Jubilee’s tragic fall from solemn covenant to hollow, sinking shell

In this dusky season of angst and desolation, Kenya is overrun with mixed negative sentiments, including regret, sorrow, anger and outrage. Although they generously spill across the political divide, the feelings are layered and complicated. 

A spot of background is, therefore, necessary for a decent perspective.

As a malignant congregation of diabolical stewards of injustice, Jubilee is a proper kakistocracy.

Jubilee’s equal-opportunity tyranny has indiscriminately devastated swathes of the country. 

Its adherents’ delirious joy at fraught electoral triumphs was quickly replaced with a bottomless horror at the monstrosity they had unwittingly begotten. 

Likewise, the despair of Jubilee’s rivals at losing a momentous political duel quickly turned to undeniable vindication. 

They gloated and taunted as Jubilee pounced on its own precious cubs, devouring them with relish.

Under the scalding torrent of relentless chastisement, the Jubilee faithful have swiftly traversed the affective spectrum, from frenzied adoration through desolate mortification to abundant loathing.

Moral responsibility 

They are a seething throng of fallen angels and disgraced heroes, sweltering under the unforgiving judgement of their righteous rivals. Victimised by Jubilee, burdened by moral responsibility for enabling it capture state power and feeding its hunger for legitimacy, they are considered authors of this misfortune.

Accordingly, their claim to sympathy is fairly tenuous.

Nevertheless, the Handshake and the pandemic opened our eyes even further. 

If Jubilee demonstrated how the dreams of millions of hopeful citizens can be hijacked to serve the narrow interests of a handful, the Handshake demonstrated how the nation-building project is easily refashioned into the exclusive instrument of elite dominance. When the coronavirus came calling, Kenyans, regardless of politics, witnessed a nauseating spectacle of elite privilege and impunity. 

We learnt that our elite is oblivious, indifferent or hostile to the ordinary folk and their aspirations. We also discovered that our political framework has been designed to keep wananchi busy fighting imaginary enemies as the elites entrench their pact of perpetual domination.

The reason the elite club detests the Constitution of Kenya 2010 is precisely because its scheme of governance reveals wananchi as visible stakeholders and immanently valid citizens, not inert subjects and marginal actors. This radical charter disrupted an emergent feudalism. 

Jubilee has enabled a reactionary flank to restore itself permanently.

It must also never be forgotten that once upon a time, there existed excellent reasons for supporting Jubilee. 

At the golden jubilee of our republic, political communities sealed a solemn covenant: that political competition shall never again lead to bloodshed, and that our democracy shall instead take us on an inclusive journey of national socioeconomic transformation. 

Brotherhood and unity

The pact between two communities was the beginning of a nationwide journey of building bridges of peace, brotherhood and unity, and delivering shared prosperity to every corner of the land. 

If the Jubilee manifesto was aspirational, its political campaign was an affirming extravaganza of patriotic fervour and immodest, upbeat nationalism. 

It all dovetailed too nicely into an ascendant Africa Rising narrative driven by a compelling ideology of African Renaissance. 

Far worse things have been forgiven.

In order to swiftly descend into the orgy of plunder, arrogant mismanagement and callous tyranny, Jubilee had to commit a fundamental treachery. 

It discarded the alluring mantle of highminded civic commitment, unsheathing the cold, double-edged sword of tyrannical and fraudulent excess. Indeed, all reference to Jubilee typically denotes this chilling turn. 

Jubilee describes cynicism at its worst; the brazen privatisation of civic agenda and shameless glorification of a rapacious oligarchy. 

Jubilee is now the antithesis of what it set out to be. Its former champions are now deceived, miserable victims. 

This is, therefore, to ask all Kenyans of goodwill for gracious accommodation and empathy. 

With embittered and ashamed jubilants, let us join together and grieve the beautiful moment we lost and the nation we nearly became.

Monopoly of ideas 

If so much has been taken from us, what abides? We have lessons: that fixing ourselves goes hand in hand with fixing the nation. 

That no single faction owns the monopoly of transformative ideas. 

That the integrity of our nation lies in a field beyond contentious discourse and political competition. 

Finally, that we must keep the promise alive through relentless bipartisan engagement underpinned by unyielding reason.

As we huddle in wretched, snivelling clutches upon these unforgiving crags, witnessing our captain and crew vandalise the ship and flee in life rafts, we, the shipwrecked, must remember how we crashed into these straits. 

We must rue the solemn covenant turned into rank abomination. 

We must contemplate the bloated, hollow shell of our sinking vessel and pray for its rapid descent to the dark, abysmal deep as we reclaim the freedom to dream again.

Mr Ng’eno is an advocate of the High Court and former State House Speech Writer. @EricNgeno