At independence, Kenya set out to eliminate three enemies, namely poverty, disease, and ignorance. That mission remains stalled. 63 years later, it is time to dismantle the system of extraction, exploitation, and domination, which is the cause behind the three enemies of independence that continue to hold the country back.
Kenyans can feel despair, disillusionment, and frustration due to the prevailing situation in the country. But that is not what Kenyans are. They are hardworking, resilient, and optimistic. They rise up.
Our country is a land of infinite possibilities and opportunities. Kenyans are going to make a real fundamental change. The clouds have been gathering, and torrential rains have been pouring. Political floods are coming. We must enter the economic democracy Ark. It is our only hope and ultimate salvation.
There are three emerging crucial scenes in the new political landscape in Kenya. First, confronting and disrupting the traditional political establishment, whether in power or opposition. Second, a groundswell rise of a significant population of Kenyans strongly focusing on key issues of interest, but with no political affiliation. And finally, decolonizing development and challenging the established economic power structure for a new economic order and a new political system.
Economic revolution
What began as fiscal justice has evolved into a full economic revolution. It was never a passing cloud. This is our struggle for our economic rights. Our economic sovereignty. People of Kenya are demanding their economic dignity. They want their economic and financial security. This is a revolution to establish a constitutional economic order.
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Our political freedoms have proved inadequate. Yes, we shall keep protecting them. But economic freedoms are very crucial. History strongly shows that countries with more economic freedom grow faster, and those with less economic freedom mostly don’t grow at all. Economic freedom is a necessary condition of individual liberty.
Economic freedom is not just a driver of our prosperity and greatness. It is a vital safeguard for our political freedom. Economic independence provides the foundation for individual autonomy, and without it, political rights and civil liberties are hollowed out.
Economic freedom is not just an engine of our material prosperity. It is a key pillar of our political liberty. Without it, the ability to exercise political rights is significantly weakened, making economic freedom a prerequisite. This is why the economic revolution is not stopping and won’t stop until a new political system that guarantees our economic rights is established. Economic freedom allows for innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship, and the pursuit of new ideas, which collectively foster prosperity and human flourishing.
Debt slavery
Our mission is to realize our economic independence. But we have one handicap: debt slavery. Debt is taking more than 70% of revenue. Currently, Kenya’s population’s future income is being leveraged in debt. In the last two years of President William Ruto’s regime, the average Kenyan’s income has fallen by 12%. This is not a theoretical default. It is the real default happening in diminished wages and lost opportunities.
The catastrophic human consequences of illegal debt crime and a discounted future are being witnessed everywhere in our daily lives, education, health, food, jobs, etc. The beneficiaries of this system are the banks, international bondholders, politicians, bureaucrats, and land speculators.
Kenyans must stop this racket of selling Kenya’s future. Cutting off payment of debt will unleash capital and completely change our economy and lives. This is why the economic revolution that began with the June 2024 protests will not stop. This revolution is the people of Kenya’s desire to harness and leverage their capabilities, ingenuity, and knowledge to seize emerging opportunities and technological innovations, thereby advancing their human and economic freedoms beyond mere survival.
What Kenyans want
Kenyans have come out very strongly on the economy, clean governance, and the rule of law. They want a new country, new transformative leadership, and new 21st-century competitive ideas. It is never again about bringing together a coalition of ethnic and regional kingpins’ politics. The establishment politics of divide and rule is upended. The political earthquake and shifting of politics continue to evolve. Anti-establishment is escalating.
The democratic spring by Gen Z marked the start of the end of the old political culture of ethnicity and kingpin. Kenyans are united on a common cause. We have politics driven by a new generation demanding change. This generation wants the current political system dismantled. We need a new generation of political thinkers to rise to the challenge and tackle the major unique problems of our time. And ensure that the Fourth Industrial Revolution dividend transforms our country and our lives.
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Our population demographics have significantly changed. Thus, our politics must change. This is our generational change moment. Let’s not miss it. Together, we reset Kenya—not only for ourselves—but for those yet to be born.
New Kenya
Today’s world is competing on ideas and issues of interest. Our politics must become a competition of visions. People should be elected based on their ideas and the issues that interest the communities and the country. Ours must be a tent of issues of interest, not ethnic groupings. The defining challenge of our time is making sure our economy works for every Kenyan with social and economic mobility.
We must create a situation where you can be elected anywhere in the country. Not because of the tribe you come from. But on the basis of your ideas and issues, you are able to articulate. This is because the decisions we make on issues affecting us don’t differentiate between people or communities.
We must define our politics on the basis of leadership with capacity, competence, and capability to deliver. We must have issue-based, people-centered, and delivery-oriented politics. This is our new Kenya. Our political conscientious has significantly improved. We must bring out our best. We must stop talking about change. We must make a change. This is our moment to rise up.
This article was written by Ndung’u Wainaina, a Transitional Justice and Human Security Fellow; @NdunguWainaina.
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