If you lie down with dogs...

The Parliament of Kenya will not be converted into a constituent assembly; that is not what Kenyan voters wanted when they elected a government in 2013. If this is the long term plan of the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy, the coalition should give up now. That said, it is the manner in which CORD is advancing its ideas that need a little more consideration than the cavalier accusation leveled by Naomi Shaaban, the Deputy majority Leader in the National Assembly.

Dr Shaaban declares, rather grandiosely, that "Never has this country’s inter-denominational faith sector been so bluntly and insolently shoved aside, even in times of war and other genuine national crises." (What does Raila really want with his incessant calls for national dialogue? Daily Nation, 27/06/14.) What she should ask is why the CORD found it easy to bluntly and insolently shove aside the country's interdenominational faith sector. The answers are not so difficult to come by.

Charles Njonjo, painted by Jeff Koinange as a wise Old Man on Jeff Koinange Live, gets it right when he declares that he cannot recognise the men of the cloth standing in the public square. He reminds us that there was a time when the Archbishop of Nairobi was a public figure who was respected because he did what was required without pomp or flair. And when the Archbishop of Nairobi spoke against you, it could only be after much soul-searching. If Naomi Shaaban can point out the thoughtful spiritual leader from among the gaggle of publicity hounds haunting TV and radio stations, her assertion will gain credence.

Dr Shaaban must have seen what has happened to faith-based institutions, especially in the past decade. They have become corrupt and corrupting. In the civil chaos of 2007 and 2008, but especially in the run up to the 2007 general election, members of the clergy distinguished themselves by the political positions they took and the number of political endorsements they made. When #UhuRuto campaigned in the hallowed precincts of houses of worship, bishops and archbishops laid hands on them, declaring them blameless of the ICC charges and praying for their political victory at the hustings. They were not the only ones, though. Raila Odinga and his fellow travellers in CORD visited just as many churches and received just as many endorsements.

That the country’s inter-denominational faith sector has taken the fateful step to be a player in the political arena, and having picked winners and losers in the game, how can it expect to be treated  with courtesy or kid gloves? In the eyes of the CORD, the country’s inter-denominational faith sector is now a political rival just as Jubilee and is, therefore, incompetent to play the part of mediator. It can only expect bluntness and insolence from its rivals. It might be bitter, but it is the truth and Dr Shaaban should know better than to paint the country’s inter-denominational faith sector in a favourable light.