We Can Go Back To Our Lives Now

It is all celebrations.

BY PATRICK WACHIRA
SUNDAY, 31 MARCH, 2013

Folks, I am beside myself with glee. Not because Uhuru Kenyatta has been declared properly elected as head of state by the highest court in the land. No. My reasons for celebrating are myriad, not least because Kenyans have been on tenterhooks ever since March 4th when they braved the chill of dawn and the subsequent scorching heat of the sun to cast their votes.

I am excited that the petition, which has occupied the collective psyche of Kenyans for the last three weeks and five days, is finally over. I am glad that the decision of the Supreme Court is not appealable, or we would engage in endless litigation at the expense of nation-building. Yes, although we have been waiting with bated breath for the decision that was delivered yesterday, we also refused to agree to disagree.

The most talked about issue, from dingy village pubs all the way to five star establishments, from the villages and hamlets all the way to the city, from morning to evening, was the presidential petition. And it was in order that the matter is finally decided so that Kenyans can now get back to the serious business of working for their keep. The business of politicking, save for a motley group of idlers who congregate near City Hall daily to engage in endless banter about politics, is not for us, for majority of us have tasks that must be achieved.

For the ordinary man in the street, it mattered precious little which way the petition would go, yet, he was the one most engaged in daily discussion of the merits and demerits of the case. Folks, the matter has now been decided, can we get back to work? It was okay that we were rivetted to this most talked about issue since we have never had a case like that. It was okay that we became, overnight, political pundits, dishing out opinion like confetti, to all and sundry. But it’s now over.

What bothered me most was the tension that stalked us while the case lasted. I chanced into a supermarket early yesterday and witnessed how folks had kept away from town and city streets. It was also a matter to contemplate that the Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo warned that some nefarious fellows were planning chaos, rekindling memories of the so-called hotspots where violence raged five years ago to scales unimaginable in recent times.

It was reassuring that Kimaiyo said police were on top of things and were monitoring the situation. That means that there were guys who were bent on formenting trouble. That is cause for worry. It is crucial that whether we see ourselves as winners or losers, we maintain a high sense of level-headedness so that together we can move on as a nation. We are the biggest winners in this case. Those who were in the petition just got themselves a job. And others lost a chance for those jobs. Period.

Nothing more, nothing less. For the rest of us, we must still engage in our daily task of putting loaf on the table. And it’s no easy task. My take is that our lives will hardly change dramatically just because there is a new occupant at State House. Tomorrow, you must report where you have been reporting to, regardless of who is Head of State. That is the bottomline. Our lives must continue. Can we get back to them, please? V

The writer is the Editor, The People, Weekend Editions