KENYA’S BROKEN SYSTEM: TIME FOR A FACTORY RESET
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By Gatehi Rebiro
Former Kandara MP candidate.
For decades, Kenya has been trapped in a cycle of dysfunction, suffering from a deep-rooted disease that has left the nation in the ICU. Unless we address its root causes, this virus will continue mutating, taking different forms but delivering the same destruction.
This disease is not just corruption or bad governance—it is a systemic failure, a generational betrayal rooted in tribalism, election manipulation, a bloated government, and leadership that thrives on deception rather than solutions. The real issue lies in the complacency of a political playbook filled with the same tattered pages of deceit and betrayal.
If we want real change, we must dismantle the structures that sustain this disease. Some changes must be systemic, while others require a generational shift—beyond merely replacing individuals. The clarion call for change is clear: Kenya needs a factory reset.
1. Tribalism: Kenya’s Deadliest Disease
Tribalism is at the core of Kenya’s destruction, fueling division, political instability, economic exclusion, and social fragmentation. As long as we allow tribal identities to define us, we remain captives of a system designed to divide and rule.
It is time to bury tribalism forever and embrace a unified Kenyan identity by:
- Abolishing tribal classifications in government records, job applications, and national documents.
- Incentivizing intermarriage to build a new generation free from ethnic chains.
- Criminalizing political mobilization based on tribal lines.
- Encouraging national rather than ethnic pride—Kenyans suffer as Kenyans, not as tribes.
2. The Rise of Election Locomotives
Kenya’s political landscape is dominated by tribal-based electoral machines, formed solely for short-term gains. These political formations are not built on ideology but are vehicles for:
- Political brokers trading favors.
- Political entrepreneurs enriching themselves.
- Opportunists exploiting the system.
- Political entertainers who turn leadership into a circus.
We must ban all election-driven political groupings and establish parties based on national ideology rather than ethnic alliances. Political parties should be defined by policy and vision—not personalities and self-interest.
3. Electoral Reform: End Outdated Voter Registration
Voter registration is an outdated, wasteful process that fuels electoral fraud through tampered registers and deliberate disenfranchisement. In an age of biometrics, why does Kenya still rely on voter registration?
The solution is simple:
- Abolish voter registration and allow voting via National ID.
- Implement biometric authentication to eliminate fraud.
- Make polling stations the final tallying centers with electronic transmission of results.
This would save billions spent on registration—funds that could be redirected to education, healthcare, and economic development—while ensuring free, fair, and credible elections.
4. Bloated Government and Overrepresentation
Kenya is burdened by an overloaded government structure, filled with redundant offices, unnecessary commissions, and political appointees. This bloated system exists to create positions for election losers, not to serve the people. It drains resources, fuels corruption, and drives economic instability.
To fix this:
- Reduce elective and appointed positions.
- Merge overlapping offices and eliminate redundancy.
- Base all public appointments on merit, not political cronyism.
- Cut unnecessary expenditures and prioritize service delivery over political appeasement.
5. Perpetual Campaign Mode Must End
Kenyan leaders spend more time on sunroofs and podiums than in their offices. When do they work? Public functions, funerals, and state events have been hijacked for political theatrics.
We must:
- Ban early campaigns and enforce term-focused governance.
- Hold leaders accountable for service delivery, not endless political rallies.
- Enact legal consequences for unfulfilled campaign promises.
Leadership should be about action—not storytelling and empty promises.
6. Ending State Capture and Political Impunity
Kenya’s democracy is under siege, hijacked by political elites who manipulate laws to serve their interests. The regrouping of political actors leads to tyranny of the majority, weakening checks and balances and suppressing democracy.
We must:
- Uphold constitutionalism and the rule of law.
- Prevent political elites from bending the Constitution for convenience.
- Defend democratic institutions from state capture.
Final Call: A New Kenya Is Possible
Kenya remains trapped in a cycle of false hope and broken promises because leaders exploit poverty, tribalism, and desperation to maintain power. Most of Kenya’s problems are human-made, facilitated by weak systems and unfulfilled policies.
This déjà vu of deception and betrayal must end. It is time for Kenyans to demand real change, systemic reform, and accountability.
Kenya belongs to its people, not its political elite. Let us unite, rise, and reclaim our country.
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