Raphael
Tuju is correct in one important regard: coalitions have very little to
do with what ails Kenya's body politic and everything to do with the
greedy grasp for power by an elite few whose every breath is taken in
the sure knowledge that when their bums are in the top seat, they will
do everything in their power to stay there as long as possible and
swindle the long-suffering citizenry for all they have. William Ruto's
URPa nd Uhuru Kenyatta's TNA have signed a "pre-election deal". In it
they agree to "share power" by sharing out the public appointments to be
made by their government should their ticket be the winning one. One
tiny mystery remains thogh: who will Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto
choose to be a Cabinet Secretary, a Principal Secretary, an ambassador
or High Commissioner or head of a diplomatic mission? Whom will they
settle one to succeed Willy Mutunga should his term as Chief Justice end
during their reign? Whom will they settle on to head many of the state
corporations being established in a hurry? What is their legislative
agenda like? Will they push for the complete and total implementation of
the Constitution? What will they do to ensure that the Two-thirds
Gender Rule is enforced?
These are not just questions that the Uhuru/Ruto ticket must settle; they are questions even the venerable Raila Odinga must answer. It is not enough any more for the men and women who seek hegemony over us to promise us the moon. It is vital that their promises are accompanied by detailed statements of policy. However, Messrs Kenyatta and Ruto face peculiar challenges. If it was not for the niggling matter of their indictments by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, they would not be displaying such fraternal bonhomie as they are today. They have been trying to square the circle of who is primus inter pares for months and even with the deal signed, it is not clear who will play second fiddle to the other. In Raila Odinga's kingdom, there can only be one king. If, as reported, Kalonzo Musyoka leads his Wiper Democratic Movement into a pact with the ODM, he must be prepared to take the position of Deputy President.
There are details that seem to have flown over the heads of those seeking political alliances. Opinion polls, such as they have indicated the mood of the nation, have simply failed to indicate the direction the nation will take in the aftermath of the general election. No one seems concerned that there is every possibility that Kenya will end up with a divided government: one coalition controlling Parliament while the other controlling the Executive branch. If the likes of Elias Mbau, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Budget Committee, and Adan Keynan, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Defense and Foreign Relations Committee, are anything to go by, the next President will not have an easy task bending the National Assembly or the Senate to his will. The Tenth Parliament has demonstrated that in certain circumstances, it will not heed the demands of the Executive and it will do as it pleases, the consequences be damned. If the winning ticket does not sweep the Parliamentary sweepstakes, it might not be able to govern; it may not even get the opportunity to appoint its own officers without ceding valuable political space to the National Assembly. Indeed, if the winning ticket is the Uhuru/Ruto one, and Parliament is ODM/Wiper dominated, we may yet witness the first impeachment of a sitting president and his deputy!
Kenya enters uncharted waters without a navigation chart and its voyage across the treacherous 2013 general election remains perilous at best. In 2007, emotions ran so high that it was easy for one-half of the country to convulse itself in an orgy of violence for the utterances of one man and his cohort. 2013 may yet be the last chance Kenyans have to set their nation on a path to prosperity. For the first time since Independence, the stars align in our favour: a progressive Constitution with real checks and balances; a demographic bounty that the West can only dream of; the nascent stirrings of independent institutions that strive to keep every one hones; and a recognition that we sink or swim because of the rule of law. The debate over whether Uhuru or Ruto should stand for high office is now moot; they will stand come hell or high water. It is just a question of whether their candidacies will save or damn the nation. We are no longer kicking the can down the road in the hopes of a miracle. The miracle will come when we peaceably go to the polls, peaceably vote for the man or woman of our choice, peaceably accept the results of the vote, and peaceably begin to rebuild after the terrifying events of 2007 and 2008.
These are not just questions that the Uhuru/Ruto ticket must settle; they are questions even the venerable Raila Odinga must answer. It is not enough any more for the men and women who seek hegemony over us to promise us the moon. It is vital that their promises are accompanied by detailed statements of policy. However, Messrs Kenyatta and Ruto face peculiar challenges. If it was not for the niggling matter of their indictments by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, they would not be displaying such fraternal bonhomie as they are today. They have been trying to square the circle of who is primus inter pares for months and even with the deal signed, it is not clear who will play second fiddle to the other. In Raila Odinga's kingdom, there can only be one king. If, as reported, Kalonzo Musyoka leads his Wiper Democratic Movement into a pact with the ODM, he must be prepared to take the position of Deputy President.
There are details that seem to have flown over the heads of those seeking political alliances. Opinion polls, such as they have indicated the mood of the nation, have simply failed to indicate the direction the nation will take in the aftermath of the general election. No one seems concerned that there is every possibility that Kenya will end up with a divided government: one coalition controlling Parliament while the other controlling the Executive branch. If the likes of Elias Mbau, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Budget Committee, and Adan Keynan, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Defense and Foreign Relations Committee, are anything to go by, the next President will not have an easy task bending the National Assembly or the Senate to his will. The Tenth Parliament has demonstrated that in certain circumstances, it will not heed the demands of the Executive and it will do as it pleases, the consequences be damned. If the winning ticket does not sweep the Parliamentary sweepstakes, it might not be able to govern; it may not even get the opportunity to appoint its own officers without ceding valuable political space to the National Assembly. Indeed, if the winning ticket is the Uhuru/Ruto one, and Parliament is ODM/Wiper dominated, we may yet witness the first impeachment of a sitting president and his deputy!
Kenya enters uncharted waters without a navigation chart and its voyage across the treacherous 2013 general election remains perilous at best. In 2007, emotions ran so high that it was easy for one-half of the country to convulse itself in an orgy of violence for the utterances of one man and his cohort. 2013 may yet be the last chance Kenyans have to set their nation on a path to prosperity. For the first time since Independence, the stars align in our favour: a progressive Constitution with real checks and balances; a demographic bounty that the West can only dream of; the nascent stirrings of independent institutions that strive to keep every one hones; and a recognition that we sink or swim because of the rule of law. The debate over whether Uhuru or Ruto should stand for high office is now moot; they will stand come hell or high water. It is just a question of whether their candidacies will save or damn the nation. We are no longer kicking the can down the road in the hopes of a miracle. The miracle will come when we peaceably go to the polls, peaceably vote for the man or woman of our choice, peaceably accept the results of the vote, and peaceably begin to rebuild after the terrifying events of 2007 and 2008.
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