Kenyans are too angry but, sorry, anger alone will not fix our country

There is just so much anger in the atmosphere it is terrifying. A quick look on social media, a little unintentional eavesdropping in public places, and a casual stroll through the FM radio will reveal one underlying theme: Majority of us are walking through life with so much anger it is alarming.

Two days ago, while out getting some groceries at my neighbourhood store, I encountered a mom and her kids doing the same. While making a turn to the next aisle, the lady who was pushing a trolley rammed into my left hip so badly that I winced.

I turned to look at her expecting at least an acknowledgment of the accident before she disappeared but she met my questioning look with a glare so hot that I instinctively looked away.

My eyes met with the boy’s, who should have been around 9, and in his eyes, I could see the confusion, an unspoken apology but also puzzlement at how the whole thing had transpired.

In his mind, I think he knew for sure that wasn’t how the event should have unfolded. We met at the cashiers and the lady’s expression was still as defiant.

I went home feeling both sad and mad. Sad because young kids had just witnessed impunity firsthand and by, the adults not doing the right thing, planted in them a seed for the same. We missed a chance to teach them accountability and owning up to one’s mistakes. I was mad too.

Mad at myself for not speaking up and letting the lady know what she had done was wrong. For fear of not being labeled petty or overly sensitive, I failed to call out the misbehaviour. I was mad at her too for thinking she could do whatever she wanted with zero consequences.

And then it hit me: This was not just about two random women at the store but everything that is wrong with us as a country!

How we interact with each other, with our leaders or even how we receive news about them is but a reflection of how much anger we are walking around with.

Divergent opinion

The rage cannot allow us to empathise in situations where empathy would be automatic. It is spilling over in how we engage in otherwise informative discourses.

We see it in the visceral reactions online. It shows in how we are quick to ’cancel’ and send people with divergent opinion to ‘hell’. It is in how we are willing to destroy homes and businesses of those we feel have offended us without a care.

Just like the woman at the store, our leaders’ continuous acts of defiance and dismissiveness even when citizens cry out about poor governance, high cost of living, wanton corruption and unfulfilled pledges has us all on the edge.

The anger among us is justified. I mean, the protests, countless engagements on X spaces, petitions and all have done little to make our leaders stop for a moment and acknowledge the need to re-look the policies and stands that are hurting the masses.

Unchecked anger, however, will not fix what is wrong in Kenya. We must start to hold ourselves accountable in our little spaces and ensure we are making a difference in how we are managing our affairs. It starts with everyday acts of accountability in our homes, work and social places.

We must not normalise impunity by keeping quiet when we witness bad behaviour and expect better from our leaders.

We should not celebrate when people do or experience evil just because it does not directly affect us.

Chances are, the woman at the store moved on and went about her business oblivious of how her actions affected another person while I went home consumed in feelings, I could do nothing about it because when I should have acted or even said something, I chose silence.

We have every right to be angry, but instead of allowing that anger to consume us and turn us into miserable human beings, let it push us to be better and do better as a people.