This archive report was first published on 23 May 2020.
Published on May 23, 2020, by Myles Leo, a noted author for The Nation.
Kenyan politics is often obsessed with the past or future, but it's the present that truly matters. The decisions made today will shape the country's future, not yesterday's or tomorrow's.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's efforts to end national and ethnic enmity, such as shaking hands with his arch-nemesis Raila Odinga, are often seen through the lens of the 2022 elections. However, these actions are part of a larger effort to bring about foundational changes in the country.
The Building Bridges Initiative, which aims to give a voice to the people and decide the direction of the country's future, is another example of this. While some see it as a ploy to influence the 2022 elections, it's actually a response to the people's demands for change.
Instead of focusing on the future, we should be focusing on the present. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought many challenges, but it's also an opportunity for the country to come together and make progress. The war on corruption and the Big Four Agenda are also changing the way the Republic of Kenya is built from the ground up.
As the saying goes, 'usually the best things come to those who wait, and have patience.' We must ignore those voices that demand our attention only on some date that hasn't even been set, probably at least 24 months away. We must focus on the present and help as much as possible the necessary reforms that will shape our children's future.
Looking too far ahead can be distracting and disruptive, and now some are asking us to look back. The 2017 General Elections results showed massive numerical differences between the principals, but to see conspiracies in the difference of a few numbers is to actively seek them. The Supreme Court in its ruling during September of that year couldn't find massive discrepancies in the initial election and did not rule against the second tally at all.
Let's not re-litigate 2017. We can all look back to 2017 and take the focus away from 2022. For President Kenyatta and our other decision-makers, the present is what matters. It is of infinite value, as Goethe wrote.
