ONLY YOU AND I CAN SAVE OUR DEAR NATION!

When a friend of mine called me distraught and in pain, the current Kenyan tragedy came full circle! Kenya, my dear country has sunk beyond the depths of hell. My friend struggled to explain that his family is trapped in Njoro-a town near Nakuru, fearing for their dear lives. He informed me that a number of people had already been killed by marauding youths blaming certain persons for the upheaval that has befallen us all.

As much as I thought all political stuff was important, the moment my distressed friend called overwhelmed with despair, the dire state of affairs in Kenya moved from a "general" problem and became really personal

It didn't matter that Kenya's recent election was flawed and managed by an incompetent Electoral Commission whose chairman is not fit to run a primary school class election. It didn't matter that Mwai Kibaki was declared president under "mysterious" circumstances and it didn't matter that Raila Odinga has a point in challenging the outcome of the overly manipulated presidential elections.

What hit me hard was the despair and the hopelessness expressed by my friend. What bothered me is the inhumanity perpetrated on Kenyans by Kenyans. What incensed me is the brutality of a savage populace motivated by hate and dehumanized by misguided revenge. What riled me is the desire to wreak havoc and to deliver indiscriminate mayhem on our fellow citizens.

For sure, Kenya has been given to the dogs by a bunch of diabolic and idiotic old men whose desire for absolute power is only rivaled by their cynical fears of change. But what justice can be achieved through slaughter? What lasting peace can be gained through terror? And what meaningful prosperity can be pursued through plunder?

Dear Fellow Kenyans, ours is a nation at great risk. Ours is a country on the verge of absolute oblivion. Innocent blood is being shed because of conniving and deceitful elements. We are loosing our youth to the senseless violence. We are burning our women and children in church infernos.

And despite the doom, and despite the butchery, and despite the slaughter, and despite the chaos, some of us continue to harden their hearts and refuse to open their eyes.

Woe onto those "elitist" politicians who abuse the law to deny us justice. Woe onto those

who quote the law to justify our oppression. Woe onto those who seek power by pressing Kenyans necks under the wrath of a vicious guillotine. Woe onto those who incite us, appeal to our most barbaric emotions, and delude our logic. Woe onto those who use diplomatic gibberish to downplay our crisis and deny our tragedy.

I am no more or less of a patriot than any other Kenyan. You and I answer to the same Kenya. You and I pledge loyalty to the same nation. You and I love the same country. It is time that we embrace one another. It is time we share in each others lives. It is time I fight against the injustice perpetrated upon you and it is time you share in my suffering. It is time I lift your dreams and you quell my fears. It is our time!

In the spirit of our nation, let us stand shoulder to shoulder as true brothers and sisters. Let's hold hands together and pump our fists in the air as we cry for dear nation, condemn the suffering of our brethren and mourn the senseless death of our brothers and sisters. Let their wailing cries reinvigorate us with a sense of unity. Let their departed souls fill us with the relentless desire for peace. Let their spilled blood replenish our need for liberty and justice for all.

I appreciate the anger of those who feel denied. I acknowledge the dread of those who feel victimized. But, I fear that we all stand to lose everything if we don't come to terms with the dark reality, the sinister doom, which is pitting Kenyans against Kenyans.

Sure, we must not live under the yolk of injustice. Sure, we must not be denied our liberties. Sure, we must not give up our freedoms. Sure, we must not throw away our prosperity.

But, if we must defeat oppression let us do it together like great Kenyan men and women whose desire for justice is equaled by our compassion for each other. Let us fight for liberty because we must uphold the rights of every single Kenyan citizen. Let us defy exploitation together, as one nation, because we all share in the dreams of every Kenyan person. Let us champion change because we believe in a better future for each and every Kenyan child.

My dear fellow Kenyans, I realize that the 2007 presidential election has delivered onto us a crisis of Herculean proportion. I know there is heated debate on both sides. I know that it's the immorality and the arrogance displayed by some, which fills us with savage anger and drives us into a deadly insanity.

But, we must not succumb to the dehumanizing hatred, and we must not submit to our savage tendencies, and we cannot afford to mortgage our destiny as a nation. For in doing so, we will lose our very soul as a nation and waste our purpose as Kenyan people.

At this time, I will make a case for neither Kibaki nor Raila. Both men are Kenyans just like you and me. Their plans and agendas hold no greater value than yours or mine. Their right to exist and prosper in Kenya does not exceed the dreams of any single Kenyan.

Kenya is ours-it belongs to us- you and me; we are each entitled to enjoy every breath of air and excel in every inch of our country's soil, despite tribe, origin, class, and religion.

NO! At this time, I will put my personal feelings aside, withhold my fiery opinions, and push aside my self-interests and do what is right for my country. I will humbly ask you to do the same for sake of country and for the wellbeing of our fellow brethrens.

I will not worry about the meaningful or meaningless politics of either ODM or PNU.

NO! I will think about my friend's family; fellow Kenyans facing imminent danger not because they have wronged anyone but because they happen to be Kenyans living in Njoro! I will worry about the Kenyan man I saw on CNN with a badly mutilated head and a face covered with flowing blood. I will worry about all those scared women and terrified burned alive as they sought refuge in a church in Eldoret. I will worry about the young Kenyan shot to death in Kisumu.

I will not try to understand the reasoning of any divisive politician. I will not agree with any tribalistic friend. I will shun hateful speech from any clever and conniving elitist.

This time, I will empathize with the suffering, I will share in the pain of the injured, and I will participate in the mourning of the dead.

This time, I will pray for Kenya. I will beg God to forgive our sins and offer guidance. On my knees, I will pray for peace and search for wisdom so that we can save our dear nation. Please join me because you are a true, loyal, and patriotic Kenyan!

George K. Mutua