Who Will Save Kenya?

"From what?" I hear you ask.

The burning of women and children in a church in Eldoret makes it hard for anyone to ignore the going-ons in Kenya in the aftermath of the just concluded general elections.

For centuries communities in Kenya have lived in harmony, albeit with a few skirmishes. Side by side we have built our nation into one of the most admirable and looked upon country in Africa

So what went wrong? What exactly is our problem? Why are Kenyans turning on each other. Neighbor upon neighbor. Our friends have turned into foes

Just talk to many a Kenyan today and you'll be shocked senseless about their opinion regarding the just concluded general elections. Name calling, insults and stereotyping just goes to show how bigoted our nation has become.

Let me say that I am not surprised as to how tribalistic Kenyans have become. It was for this reason that Ssembonge was born. When asked by Maina about the origin of my 'name', I explained to him that I did not want to be identified by any tribe in Kenya. He immediately understood what I was talking about and we went on to talk about the scrooge of tribalism.

It's no wonder that when I meet other Kenyans in the diaspora and I introduce myself with my Christian name they ask me what my surname/last-name is. After which they go on to ask where I'm from because they aren't sure about my tribal background.

Reading online comments and blog posts about the on-going election violence just shows how fragmented we are as a nation. Our subjectivity quickly reveals which tribes we belong to and where our support lies. We accuse Ntimama and his likes for fanning tribal animosity yet we ourselves are quick to condemn other tribes. If you ask me, the fighting in Kenya reflect the attitude of the majority of Kenyans.

What has happened in the last few days cannot be wished away. I'm not sure how long it will take the nation to heal itself from the wounds of tribal bigotry. As it stands most of the leaders have retreated into their tribal cocoons. Not even our church leaders have taken to the front line in a bid to end the current unrest.

While everyone is looking up to the international community to resolve the impasse, I believe it is only Kenyans who can bring the situation to an end. The US and the EU governments will not put to an end the tribal animosity that we are witnessing in Kenya.

Only Kenyans will save themselves from other Kenyans. The outcome of the presidential elections will not matter after we have annihilated our compatriots.