In an this article earlier in the week, I was
asking leaders to be courageous, imaginative and to demonstrate initiative, by
doing what is right and just for the people of Kenya. By making this call, I
too must be ready to show similar courage, imagination and initiative. That is
why in this article I write about a question many have in their minds but fear
to ask. Today, I shall focus on Raila’s association with Maina Njenga.
There are many people in Central Kenya
region (whose moniker is Mt. Kenya), that just do not understand the
lovey-dovey relationship that Raila continues to have with Maina. While there are
many leaders in the Mt. Kenya region that court Maina’s support, none would do
it in open day light. They all know any public association between themselves
and Maina Njenga is political suicide.
Yet Raila not only court’s Maina’s support,
but he does this ostentatiously. This of course infuriates most people in the
Mt. Kenya region. But for most moderates in the region, by this action they
feel, Raila denies them an opportunity to vote for him. The moderates feel forced into voting for a
candidate they would otherwise not vote for, just because they cannot countenance
Maina Njenga close to the seat of power.
Surely Raila knows that it is easier to
mobilize people to vote against something, than to vote for something. He
therefore knows that by closely associating himself with Maina he is mobilizing
the people of Central region to vote against him. Many would ask why he does
this – Is it not counterproductive for his political interests?
I think I know why Raila does it. In my
considered view, Raila would like to preserve the “41 – against – 1” Narrative.
By uniting the Mt. Kenya vote firmly against him, he is able to advance the
narrative that “these people” cannot vote for anyone else “other than their
own.”
Like many Mt. Kenya moderates, I feel very much
cheated by this approach to his politics. Faced by the option of voting for a
homophobic Deputy President Ruto, and Raila who could potentially have Maina as
the Cabinet Secretary for Internal Security, I would go with Ruto any day. It’s
a no brainer. Yet this potentially firms up the narrative that I voted for
Uhuru Kenyatta because he is a Kikuyu. Fear is a big determinant of how people
make voting choices – Riala knows it.
So for now, CORD should give us a break. Advancing
the “41 vs 1” political narrative is using tribal divisions for political
gains, and is not any different from the supposedly tribally biased political
appointment by the Jubilee Coalition.
Lastly, for the Civil Society – I think the
emphasis on Chapter six (LEADERSHIP AND INTEGRITY)
is misplaced. We need instead to emphasize the National values and principles
of governance. We need to teach them in schools, in churches, and we need to
have them on Billboards, on Bus stations and even on graffiti. If every Kenyan
lived by these values, they will then vote for candidates that reflect their
values and principles – Chapter Six, gets realized by default!
These national values and principles of
governance include––
(a) Patriotism,
national unity, sharing and devolution of power, the rule of law, democracy and
participation of the people;
(b) Human
dignity, equity, social justice, inclusiveness, equality, human rights,
non-discrimination and protection of the marginalised;
(c) Good
governance, integrity, transparency and accountability;
