Freedom and Emancipation

We must recognise that this country can only be built through the fullest contribution of each and every Kenya whatever their station. Against this background the achievements Kenya has made to date can only be called satisfactory if we lower our standards dramatically. If we refuse to lower our standards, and we must refuse, we will find that the democratization achievements so far are both superficial and deceptive. Freedom is meaningless unless it paves the way for the emancipation of the individual, the community and the nation at large. Emancipation means the realization of opportunity for self actualization, for each citizen to have the opportunity, space and support they need to be the best Kenyan that they can be. Today Kenyans enjoy a measure of freedom, but they are not emancipated.  

We enjoy some freedom of speech, universal adult suffrage and regular elections. There are numerous political parties and many civil society organizations. But the ability of the Kenyan people to hold the Government to account - whether through the National Assembly or through elections, or even through civil society action is - so severely constrained that Kenyans find themselves helpless even in the face of an offensive regime. Even in the face of broken promises such as promises made by the current government to give us a new and desirable Constitution, to fight crime, create employment, to ensure fairness in allocation of public resources and to end corruption. The time to pose pertinent questions about our governance is long overdue.