I have always refrained from playing commentator to the theatre of buffoons that is Kenyan politics. I have since 2008 Post Election Violence retreated to a news-proof fortress to insulate myself from this farce run by hoodlums and ruffians otherwise called leaders by incurable sycophants.
No wonder many US Congressmen are opting out of defending their seats in mid term elections owing to disillusionment with the paralysis in Washington. They are doing this in spite of the fact that they are sure to retain their seats. Bad politics make apolitical of the most foremost of politicians anywhere in the world. Ask many a Kenyan and they will tell you of their frustration with our politics.
This endless charade between Kibaki and Raila over the firing of crooked ministers that never was has however stirred me out of my cocoon.
It is not by accident that Kibaki implicitly castigated Raila in his address to parliament over his overturned firing of corrupt ministers but it seems there is an elaborate plot to humiliate him. Kibaki, in short, is daring Raila to quit the coalition, something he has noticed Raila is not keen on doing and so he wants to fully exploit it to embarrass him.
Even though the coalition government is a bipartisan arrangement, I don’t have the heart to talk about Kibaki. I recompense injury with injury. Since he never talk much himself even when situation so demands, then why should anybody talk about him. In any case, he is not my president. He won through a coup. Maybe he is the president of Central Kenya because he dishes them senior appointments.
My dalliance with Kibaki ended irrevocably in 2003. We gave him an overwhelming mandate to unite and heal Kenya after years of KANU tyranny but instead he brought in Gikuyu tyranny. We showed him we wanted to start on a new slate as far as corruption is concerned but he presided over the worst form of corruption ever. I lost hope on him. He killed our dream for a new Kenya. He squandered the goodwill to finish corruption. I am just wishing it was 2013 tomorrow.
It is fair to just leave him to historians if any will have the desire to pen anything on him He will be lucky to occupy a footnote in the history of this country. In ten years, a Google search on his name will return ; “maybe a former president of an African country.” I am yet to meet the most uninspiring, laid back, indifferent, apathetic, unconcerned, aloof and indecisive president as Kibaki. He is the only that ever was and ever will be.
In the cesspit that is our politics, Raila has some semblance of credentials of a democrat. Since this coalition has failed us miserably, it behooves a true democrat to resign and seek a new mandate to govern and bring about the much needed change. It is on this basis that I dare Raila to resign that we may go for new elections in accordance with the constitution that anchored this coalition arrangement.
I am aware that the government will not end with his resignation. Three minutes after Raila’s resignation, Central Kenya MPs will hold a press conference to announce that the government still stands with Kibaki as president. They will go ahead to give a drawn-out legal interpretation of the constitution to justify their claims. The AG will hold another press conference to concur and the stage will be set for street protests by Luos and the civil society.
I am fully aware of all these but I want Raila to show that his democratic ideals cannot be compromised by the allure of power; that his desire to bring a new dawn in this country cannot be quenched by a fleet of limousines. The test of Raila’s democratic ideals is complete. He has been taunted, teased, embarrassed and sabotaged. In true democracies, coalition governments are wound up for less.
The Dutch coalition government has just collapsed over the contentious issue of recalling 2000 Dutch troops serving in Afghanistan. German, Italian, Canadian and Israeli coalition arrangements often collapse over minor policy differences. It is true democracy at play. Political parties and their leaders have certain ideologies that they cannot compromise however the urge to remain in government.
Why is it not so in Kenya and by extension Africa? The answer is simple. One, there are no real political parties founded on sound ideology. Two, power is exploited for selfish material gain.
The bone of contention between Kibaki and Raila is corruption if not power. Kibaki is a reactionary in the fight against corruption while Raila seems keen to fight corruption. This is a serious policy issue that should have left Kenya staring on the face of another election, possibly a flawed one. But Raila, however his pretence to real democracy is not keen on resigning.
The trappings of power are just too sweet to relinquish. That is why Raila is calling for outside intervention to salvage the coalition arrangement. That is why he is the one extending the olive branch to Kibaki. That is why he is the one keen on talks to douse the fires he started.
The same scenario is playing out in Zimbabwe. Morgan Tshangirai is too befuddled with the little power that Mugabe condescended to him that however much harassments he and his supporters are faced with, he cannot relinquish it. He is always calling SADC to intervene. It is true that life in Zimbabwe is better after the GPA was signed but it can get better. Morgan Tshangirai is too soft on Mugabe and ZANU PF when it comes to pushing for reforms and the full implementations of the GPA.
I am also aware that not all ODM Cabinet Ministers will stand with Raila. The balance of power in the coalition favors PNU. Most ODM ministers have hobnobbed with PNU. A potent example is the embattled agriculture minister William Ruto. He is functionally PNU but nominally ODM. He and his ilk know where the bread is buttered. It is a strategy to make the most gain out of the coalition.
Don’t be cheated that it is for the benefit of the people. The Kalenjin, which he claims to fight for has not seen any tangible benefits from his political infidelity. The only justification is, the hyenas too are well versed in the game of leveraging.
Still, Raila can do us good by resigning to pave way for new elections. To this end, I am keenly awaiting Raila’s response to the implicit challenge by Kibaki to resign. Will he take up the gauntlet? Place your bet!
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