Kenya will always be in our blood. We have so much shared history and so much shared pain. We experienced and absorbed the waves and pains of colonialism -- all left their distinctive mark on our country and in our people. Sadly, the power games of our colonial masters and founding fathers sowed the seeds of the trouble we are experiencing today! Unfortunately, it has always been simplistic to portray our differences as simply ethnic or tribal.
The democratic process in our beloved country is at a difficult juncture. Progress is being made painfully, but slowly. There is an impasse over the establishment of a government that is acceptable both by the Kenyans and by the international community. There is an impasse over the way forward in resolving the current political standoff. But we have to be optimistic the whole way through. Yes our people are dying! Yes, our police and para-military forces are brutal! Yes, our freedom of media has been hijacked and flushed down the toilet, BUT we have to be optimistic. Let us not underestimate how far we have come; and let us agree that we have come too far to go back now!
We are not in any way suggesting that this is easy. No! We are getting many letters from the victims of violence asking why we are letting this wanton destruction of lives and property to go on. Some letters are even suggesting that we are being used by foreign Masters to divide our country and cause confusion! It is a tough call but our answer is strong, loud and clear: democracy will never be restored in Kenya if we do not sacrifice and tackle the root causes of the current political crisis in our country! THE BLOOD OF THE DEARS ONES THAT WE ARE LOSING IS THE SEED OF OUR DEMOCRACY!
It may look grim now but it is going to brighten up! A genuine agreement by our leaders will herald the prospect of an end to violence and a peaceful future for Kenya. Our duty is to fight and die for this noble cause. This is a duty that KDPM feels for more strongly than ever, having seen for ourselves the horrors of living under tyranny and dictatorship in the past. The current crisis we are facing is not the first such atrocity to occur in our country. The current dictators that we are facing are not the first ones that we have had in our country. They may not even be the last one that we will have to deal with! Nevertheless, with all of our being, we will fight for our democracy to the end.
For many of you, the personal contribution to this cause has been immense. We reflect on those who have been victims of violence, whose lives are scarred and twisted through the random wickedness of police brutality. We also reflect on those who are living in fear, those whose parents and loved ones have died. We pay tribute to your tireless dedication and sacrifice. We value your patriotism and salute your courage. You are living up to your side of the bargain. Yet with all these in mind, we are not asking anyone to surrender. We are not asking anyone to declare the victory of peace yet. No! Continue sounding the battle cry! Continue bracing yourselves for tough times ahead until democracy is restored to our beloved country!
Don't believe anyone who says that Kenyans in the diaspora don't care about the peace process. Kenyans in the diaspora care deeply about it and are willing to do anything for democracy to work in our motherland. It is not just the politicians who have a role to play. No! We love and respect most of our political leaders. But no one should ignore or forget the injustices that Kenyans have suffered at the hands of a few greedy politicians, or the horrible lessons of our history. We also realize that often, among different Kenyans, one person's history has been another person's myth. This explains why some people are celebrating while others are agonizing over every development in Kenya right now. We can understand the emotions generated by the last General election troubles, but we cannot really believe that we have come to the end of the road! There is a better way forward to the future than murder and tribal hatred. We can do better than we are doing now. KDPM officials are increasingly consulting and coordinating systematically with others who are interested in seeing democracy restored in Kenya. We will do more. We believe we can transform our links if all of us are indeed ready to make the effort. For our part, we are. We want to engage our society at every level.
We have therefore agreed to launch a new intensive process. We are going to have revitalized, modernized, and intensified campaigns carried out by our contacts on the ground. We are also going to have a habit of close consultation on Kenyan issues, marked by a step-change in contacts at every level. Thirdly, we will be working together with our like-minded political parties and other stakeholders on Kenyan issues nationally and internationally more widely.
What KDPM welcomes above all is any effort by individuals, groups and countries to bring us closer together. Let us also hasten to clarify that we do not believe that any foreign entity can or should any longer define the relationship between us Kenyans. Our common interests, what we can achieve together, go much, much wider than any person can give us. Our people and political parties can look to the future with confidence in our unique and diverse ways as long as we all agree to support democratic processes and resolutions. We will be stronger and more prosperous working together than if we are divided.
This is KDPM’s ambition and we believe it is shared by all peace-loving and democratic Kenyans both at home and in the diaspora. The future awaits us. Let us confront our challenges with confidence, and together give our children the future they deserve.
KDPM SECRETRIAT
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