It
is a bit late in the day for Raila Odinga to start linking himself to
the successes of the Kibaki Decade. Mr Odinga may have ensured President
Kibaki's victory in 2002 and he may have partnered with the President
in the aftermath of the 2007 general election, but all along he has
portrayed himself as more sinned against than sinning by the Kibaki
retinue. In all, he has had very little to celebrate of the Kibaki
Decade until it became evident that he has a paltry record to ride on to
State House.
Indeed, it seems that the only one who can make a credible stab at sharing in Mwai Kibaki's limelight is Uhuru Kenyatta, who had lost to Kibaki in 2002 and who sat out the 2007 general election. He was Mwai Kibaki's Finance Minister when much of the infrastructure laid by Mwai Kibaki was being laid. He made bold proposals to get the youth of Kenya into employment. He has been a loyal acolyte of the President, only going off-script when his hide was on the line.
But it is the bitter Martha Karua who can least claim any share in the limelight. She is responsible for the ring-fenced constitutional review process; but her icy departure from Mwai Kibaki's court was characterised by her incessant harping on the sins of corruption, sins she must share in as she was Mwai Kibaki's most vociferous defender. Peter Kenneth, for all his good work for the peoples of Gatanga, has no public record outside of Murang'a. His stint as CEO of Kenya Re is shrouded in mystery. The accounts books of the Kenya Football Federation when he was the man in charge are yet to be audited. His challenge to voters to "weigh all candidates" may yet be taken up and he would have to answer very hard questions.
James ole Kiyiapi has had a long stint in the public service; twenty years by his count. But other than his stint as a university don and his sinecures as Permanent Secretary, all he can demonstrate is that he has had a phenomenal personal growth. But what are his signature achievements as a don or a PS? How many environmental programmes bear his imprimatur from his days in the Environment Ministry? Or how many hospitals from his stint as Health PS? Education? He could not even solve the mystery of the missing FPE cash!
Musalia Mudavadi's, perhaps, is the worst position to find himself in. Twice he has been linked to losing presidential bids. IN one instance he also lost his Sabatia seat to a Johnnie-come-lately. 2012 was surely his annus horribilis. Not only did he have to weather the graveyard scam, he lost his place in the ODM line of succession, was robbed of primus inter pares status in the Jubilee Alliance, but he has to contend with the feeling that his sole role in 2013 is to consolidate the Western Kenya vote as a bargaining chip with the leading lights of the CORD and Jubilee teams. For all intents and purposes, no one thinks his is a serious presidential bid.
Paul Muite and Mohammed Abduba Dida have set the political stage on fire, especially with their performance at the first Presidential Debate. Whether, in the three remaining weeks, they can carve out sizable chunks of the locked-in votes of the other teams remains to be seen. But given that they have nothing to lose and all to gain, it is almost certain that they will not care to play by the rules informally agreed to by the other, especially by CORD or Jubilee. Musalia Mudavadi had all along been seen as the dark horse in the CORD/Jubilee two-horse race, but it seems that the Muite and Dida bids may yet upstage him once more. No one will mourn his political passing.
Indeed, it seems that the only one who can make a credible stab at sharing in Mwai Kibaki's limelight is Uhuru Kenyatta, who had lost to Kibaki in 2002 and who sat out the 2007 general election. He was Mwai Kibaki's Finance Minister when much of the infrastructure laid by Mwai Kibaki was being laid. He made bold proposals to get the youth of Kenya into employment. He has been a loyal acolyte of the President, only going off-script when his hide was on the line.
But it is the bitter Martha Karua who can least claim any share in the limelight. She is responsible for the ring-fenced constitutional review process; but her icy departure from Mwai Kibaki's court was characterised by her incessant harping on the sins of corruption, sins she must share in as she was Mwai Kibaki's most vociferous defender. Peter Kenneth, for all his good work for the peoples of Gatanga, has no public record outside of Murang'a. His stint as CEO of Kenya Re is shrouded in mystery. The accounts books of the Kenya Football Federation when he was the man in charge are yet to be audited. His challenge to voters to "weigh all candidates" may yet be taken up and he would have to answer very hard questions.
James ole Kiyiapi has had a long stint in the public service; twenty years by his count. But other than his stint as a university don and his sinecures as Permanent Secretary, all he can demonstrate is that he has had a phenomenal personal growth. But what are his signature achievements as a don or a PS? How many environmental programmes bear his imprimatur from his days in the Environment Ministry? Or how many hospitals from his stint as Health PS? Education? He could not even solve the mystery of the missing FPE cash!
Musalia Mudavadi's, perhaps, is the worst position to find himself in. Twice he has been linked to losing presidential bids. IN one instance he also lost his Sabatia seat to a Johnnie-come-lately. 2012 was surely his annus horribilis. Not only did he have to weather the graveyard scam, he lost his place in the ODM line of succession, was robbed of primus inter pares status in the Jubilee Alliance, but he has to contend with the feeling that his sole role in 2013 is to consolidate the Western Kenya vote as a bargaining chip with the leading lights of the CORD and Jubilee teams. For all intents and purposes, no one thinks his is a serious presidential bid.
Paul Muite and Mohammed Abduba Dida have set the political stage on fire, especially with their performance at the first Presidential Debate. Whether, in the three remaining weeks, they can carve out sizable chunks of the locked-in votes of the other teams remains to be seen. But given that they have nothing to lose and all to gain, it is almost certain that they will not care to play by the rules informally agreed to by the other, especially by CORD or Jubilee. Musalia Mudavadi had all along been seen as the dark horse in the CORD/Jubilee two-horse race, but it seems that the Muite and Dida bids may yet upstage him once more. No one will mourn his political passing.
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