29/08/2025
Let's Talk About Tribalism: It's Not All Bad
It feels like everyone in Kenya is ready to cancel tribalism, and honestly, it’s easy to see why. Most of the time, we only associate it with its ugly side—the one that divides us, fuels arguments, and even sparks violence. We’ve come to see it as a problem to be erased. But what if we’ve been looking at it all wrong? What if the problem isn't tribalism itself, but how we choose to use it?
First things first, let’s be real: you can’t just wish away your tribe. It’s a part of you. It’s your family’s history, the language your grandmother speaks, the food you grew up eating, and your surname. That’s not something you can just unsubscribe from. It is your identity.
Think about that feeling when you move to a new city where you don’t know a soul. Everything feels unfamiliar, and you are a little lonely. Then you find out your neighbor is also Kikuyu, Luo, or Maasai, etc. Suddenly, you have a point of connection. If you need to borrow something or ask for directions, they’re probably the first person you’ll turn to. Why? Because you trust that you share similar values and cultural touchstones—meaning you feel you can rely on them. That sense of comfort and instant trust? That’s tribalism, too—it’s just the positive kind. The one that unites you with your new neighbor, and together you build a community.
In fact, the stages of unity in our Kenyan society often start with the nuclear family, move to the extended family, then to the tribe, then the region, and finally to the nation.
So the issue isn’t tribalism. The issue is how we, as Kenyans, have been taught to use it. We’ve let politicians and negative stereotypes turn our tribes into weapons. We use them to exclude, to judge, and to limit opportunities for others.
But what if we flipped the script? Instead of trying to delete this part of ourselves, what if we tried to harness it for good? We can choose to practice positive tribalism—one where we take pride in our culture without putting down others, where we help a fellow community member but also extend that hand to someone from OUR nation.
Think about it.
^DM
