Tribalism is a disease we have all been struggling to fight day to day, time and again.
It is a vice that caused shame and death in equal measure in our once peaceful and united country, Kenya.
The most painful thing is that learned fellows are doing no better than the uneducated guys who have little or no knowledge at all about interaction, diversity and more so intermarriages among the various tribes we are proud of in the country.
Learning institutions right from nursery, primary and secondary schools to colleges and universities were meant to not only provide a learning platform to students but also be a social gathering where students from diverse backgrounds meet to share and celebrate each other’s tradition and culture.
It is a golden opportunity provided to anyone who sets foot to any learning institution to be more diligent, knowledgeable and appreciative to people from other tribes and social ladders.
It is a shame though that the very learned friends from whom we expect leadership and patriotic spirit or qualities are the ones in the forefront spreading hatred and tribalism in institutions we least expect to hear.
Recently, students of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University were forced to go home after the authorities closed the institution indefinitely.
The most unfortunate thing about the incident is that it was triggered not by a strike about food or money but by cheap student politics which had allegedly taken a tribal angle.
How could such a disgusting and humiliating act happen in a university, a place perceived to be where only intellectuals belong?
Other university students should stand firm and act against tribalism. They should in turn celebrate diversity and promote each other’s tradition in a healthy and peaceful way.
This way we will give forth to a united generation and bring up a peaceful Kenya where we interact as brothers and sisters whether or not politics is concerned.
Our tribes should be like jewellery to be proud of and not something we are not proud to be associated with for fear of being marginalised or subjected to torture of any kind be it psychological or physical.
Everyone should be allowed to choose their leaders regardless of tribe or tradition, and only that way will we celebrate our Kenyan citizenship peacefully as it has always been.