Photo caption: President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga in a past event. (ebrutv.co.ke)
On Friday, both Raila Odinga of NASA and Uhuru Kenyatta of Jubilee attended the burial ceremony of former Nairobi mayor and father to Rachel Shebesh, Simon Mbugua, in Kiambu county.
The two leaders were meeting for the first time after the hotly contested August presidential election in which Raila filed a petition to challenge Uhuru's reelection win. One notable thing is that both leaders were calm and conducted themselves with decorum.
However, this is quite opposite from what would have happened in case it was their supporters meeting together in a given function. Words would have been exchanged, people would have fought each and many would have sustained injuries just because of the political outfit they are alienated to.
This is not the first time Raila and Uhuru are meeting each other. Over their recent course of political ambitions, the two have graced each other and have always referred to each other as brothers.
In May, for example, the two met at the burial ceremony of former Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua. In the event, they clearly elaborated that they are good friends and even in unison talked MCAs out of frustrating governors.
As Raila has always put it, politics is a game free from animosity and hatred. Kenyans should, therefore, take a cue from this and engage in politics without turning on each other. After all politics is full of rhetoric and propaganda and the team with the best of the two carries the day.
Kenyan politics is ethnic in nature but it is wrong for Kenyans to attack each on tribal lines. Not all Kalenjins or Kikuyus support Jubilee neither do all Luos or Luhyas support NASA. Kenyans should further note that politicians are using tribalism to divide and seek power.
In 2007/08 political season, politicians used tribalism to divide Kenyans and the consequences were dire. People lost their lives and property worth hundreds of millions of shillings was destroyed just because one was a Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Luo, Luhya among others.
In 2017, the same script is taking shape. Kenyans have turned against each other for either supporting Jubilee or NASA. The political tension is high and if not checked early enough, then the country will fall into the same hellhole that it fell into in 2007. And in any case, when the normal mwananchi fight, our leaders will be dining and whining and discussing a power-sharing deal meant to benefit them and their families.