Why Isolating Mt Kenya is not a wise strategy

It is in the public domain that some leaders have suggested the best way to win the 2027 General Election is to isolate Mt Kenya. Well, politicians usually devise all manner of tricks and strategies to win an election. They adopt Malcom X’s maxim, "by all means necessary".

But there are reasons why those thinking along the lines of isolationism should reconsider their plans.

First, it is not the moral or right thing to do to isolate any region in the quest for political power. Kenya is one and its unity is the key. Isolating Mt Kenya is akin to adopting a strategy that isolates the Coast, Rift Valley or Lake region people. Is it the right thing to do? Is power such an important thing as to cause anyone to devise a strategy to isolate any region?

The true Kenyan leader is the one who would preserve the country even if he risks losing power as opposed to acquiring power at the expense of unity.

The Bible, in the old testament, has an interesting story of two women who went to King Solomon in a dispute about a baby. One woman claimed the other accidentally killed her baby and was now trying to pass off her own living child as the deceased one. Solomon proposed to cut off the living child into two. The true mother was revealed through maternal instincts when she offered to rebut her claim if the child was preserved.

It is the same case here: whoever loves Kenya should consider its unity as being more important than dividing it through isolating any region. Instead of declaring political war against a certain region, it is better to declare war against certain issues — like poverty.

And that is what makes western politics superior. US President Lyndon B. Johnson declared war against poverty in 1964. He never declared war against a community. Likewise, President Franklin Roosevelt’s "New Deal" was a war against under development, not communities. 

Plan of isolationism

Political wars against issues bring people together; political wars against communities divide people. 

But politicians often are "amoral" and righteousness does not move them. Machiavellian interests and realpolitik and thus the foregoing might not appeal to them. But there is political logic, which still justifies why a plan of isolationism against a region is not smart politics. This brings us to the second point. 

Planning and stating openly the intention to isolate a region can only trigger panic. That can only incentivise the said region to fight back intensely. Probably without such an isolationism strategy, the said region would have rendered a feeble fight. But indicating a plan to isolate a region can only induce a huge fight back spirit.

Alexander the Great, one of history's greatest military leaders, used to burn his troops’ vessels to prevent retreat. By destroying their means of escape, Alexander the Great ensured his troops had no choice but to and win. He did so when his troops faced Persian soldiers. In 1519, Hernan Cortes arrived in Latin America with 600 men. He destroyed his ships. The message was clear: there was no turning back. His men went on to conquer Aztec Empire two years later.

Therefore, politicians saying Mt Kenya will be isolated are merely burning escape ships — the people will have no option but fight to the end. It is always wise to give your political adversaries an escape route. Sun Tzu in his "Art of War" indicated it is wise to give your rivals an escape route because it can "lead to quicker surrender, minimise unnecessary bloodshed and prevent them from becoming desperate and fight to death, potentially turning the tide in your favour ". Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across. A desperate opponent is like a caged animal. He fights very fiercely. 

Another political logic against seeking to isolate the region is based on the idea of (political) opportunism. Those that might appear to be a problem to one politician might actually be an opportunity for another. And therefore ignoring a region is actually giving a through pass to one's opponents to go and conquer the said region.

A story is told of two American students studying business studies (James and John) that went to India. James saw millions walking without shoes and pitied them. "How poor are these fellows? Why can't they be rich?". John saw the opposite — an opportunity to establish a factory and sell shoes to India. He did so once back in America and became a millionaire and employed James as his accountant.

Isolationist political strategy

Same case here. A region might appear as being problem to some. To others, the region is an opportunity. Ignoring any region is failing to see political opportunities that exist in every part of Kenya.

In fact, zoning off restricting one's politics to specific strongholds) has certain other downsides. One's opponent can do monkey business during voting or counting in such strongholds and a candidate has no means to stop this since he had isolated that region. Some candidates even fail to place agents in their opponents’ zones.

Such a strategy also creates political bubbles amongst the people who have no idea what is happening elsewhere and results can only shock a populace. That is exactly what happened in 2007 leading to chaos as leaders zoned off regions. 

Best political strategy is always to fight in every space without ceding. A wise politician should be like the father of the biblical prodigal son - always thinking more about the lost sheep than the sheep that is in a sheepfold.

Isolationist political strategy works best in instances where one is holding something everyone wants. Like a football match where everyone looks at the player possessing the ball. In the current scheme of things, Mt Kenya is floating out there having nothing politically speaking which everyone is seeking. Therefore, the best case scenario is to go for them.

Therefore, let politicians seek to unite, instead of sowing discord. Let them reflect sing the payer by St Francis: "Lord, make me an instrument of peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon…" 

Dr Kangata is the Governor of Murang’a County; Email [email protected]