How Will Kenyans in Diaspora Vote?

I totally agree with ambassador Elkanah Odembo’s (Kenyan ambassador to US) view that Kenya’s new (now not so new) Constitution is transformative especially when it comes to the ‘rights’ and ‘privileges’ it bestows on the Diaspora.

And that many in the Diaspora and the Kenya government itself have neither grasped nor fully comprehended what this really implies and means to both groups going forward.

It’s no wonder there’s heightened uncertainty and anxiety both at home and abroad as Kenyans grapple with, among other challenges, putting in place mini laws and institutions that will actualize these newfound rights and privileges.

Standing out among the juicy benefits of the Constitution is that for the first time ever, the Kenyan Diaspora will be allowed to vote in the country’s impending general elections.

If you are a Kenyan who lives in the US, you definitely know that Kenyans in the US are hopelessly balkanized alongside tribal and religious denominational affiliations.

This tends to influence where they settle and live when they arrive in the US.

Where am I going with this? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Tribalism within the Kenyan Diaspora community is not only appalling but also inexcusable. In many ways, it’s what has confined the community to the ‘economic refugee’ status that most of us find ourselves in.

To change the situation, it would take courageous people and a body like Mzalendo Kibunjia’s National Cohesion and Integration Commission to educate people on the negative consequences of negative ethnicity.

With defining general elections loudly pounding at the door, the Kenyan Diaspora can make a huge difference if they can lead by example by voting for people of integrity rather than along tribal lines.

Kenya is crying for leaders and not tribal kings and the Diaspora has a chance alongside their Kenyan compatriots to elect leaders.

So, my concern and anxiety is not so much that we in Diaspora may not be able to vote for whatever reasons. It is that if we vote, will our vote add value to the country’s voting process?

Will our vote bring about the much-needed change in our country? My peeps in Diaspora must answer that.

By Chris Wamalwa, USA

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