The
National Cohesion and Integration Commission – NCIC, was until yesterday(10/07/2014)
inviting applications to fill the 8 slots for new Commissioners. The NCIC was
established after the 2007/08 post election violence which pitted Kenyans against each other largely
along ethnic lines. The aim of the commission was (and still is) to build
social cohesion among different communities in Kenya through a normative and institutionalized process.
The
NCIC’s mandate on non-discrimination is rather limited since it seems to be
reduced to ethnic/race and religious grounds. Yet discrimination is a pervasive
realiality. When I saw the advert, I wondered whether to apply. Even though
this is a parliamentary process (many tend to be cynical on its objectivity), it still important to apply even if only for
advocacy reasons.
We live at a time when Inclusion is
increasingly becoming a basic human right. We continue to make progress
especially with financial inclusion thanks to the blurring lines between mobile
telephony and banking. But in other areas, especially those to do with culture
and religion, our society is stuck in the Middle Ages. For me then, as someone
who seems to be included in some ways (Gikuyu ethnic identity) and excluded in
others (sexuality), I felt it important to make this advocacy point of
submitting my application.
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| Dimensions of discrimination |
Yet this was also an opportunity to
undertake a personal audit on discrimination. Is it possible that we could in
one way or another harbour discriminating attitudes or practices – even while
coming from a context of discrimination ourselves? If you care to indulge,
let’s go through a select number of dimensions where discrimination can and
often does occur.
Family – In family settings, gender norms and roles can be a basis for discriminatory attitudes and practices. It is also the case that people with disabilities face more discrimination within these settings where families feel a sense of shame – in some instances to the extent of hiding or locking them up. Children too are often excluded in important ways – even in decisions that affect them.
Community - The community level becomes space to load on other aspects of discrimination. Smaller communities will reflect family aspects of discrimination while larger are more like tribe/ethnic group level characteristics. At community level, only do we witness gender and disability as a basis for discrimination but also other dimensions such as social economic status, and sexual orientation.
National - The national level becomes a space where in addition to the ethnic community level dimensions of discrimination, we add, ethnicity, religious affiliation and political affiliation. In racially diverse societies, racial discrimination begins to become manifest.
International - The International level has its own character often taking the form of social economic status, racial identities and increasingly too religious affiliations. People who are poor and are black or are believers of the Islamic faith are likely to face high levels of discrimination at these spaces.
Very few Kenyans can claim they have never experienced discrimination. Perhaps even fewer can claim they have never discriminated. For me, if nothing else comes from having applied for the NCIC commissioner’s job, then it is enough that I have taken a resolution that DISCRIMIANTION ENDS WITH ME.
Those of us who have experienced different forms of discrimination should start a social movement to end discrimination in our respective societies. We may initially feel overwhelmed by this task, but we should take the wise counsel of Margaret Mead who tells us to “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
You do not have to be an NCIC commissioner to free society from discrimination – all you need to do is to join others and form a social movement to end it.
