KENYA: COAST POLITICAL UNITY A MIRAGE

For the umpteenth time, attempts to bring political unity to the Kenya coast have failed.

Not that I had expected a miracle from the meeting held this past weekend by our political leaders at a Kwale resort. I knew from the very beginning that nothing would come out of it.

And I am not even a pessimist. I am simply a realist who has been watching and participating in Coast politics for years.

Attended by most of the region's politicians but snubbed by some, including the supposed convener himself, MP Gideon Mung'aro, the meeting was not the first one called to discuss the subject of unity. Many similar meetings have been held in the past. All of them failed. They failed because of a multiplicity of reasons, ranging from racial, religious, ethnic and political differences as well as lack of trust, arrogance and selfishness.

There are also too many conflicting interests. Because of its rich and diverse resources, the Coast attracts all manner of characters who pour in huge amounts of money to influence the politics and economy of the region. Some of our political leaders are hostages to these wheeling and dealing characters who have their eyes on exploiting the port of Mombasa, raiding the vast land bank; and taking advantage of the great tourism opportunities. So, money and self-interest are also at the centre of conflicts amongst our leaders.

I have said it here, and I discuss it in my latest book, DASH BEFORE DUSK, which is available at your bookshop, that coastal unity is a mirage. Disunity collapsed powerful parties such as the Mombasa African Democratic Union and the Coast African Peoples Union in the 50s; has paralysed the Coast Parliamentary Group since the 80s; and continues to polarise the people on party grounds.

As other regions have matured and coalesced to emerge strong politically, economically and socially, the Coast - cradle of civilisation - has remained behind in everything imaginable.

Way back in 1997, I formed the Coast Development Group to try to encourage unity among the people of the region. It was infiltrated by Coast Special Branch officers and lasted only a few months. Then a few years later, I put together the Coast Leaders' Forum but this was hijacked by an elite group of privateers and replaced with the Coast Peoples' Forum. That too collapsed.

In between we have had more than a half a dozen political parties including the Islamic Party of Kenya, Shirikisho, the Federal Party, the National Labour Party, Mwangaza, Uzalendo, Kadu-Asili and the Republican Congress. All of them withered away and none became a national party.

In recent years, leaders have come up with all types of declarations aimed at uniting the people and forming a regional-based party. As we saw at Kwale, those declarations are not worth the paper they were written on. The meeting was heavily divided on party lines and the party issue was abandoned.

By announcing plans to form a vaguely-defined Commonwealth of Coast Counties, the leaders dropped the ball and admitted failure on broader issues.  The meeting was nothing more than a public relations exercise geared at hoodwinking the people that their leaders are working for them.

I stopped advocating for a Coastal-based political party some years ago after concluding it was a futile exercise.

Without unity at the top, there can be no unity at the bottom. And without unity at the bottom, a political party is not feasible.

My view therefore is that a Coast-based political party is untenable - not now; not for many years to come.

And that is my say.