Why the Kenyans must vote green tomorrow.

There has been a lot of debate on the draft constitutions, most of it legal and credible, a lot of it propaganda. The constitution discussions have become the centre of everything, from the dinning table back home, matatu rides in town and salons. Whether YES or NO, I must admit I am proud of my countrymen for taking their responsibilities seriously. For the first time since the west started shoving “democracy” down our thoughts, I feel that Kenyans might have finally understood the true meaning of the word and not a mere “multi party state”.

Today I want to talk to the Kenyans who will be at the ballot box tomorrow. You must have already heard a lot of reasons why to vote for or against this constitution. Let mine be an addition to the many credible reasons as to why we must vote GREEN tomorrow. Like many before me have stated, this has been along journey for Kenya, some will say driven by foreign interest. But whether or not foreign interests have interfered in our process, we must understand what a NO vote will do to us. It is not about the beautiful preamble that opens up the constitution, or the numerous gains for the women, youth and marginalized communities. Its not about building credible and accountable institutions which most certainly this constitution aims for, its about citizenship.

Kenyans have finally started to gain confidence in themselves confidence in questioning the role of state, confident that we all play a role in bringing about change. This is what you need for any progressive nation, a people who take up responsibility. The open engagements resulting from the agenda 4 reforms processes have definitely propelled a common mwananchi’s confidence in their contribution to the building of the nation. Gone are the days when government was an exclusive club.

Now to my point!!! If we vote NO, then all this gains will be reverted back to the days when seeking to find out what your last CDF budget did, amounted to crime. It’s the feeling of achievement that builds confidence. Kenyans have been sent back to the drawing board too many times and this might just be the last straw. Kenyans might just give up completely if we are sent back to the drawing board this time. Many say that, if NO carries the day, we will simply dust ourselves off, pick up from where we left off and start the battle, but our history tells us that it has never been as easy as that. The common mwananchi is hanging at the very end of the string. Someone needs to throw us a lifeline and the new constitution might just be it.

So tomorrow as we vote, don’t think of all the YES and NO campaigns you have been hearing all over, think of the millions of who will completely give up on ever seeing change and I mean any kind of change in this country.

I am however very optimistic that like our president said, we will be parting all over town on Thursday. If it was up to me, I would make that our true independence day, and not the day we received a piece of paper drafted by our oppressors.

Happy voting my brothers and sisters