An uneasy calm slowly envelopes the landscapes of Kenya; almost unwilling normalcy now returns. Requests for peace and a speedy resumption to business, usually made after the elections, rent the air. Those who in their political choices emerged victorious winding down their celebratory dances to balmy delightfulness as those who lost, belch out their frustrations and disappointment in long belts of words full of raw pain and hurt, unable to conceptualize what the future holds for them.
Conspicuously, one of the most notable observations after the announcement of post-election results has been the incessant calls from spheres of influence; religious leaders, civil society, regional leaders, for the people of Kenya to now move on and resume the economic rat race without a proper debrief or processing of the results and what they mean for the citizens. Expressions of disappointment, discontent, unfairness, or simply loss have been met with the now famous and widely adopted quote from the former governor of Uasin Gishu county Jackson Mandago, “Siasa usiweke kwa roho, weka kwa lungs” or the Gengetone improved version “Siasa Haitaki Hasira” both of which are discouraging voters from emotionally investing heavily in the politics and outcomes of the political processes. While the advice may come from a place of traumatic memory of the violent aftermath of elections in Kenya, the normalization of such an attitude is not only counterproductive but also impractical, hypocritical and risks advancing lethargy towards politics and electoral processes.
Politics is highly emotional in nature as it literally dictates and affects the kind and quality of life that we lead. The stakes are very high as every citizen hopes that their dreams and ambitions as captured by their preferred candidate take the day. The 2022 general elections found a rather whipped up and polarized populace given the fact that the politicians and public servants in the upper echelons had been publicly campaigning for almost four years, traversing the country, whipping up emotions of hope, enthusiasm, fear, and despair in equal measure. During these campaigns, the politicians through their manifestos and addresses appealed to the very hearts of voters, each invoking their charisma to inspire a buy-in to their vision or interests. It is this emotional investment that drives thousands to throng the political rallies in their theatrical costumes and props. It is this passion and belief in the cause that motivates voters to wake up in the dead of night, defy the cold to queue in anticipation of voting in their chosen ones. This kind of commitment is not anything you can switch on and off as you please. It is a discipline that requires consistency and energy and is built over time towards a political goal. Why then do we think that just because the elections are over, we can call for the abortion of such investment? Doesn’t such a robotic expectation attempt to subvert the nature of political rights and expression?
Many will argue that the election period in Kenya is highly divisive and polarized and for any meaningful progress in the post-election period, citizens must bury the hatchet and erase the hard lines of political rivalry drawn during what is now commonly accepted as the silly period. This argument is justifiable given the 2007 post-election experience that saw the polarization escalate to ugly heights of violence after a disputed outcome. Unfortunately, many people died for believing in their cause too much and the country still shudders at the memory of that dark period. The constant reminder and calls for peace and sobriety pre, during and post-election are paramount and encouraged.
However, the fear of a repeat of 2007 is not enough rationale to glorify cosmetic peace and acceptance of the election outcomes over justice and accountability. We cannot operate from a place of fear that paralyses our ability to objectively analyze and debrief the election process. The attempt to depoliticize the masses immediately the elections are over is insulting and speaks of a system that perceives the masses only as means to an end and not worthy stakeholders of a process. Citizens are more than votes and numbers and their emotions cannot be summoned and recalled at the behest of politicians for their own interests. Emotional investment and passion are as important as the logical rein in politics.
Instead of trying to depoliticize the masses and curtailing their political expression for fear of instability and chaos, an honest and mature review and revolution of our politics is needed. The danger of dismissing the role and place of emotions in politics is creating a lethargic populace that is disinterested and disengaged in the running of the country leaving such a prime duty to the mercies of kakistocracy. As Claude A. Helvetius would put it, “He who has no passion, has no principal or motive to act.” Politics are rightly for the heart, allow people to feel the process and be themselves.
*Njoki Gachanja is a political and social justice activist and coordinator at Githurai Social Justice Centre
