MY name is Kachwanya and I support KenyaFeb28

Once a upon a time i wrote that KenyaFeb28 #Failed… People who read the post , some understood my points, some took them on face value and others thought i am against revolution.  Strong reaction to that here by @Nittzsah.  Believe me by the time I wrote that post  KenyaFeb28 was something else. You know, the Egypt Tunisian kind of. Since then the tone changed and now we are talking about uniting Kenyans. One Nation one Country one People. From tech point of view today will test the level of use of social media in Kenya. It will be interesting to know how many people participate or sing the national anthem.  You remember the stats here about the use of social media

Kenya and Nigeria, when people have the opportunity to go online, they tend to use social networking sites.  Roughly one-in-five Kenyans (19%) participate in social networking, while just 5% use the internet but do not participate.  Similarly, 17% of Nigerians go to these sites, while only 7% go online but do not access such sites.

Ok, a number of people  have said that my verdict was too early and yes I agree with them . But for once let this website takes just a fraction of credit for changing the tone of the debate about this very important day.  When KenyaFeb28 was started, it was a monster without clear definition, nor any direction. By then it was sounding like Why not in Kenya if Tunisia can do it, why not Kenya if Egypt can do it, why not Kenya if Libya can do it. bla bla bla.  Copy  Pasting without checking if you are replacing or deleting existing programs. Yes Egypt did it..and the country was handed to military eeeeeerrrr they are  debating what next, revising the constitution  mmmmh .Compare that to a country which passed a new constitution last year, have a well defined election date next year, a president who will definitely retire after his term ends…yaaaaaaaayy we want a revolution!

Seriously my point is our problems are more advanced and require advance thinking. Our problem is based on the people’s minds and blood. We need a campaign which can change people’s mindset, a campaign which redefine what it means to be a Kenyan and not  a masai, a luo, a kikuyu, a kamba, a luhya, a kamba etc.. We need a rebirth of our people..we need a rebirth of our country.  We need a Kenya similar to what Martin Luther King junior spoke of in US context in 1960s. A country where people don’t judge you based on your tribe, where people don’t judge you based on your skin colour, people don’t judge you based on your religion. Can we achieve that by simply   singing the National anthem? I am not sure about that but I am on board and cometh the hour I will sing the national anthem at the top of my voice.

Singing the national anthem is one great starting point and a good way to unite people. Having said that, we must acknowledge the fact that, the world of democracy demands that people listen to the resenting voices. There is one question which the majority of  the online community with the contrary views keep on  asking. What next and how deep is the unity after singing the national anthem?. Since nobody is answering “what next question” let me throw in some silly suggestions:

1.      How about we have problem definition day? So KenyaFeb28 is about singing National Anthem, how about we have another date, like KenyaMarch28 for defining our problems. On that day, we make it clear what we want our next leaders to do after the next election. In that day each individual takes 5 minutes to write down 5 problems which much be solved by those who are going to be elected next year. The purpose of this is to work towards writing a Performance Contract with our leaders. The condition will be deliver or you are out…If they don’t deliver within a given time period then recall option should be used immediately.

2.      From what I see on social media, people really hate the current MPs, yeah many a time you will see the words such as “Mpigs”, “Idiots’  being branded around. Whether we have better leaders in social media than the current ones is debatable. Assuming that we have better leaders on Social Media how about we use that platform to recruit the next leaders. National Leadership Recruitment Day….

3.      Think  harder on ways to eradicate tribalism in Kenya. ..how to do this, is a million dollar question and please don’t throw that question back to me. Thanks

4.      Performance Contract signing day. We have the contract, we have the leaders and we have the people. Sign the contract to build the future of Kenya together as a team, as a people.

Here is the National anthem in case you have no idea

English Version

O God of all creation
Bless this our land and nation
Justice be our shield and defender
May we dwell in unity
Peace and liberty
Plenty be found within our borders.

Let one and all arise
With hearts both strong and true
Service be our earnest endeavor
And our Homeland of Kenya
Heritage of splendor
Firm may we stand to defend.

Let all with one accord
In common bond united
Build this our nation together
And the glory of Kenya
The fruit of our labour
Fill every heart with thanksgiving.

Kiswahili Version

Ee Mungu nguvu yetu
Ilete baraka kwetu
Haki iwe ngao na mlinzi
Natukae na udugu
Amani na uhuru
Raha tupate na ustawi.

Amkeni ndugu zetu
Tufanye sote bidii
Nasi tujitoe kwa nguvu
Nchi yetu ya
Kenya tunayoipenda
Tuwe tayari kuilinda.

Natujenge taifa letu
Ee ndio wajibu wetu
Kenya istahili heshima
Tuungane mikono pamoja kazini
Kila siku tuwe nashukrani.

The tunes