KENYAN CONCEPT!

When we hear the word KENYAN, what exactly rings on our minds, does this word elicit any feelings of belonging, what is our perception of what a Kenyan is, is Kenya just a conglomeration of some 42-plus ethnic groups, hence viewing ourselves as members of our respective ethnic groups and not a one people- a one nation? Are we more proud to be kalenjins, luhyas, mijikendas, kambas, luos, merus, kikuyus, somalis, elmolos, turkanas, etc than we are to be Kenyans? if one day you go out there in the diaspora and someone asks you who a Kenyan is, what would you tell him/her.....? is there a Kenyan concept or anything close to it? when we talk of a Kenyan dream.... what exactly are we talking about given that we don't even seem to know who a Kenyan is!
These are some of the questions that have been running through my mind of late, as I interrogate the Kenyan concept. I know by now someone is wondering what on earth is a Kenyan concept, I call it a kenyan concept because to me, being Kenyan is more of a concept than a reality, it is more of just a notion, a thought, something conceived in the mind, than an actuality. When we are cheering our national teams, and athletes we are so much enthusiastic and loyal to our mother land, we are joined in jubilation every time a Kenyan wins a gold medal or when rugby 7s wins the world cup, something that immediately fizzles out after the game......and we go back to our ethnic cocoons. Being Kenyan, to me seems like a far fetched idea, something out there which is not real, or else how would one explain the fact that, on ascension to power of a new regime, civil servants have to be shown the door, especially if you don't belong to the "correct ethnic group", making Kenya's public service jobs some of the most insecure in the world. Almost every other time an interview is being conducted, the interviewers don't seem to look at the interviewees as Kenyans but rather as from certain areas or ethnic groups..... so unfortunate!
Does it have to be like this, do we have to allow ourselves to continue trudging on this dangerous path. What makes it so difficult for us to forge a one identity, a common identity, for us, Kenyans, to have a common vision, a common mission, shared core values. I am privileged to have worked for a number of institutions and served in several organizations and I don't know of a single organization that doesn't have a vision, mission statement and core values, which every new staff is socialized into..... so as to enhance the organization's chances of achieving it's goals and objectives. Unfortunately as a country, Kenya doesn't seem to have a vision, mission nor core values. Things which we as Kenyans should be focusing on, what should be our common bond, stuff that unites us together. I have been thinking about how we can be able  to forge a common Kenyan identity, how we can be able to put our differences aside and pursue common goals and objectives, how we can be able to make Kenya a great nation for a great people...... it is unfortunately coming to my realization that, even though we have so many things in common, we have chosen to focus on our few differences at our own peril. Every other Kenyan wants a better life, better living standards, to be able to afford good meals for our families, to be able to take our children to good schools, take them to hospital when they fall sick and to live in good neighborhoods. To live in a secure country, to be able to take a stroll around our beautiful cities and beaches without the worry of losing your belongings or someone hanging on your neck as they empty the contents of your pockets or wallets, we all want leaders who would be more interested in bettering the lives of all Kenyans regardless of ethnic belonging, race, colour or even religion than they are interested in enriching themselves and their kinsmen. We all want a country of equal opportunities, where every other citizen has an equal opportunity to employment, education and even healthcare. Where no certain positions are reserved for certain people, where anyone and everyone is able to rise to whatever position that their abilities and capabilities so allow. A country where positions are not seen as avenues of embezzlement or being "our time to eat" but rather as opportunities to serve, to avail our talents and abilities to the service of the citizenry and humanity at large. Where law makers legislate laws that endeavor or are geared towards bettering the lives of their constituents and not laws for political expediency and fattening their salaries.
We all want a country where the difference or gap between the highest paid and the lowest paid is minimal and not so big to an extent that some people's daily expense is several times someone else's monthly salary and yet they live in the same country and worse still in the same city. We all want a country where talent and intellect is nurtured, with an education system that provides relevant courses to meet and satisfy the market needs. Where graduates are assured of employment or avenues and ease of creating employment for those who can.We all want a country where corruption is no longer the order of the day but a vice that is viewed as such by everyone, a country where ineptitude, laxity and laziness are no longer  associated with our public service..... a country where the courts administer justice without favor or fear, where all the three arms of government, the executive, legislature and the judiciary work harmoniously towards achieving the same goals, where their role of instituting checks and balance on each other does not result to antagonism but results to synergism.
These and many others, my dear brothers and sisters, are our desires, all of us, but then if this be the case, why are we still stuck where we started, still a majority of us wallowing in poverty and a few in opulence. Still fighting ignorance, disease, and poverty..... terrorism, insecurity, joblessness and ethnicity being additions to the previous vices. I feel that a majority of us have sold their conscious, heart and care. We seem to forget the words of Martin Luther King Jr, that injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere,   no one ever enjoys success and prosperity if he/she is the only one who has succeeded and prospered. I am writing this to at least awaken our otherwise dead conscious to the truth of the words of Mahatma Gandhi that the world has enough for everyone's need but not enough for everyone's greed. The realization of these desires that we corporately share can and will be achieved when and only when we wisely and objectively engage our minds, and thinking capacity when our turn comes at the ballot box, yes you can elect someone with whom you don't share ethnic belonging but with whom you share a common vision, goal, mission and same desires for this great nation called Kenya.
My challenge to each and everyone of us this day is to ponder on what our personal contribution has been to making Kenya what it is today. Every other time that we are about to complain about the state of affairs in our beloved country, we must ask ourselves what we have done or can do to avert the same. The unfortunate thing is that, what most of us can do is only available to us once every five years, and we so much abuse it, selling our ballots to the highest bidder or completely refusing to exercise our right to vote and hence letting the bad guys get into office and then start complaining almost immediately. Brothers and sisters we should not forget that we only have the power of choice up to the point of making that choice after which the choice takes over and determines the course of events. For those of us who are in positions where they can influence policies, decisions and plans, please do so, those who can make noise that can be heard where it needs to be heard, please do so, and for those who make policies and those who implement the same, do so not thinking about the next election but thinking about the next generation.
Kenya, a one people, one nation, one destiny!!!! A Kenya for all Kenyans!