The key thing is tolerance.
And it applies in all human interactions, not electioneering time only.
Every body has a view, with which the next person may agree or disagree, but they both need to exercise tolerance towards one another.

In that connection, the post above scores not too well.

NB: In principle I agree with the substantive message of the post, but the delivery.

Unfortunately we cannot predict the future, so the answer is "there is no way" you will have to live with your decision to not participate in the elections

I agree. I just can't stand in that scorching August sun to cast a vote for any of these imbeciles. Surely, we have Sonko, Joho, Waititu and Mandago as front runners for governer seats. That's enough reason for me to steer wayyyyyy clear of any polling station. I can't waste my time.

I know I will invite a lot of vitriol with this statement but I honestly think politics is for losers. All these people who are passionate about politics and politicians are usually idiots.

Here's another idea. Maybe its time we got rid of all mother tongue languages aka tribes in Kenya and teach the next generation English and Swahili only.

That might get rid of this tribal stupidity. What are mother tongue languages for? How exactly are they useful? What value do they add to society other than promote hate? They are primitive and divisive and it's time to get Africans out of the dark ages and into a civilized world. This might be a good start.

I know people will say that classism will be an issue if we get rid of tribes, but with competent leaders and a country devoid of tribal bigotry, we can zero in and actually focus on working to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor to a more equal society.

I would rather be faced with one challenge that can genuinely be tackled with time than be faced with deep rooted tribalism that will never be cured. That's what's holding us back. We can't move forward as tribes, but we might have a chance as simply unified Kenyans.

But Africans are too stupid to realize what's holding them back and that's why we will vote in our tribesmen instead of voting for sound ideologies and people with integrity. Stupid is as stupid does.

I hope the president issues a stern warning to would-be inciters of violence and people who engage in acts of violence. If people who vandalize the SGR are to face the death penalty then perpetrators of election violence should be shot on sight. We can't have our citizens living in fear every time there is an election year. This needs to stop. It's primitive.

These are the kind of people that am talking about. Would rather die poor with their tribes than prosper together as one tribeless nation. How unfortunate.

Rwanda had two tribes. Hutus and Tutsis which made it that much more incendiary.

Getting rid of tribes will not happen overnight but two or three generations from now it could be a thing of the past. So there will not be anybody asking anybody in sheng what their tribe is because mother tongues will be extinct.

Somalis speak one language but have different clans which qualify as different tribes.

Am talking about having one language like industrialized nations. Germans speak German and English, the French speak French and English, Americans speak English and some Spanish, there is no way we can't speak Swahili and English only.

The only thing we should be focusing on is eradicating poverty and not fighting over stupid tribes every five years.

Another round of yada yada nonsense, display of shallow thinking

This is not true. People who were brought up in urban areas have the highest percentages of intermarriages. I was born and brought up in Nairobi and I have luo friends that are married to Kikuyu girls and Kikuyu guys that are married to Luhya Chics etc.

The people who are inflexible with accommodating people from other tribes are those people who were brought up upcountry speaking their mother tongues and moved to the cities. These are the people you will find still talking in their mother tongues and still being hateful even when they have had the chance to assimilate with other tribes. I have a cousin who grew up in shags, moved to Nairobi and made some money and has a deep deep hatred for Luos. Every time I have met him he always has a colorful Kikuyu insult for Luos and Raila.

I saw it when I lived in the States in 2007 and 2013. The people who grew up mashambani were very hateful against each other. We had Kikuyu people holding secret meetings and being very hateful towards other tribes and same thing with Luhya and Luo. It was disgusting.

Us guys who grew up in the city never used to be invited to these secret meetings because we were looked at as sellouts. Simply because guys like me (Kikuyu) used to hang out with friends from all tribes we were being excommunicated by our own tribesmen. Like it's taboo or against the law for me to have
Luo friends. Until today some of those guys cant talk to a sellout like myself. They have genuine contempt for me. They think am not Kikuyu enough, it's disgusting.

That's why you don't see a lot of hate in urban areas because people are going away from their mother tongue and teaching their kids Swahili and English. I have friends whose kids can't speak a lick of their mother tongue language and their social circles include kids from every tribe around the country. Which is very very progressive and admirable. If I were to date a luo girl and bring her around my town buddies they would be happy for me. Maybe even a few high fives and some rounds will be thrown my way because they would be genuinely happy. But taking that girl to Muranga to visit my kinfolk would be another story altogether. Reason being her tribe. Nothing else.

Tribe is only an issue to the uncivilized and primitive people and that's why we need to really have this conversation in earnest.

And by the way, I was brought up in Nairobi but I don't automatically support Jubilee or NASA. If I were to vote, I would vote purely based on a politician's integrity and track record . It wouldn't matter which party they belong to. Most of my friends from different tribes feel the same way. That's what being impartial to tribe does, it makes you think obectively which in turn leads to voting in good leaders translating to good governance and a better life for everyone.

What's the point of having a national culture when every tribe is still fighting for superiority every election year? It's futile.

We can't instill values into the hearts of hateful tribes.

Trust me, if we tried to come up with a national culture, that would be the beginning of yet another reason for more hate. One or more tribes will feel like their individual culture has not been integrated enough into this national culture and that would give birth to yet another problem along tribal lines.

Solution is to scrap the tribes completely off the face of this earth.