From reform to tribalism
It is sometimes difficult to understand how proper logical reasoning escapes our politicians. Take the case of a former Justice and constitution minister who the other day rubbished the referendum win by the ODM. Claiming that the 43 percent the Banana Movement (BM) got was solid and should not be downplayed. I really have a problem with the argument because in a democratic country the majority vote is what counts. The losing team, whether it loses by one vote has no choice but to go by the wishes of the majority.
Just before the referendum, many of the chest thumpers in the BM were quoted as saying that they had won the” war”. But that was then, all Kenyans know now, is that most of these chest thumpers are still missing in action or could be prisoners of war. They could have been arrested and taken hostage by their own arrogance. Prior to he referendum current minister for agriculture was quoted saying, we beat them in Bomas, parliament and in the high court, we are going to beat them in the referendum. But that was before the tsunami swept them aside.
As the saying goes, the higher you go the harder you fall. Even with all the open “bribery” and use of state resources in campaigning for the draft BM could only manage 42% of the votes cast. They did win in only 25% of all the constituencies, majority of them in central province. At the national level they could only secure 1 out of the 8 provinces. The ODM trounced them by over one million votes. If this is not a thorough beating, then what is? The loss should not be underrated because if it were a general election, the president and most of his men would be out of office by now.
When it came to forming the new cabinet, the president consulted from one foot of Mt. Kenya to the other foot of the same mountain, and finally came up with an ethnically charged, Agikuyu leaning cabinet, side lining all those who propelled him to power. Apart from the fact that he has decided to abandon those who brought him to power, he has also divided Kenyans along ethnic lines like never before.
There has always been competition between tribes but never in our history have almost all tribes ganged up against one, nor has one tribe tried to openly and arrogantly sideline all others. This has resulted in the Kikuyu phobia that has always been subliminal to be dangerously overt. Kenyans had hoped that the president would distance himself from the likes of Hons. Koigi Wamwere, Michuki, Njenga Karume etc who reinforce the kikuyu prejudice by constantly and blindly defending one of “their own” even when “their own” is clearly offending the wanainchi. There is another group which he should have kept at bay, the likes of the power drunk Karaitu Murungi and Simeon Nyachae who are known for saying wrong things at the wrong time in wrong places.
Then enter the league of opportunists known for their stage drama and political stand up comedy e.g. David Mwenje, Kalembe Ndile, Mirugi Kariuki, Danson Mungatana and the flip flopping Mwangi Kiunjuri. The lot does not add value to our aspirations.
The way in which the president has defrauded his coalition partners only confirms what the president best friend, Njenga Karume once said of him; that he (Kibaki) is the most thankless person. Now that the cabinet is falling all over the place, his best move would have been to consult his coalition partners. But he will not do that because he is bent on defrauding them, the second best move would have been to call a snap election, but since he is schooled in the very same political school Mobutu, Banda, and Museveni went, that will never happen. The man who was supposed to save Kenya from corruption and tribalism has completely reinforced and further entrenched the above.
President Kibaki will go down in history as the leader who squandered the greatest opportunity to unite Kenyans and uproot corruption. Instead of fighting the Anglo-leasing and Goldenberg thieves, he has concentrated on destroying and uprooting the economic base of other tribes, by hindering them from participating in nation building. I am sure that the ordinary kikuyu on the street is not a party to what is happening at the state house. It’s only a clique that has turned the state house into a “kikuyu house”, the presidency to “kikuyu presidency” and the government into a “kikuyu government”. However, the divide and rule tactics and political banishing of yesteryear will not work in Kenya again. The political landscape has radically changed. Old men like Michuki and Karume are still of the belief that the tactics they applied during Kenyatta days could be applicable today. They are in for a major surprise for the tsunami is sweeping so hard and fast that those not on higher grounds will meet their political end sooner rather than later. Meanwhile the looting of state coffers will be on going, while Ringera and KACC will be calling stage-managed press conferences to announce how culprits will soon be behind bars, in the interim he will be earning two million shillings a month. The anti-corruption committee led by one Rev. Musyimi will be guzzling Kenyans hard-earned taxes as he prepares to wind up without having achieved anything. In the meantime, the anti Bomas draft constitution hardcore Martha Karua, just as her predecessor Karaitu Murungi, will be doing her best to throw the Bomas draft into the Indian Ocean and replace it with one of their own. Nevertheless, unless and until the government recognises that the constitution is not a government but the people’s project, it is more than doomed.
Kibaki will not loose out completely because the F-Kenya group will climb back into the cabinet within two weeks, afterall Hon. Musikari Kombo has been wanting on matters of principle. But if they do that, then Kenyans will for sure know whom Kibaki has all along been referring to as pumbavu. How would Kombo think that the president would make him a VP instead of Awori? Why is Kombo throwing tantrums, while all along ODM has been advising him to not to support a charlatan? Was F-Kenya not one of the parties cheated out of the MoU? Did Kombo not refuse to accept that fact? Did he not condemn LDP for crying foul? Is it not the same Kombo who thought that Kibaki would choose him as successor? The chicken seem to have come back home to roost.
Just before the referendum, many of the chest thumpers in the BM were quoted as saying that they had won the” war”. But that was then, all Kenyans know now, is that most of these chest thumpers are still missing in action or could be prisoners of war. They could have been arrested and taken hostage by their own arrogance. Prior to he referendum current minister for agriculture was quoted saying, we beat them in Bomas, parliament and in the high court, we are going to beat them in the referendum. But that was before the tsunami swept them aside.
As the saying goes, the higher you go the harder you fall. Even with all the open “bribery” and use of state resources in campaigning for the draft BM could only manage 42% of the votes cast. They did win in only 25% of all the constituencies, majority of them in central province. At the national level they could only secure 1 out of the 8 provinces. The ODM trounced them by over one million votes. If this is not a thorough beating, then what is? The loss should not be underrated because if it were a general election, the president and most of his men would be out of office by now.
When it came to forming the new cabinet, the president consulted from one foot of Mt. Kenya to the other foot of the same mountain, and finally came up with an ethnically charged, Agikuyu leaning cabinet, side lining all those who propelled him to power. Apart from the fact that he has decided to abandon those who brought him to power, he has also divided Kenyans along ethnic lines like never before.
There has always been competition between tribes but never in our history have almost all tribes ganged up against one, nor has one tribe tried to openly and arrogantly sideline all others. This has resulted in the Kikuyu phobia that has always been subliminal to be dangerously overt. Kenyans had hoped that the president would distance himself from the likes of Hons. Koigi Wamwere, Michuki, Njenga Karume etc who reinforce the kikuyu prejudice by constantly and blindly defending one of “their own” even when “their own” is clearly offending the wanainchi. There is another group which he should have kept at bay, the likes of the power drunk Karaitu Murungi and Simeon Nyachae who are known for saying wrong things at the wrong time in wrong places.
Then enter the league of opportunists known for their stage drama and political stand up comedy e.g. David Mwenje, Kalembe Ndile, Mirugi Kariuki, Danson Mungatana and the flip flopping Mwangi Kiunjuri. The lot does not add value to our aspirations.
The way in which the president has defrauded his coalition partners only confirms what the president best friend, Njenga Karume once said of him; that he (Kibaki) is the most thankless person. Now that the cabinet is falling all over the place, his best move would have been to consult his coalition partners. But he will not do that because he is bent on defrauding them, the second best move would have been to call a snap election, but since he is schooled in the very same political school Mobutu, Banda, and Museveni went, that will never happen. The man who was supposed to save Kenya from corruption and tribalism has completely reinforced and further entrenched the above.
President Kibaki will go down in history as the leader who squandered the greatest opportunity to unite Kenyans and uproot corruption. Instead of fighting the Anglo-leasing and Goldenberg thieves, he has concentrated on destroying and uprooting the economic base of other tribes, by hindering them from participating in nation building. I am sure that the ordinary kikuyu on the street is not a party to what is happening at the state house. It’s only a clique that has turned the state house into a “kikuyu house”, the presidency to “kikuyu presidency” and the government into a “kikuyu government”. However, the divide and rule tactics and political banishing of yesteryear will not work in Kenya again. The political landscape has radically changed. Old men like Michuki and Karume are still of the belief that the tactics they applied during Kenyatta days could be applicable today. They are in for a major surprise for the tsunami is sweeping so hard and fast that those not on higher grounds will meet their political end sooner rather than later. Meanwhile the looting of state coffers will be on going, while Ringera and KACC will be calling stage-managed press conferences to announce how culprits will soon be behind bars, in the interim he will be earning two million shillings a month. The anti-corruption committee led by one Rev. Musyimi will be guzzling Kenyans hard-earned taxes as he prepares to wind up without having achieved anything. In the meantime, the anti Bomas draft constitution hardcore Martha Karua, just as her predecessor Karaitu Murungi, will be doing her best to throw the Bomas draft into the Indian Ocean and replace it with one of their own. Nevertheless, unless and until the government recognises that the constitution is not a government but the people’s project, it is more than doomed.
Kibaki will not loose out completely because the F-Kenya group will climb back into the cabinet within two weeks, afterall Hon. Musikari Kombo has been wanting on matters of principle. But if they do that, then Kenyans will for sure know whom Kibaki has all along been referring to as pumbavu. How would Kombo think that the president would make him a VP instead of Awori? Why is Kombo throwing tantrums, while all along ODM has been advising him to not to support a charlatan? Was F-Kenya not one of the parties cheated out of the MoU? Did Kombo not refuse to accept that fact? Did he not condemn LDP for crying foul? Is it not the same Kombo who thought that Kibaki would choose him as successor? The chicken seem to have come back home to roost.
posted by mcGregory Gripen @ 1:41 PM
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