consequences. Thank goodness for a new
constitution where leaders are now being taken to task for using inflammatory
language. I am an African and I will remain as such till the day I die. It is because
of tribalism and ethnicity that the world watched as Kenyans were killed during
the post election violence in 2008. Tribalism and ethnicity have resurfaced in
recent ethnic clashes, which have left hundreds dead in parts of Kenya. I am
going to vote because I want to send a clear message to leaders that I will not
partake in politics that perpetuate tribalism. I must vote because we have to start appreciating
and exploiting all the wonderful diversity and strengths that each Kenyan
regardless of tribal affiliation brings in a bid to advance Kenya and the
continent.
The ills of corruption, bribery and
patronage have plagued Kenya for decades. I have witnessed cases where public
transport operators have publicly bribed traffic police. I have heard of
instances where Kenyans have been denied the right to access key and basic
services like education, health care, and even the right to have a birth
certificate, identity document or passport because they have had no money or
have refused to bribe government officials. Kenyans have watched as scandal
after scandal has been unearthed; taxpayers’ monies have been diverted into
projects that benefited only the mighty, wealthy and politically connected; money meant to support free primary education has been used to enrich education
officials and countless other cases. I must vote because I want a future where
meritocracy is the key to accessing gainful employment. I must vote because vulnerable
groups in society must have the same rights to access basic services. I must
vote because children that are not born out of wealth must have access to the
best schools. I must vote because the consequences of corruption, bribery and
patronage are human rights issues.
The Kenya I have always dreamt of,
the Kenya that I know is possible to attain, the Kenya I wish for, will only
start to take shape if I and other young people in Kenya exercise their rights
to vote come March 2013. I must vote, come what may because I want to be part
of change. I must vote, come what may because I want to be part of the generation
that changed the course of history for Kenya and the continent.