5 August 2010

editorial

Magnanimous in victory, gracious in defeat: That is the message Kenyans must welcome at the conclusion of a bruising referendum campaign.

We are glad Kenyan leaders recognised that this is not the occasion to gloat in victory or to be angry in defeat. It is the time to appreciate that though Kenyans have spoken, the hard work lies ahead towards actual realisation of a new constitution and a renewed process of national healing and reconciliation.

When Kenya won independence from the colonial system nearly a half decade ago, the first Prime Minister, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, was quick to caution that freedom meant hard work and sacrifice. It was not a time to laze around in expectation of free things, but a time to roll up the sleeves and work towards reaping the fruits of liberty.

This is another such moment. When Kenyans voted overwhelmingly for the new constitution, they brought the noisy and divisive referendum campaigns to a close, and shamed the prophets of doom who predicted another round of bloodshed.

Kenyans also signalled firmly that the desire to march bravely forward into a radically new constitutional, social, economic and political dispensation could not be held back by minor disagreements. The rewards of a new constitution, however, will not come on a silver platter.

A tremendous amount of work will have to go into establishing the new administrative and legislative systems that will underpin the new order. Moving away from an entrenched centrist system to devolved government won't be easy. There will be missteps, and there will be resistance from conservatives who recoil at the very idea of change.

The legislative agenda alone required to midwife the new order is daunting by its scale and breadth. It will not move forward without a united government and a united Parliament, both working towards the same cause. That is why it is important that the rancour and recriminations that marked the campaigns be put aside.

Hence we welcome the generous victory address by President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga that extended the hand of friendship and cooperation to the losing side. We also welcome the graceful concession earlier by Mr William Ruto and other 'No' campaign leaders who recognised that Kenyans have spoken. Now both sides must move beyond words.

In the first instance, a roundtable must be established to resolve to the satisfaction of all the remaining contentious issues in the new constitution. These are discussions that must be characterised by mutual goodwill and the spirit of give-and-take rather than needless intransigence.

It will also be important that the implementation process be as broad-based as possible to ensure no new gridlocks are erected in Parliament. With goodwill and unity of purpose, it should not be too difficult to actualise the new constitution within the established time-frame.

Kenyans, however, may have to put pressure on their leaders to ensure that the process is not taken hostage by selfish and destructive politics.