Screams, houses on fire, pure terror, pain. These are the words that come to mind when I think about the violence that erupted in Kenya following the 2007 disputed presidential elections.
However, this memory is currently not what scares me the most. I fear that Kenyan Youth may fail to stand up for themselves, for their freedom of choice and for future generations to come by voting during the upcoming 2022 election. If this happens, we will find ourselves embedded in another cycle of death and destruction.
I was a young girl back then, probably seven or eight years old, but I still remember the violence, the terror, the fear and the deaths. I recall being in the car and seeing police officers hurl tear gas at groups of protesters on the streets. The memory of my mother locking us in the house as chaos erupted just outside the gates of our compound is still quite clear in my mind.
I am still haunted by the memory of my mother on the phone talking about how one of her colleagues was burnt alive inside his house. His crime? Being a member of a different tribe.
The 2007 post election turmoil was fought on the basis of tribal lines. Tribes were pitted against other tribes in a fight that was basically between the leaders of our nation. Innocent lives; mothers, fathers, sons and daughters were claimed. The root of this chaos was the failure to respect the people’s choice. The lack of freedom to decide and agree on who we want leading our nation.
My heart breaks as I write these words because I fear Kenyan youth are ignorant of the power they hold. We have the power to bring about a stable society, a necessary change and ultimately to save lives. Today I hear my fellow college mates joking about how they have not registered for the upcoming elections. Their reasons are all the same: My vote won’t count.
The problem is that if tens of thousands of youth hold that mentality, a large portion of the youth fail to exercise their civic duty and do what is best for this country by voting for credible leaders who have a vision and passion to improve and build our country. Lives, the economy and our country as a whole are put at risk as the leaders we need to take up the duty of ensuring the growth and development of our nation fail to be elected into office.
The youth should not sit back and wait for our predecessors to take the reigns. We have a real and powerful voice to bring about the change Kenya needs and we can start with registering to vote in the upcoming elections and electing leaders who have our best interests at heart. It is time to do away with the unfruitful old regimes that make empty promises while our country shows no signs of sustainable growth and development .
We have the power to elect competent leaders who can protect us, who can ensure we have access to water, access to electricity, education and proper health care systems in place so that no life is lost because our doctors were on a pay strike.
Dear Kenyan youth, we will not be silenced. It is our time to bring about the change our nation needs.
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