Kenya: political dynasties
Written byNdesanjo Macha
A blog dedicated to the 2007 general election in Kenya, A Political Kenya in 2007, has a post about Kenya's political dynasties, “Political dynasties have become a fairly permanent feature in Kenyan politics and this year’s election is not without its long list of members of the same family seeking electoral office.”
Written byNdesanjo Macha
2 comments
We saw it coming. What has happened is a full blown case of a long diagnosed disease, but not treated. We Kenyans saw it coming. The only people who never saw it coming were you people in the mainstream media houses.
The simptoms of this disease were first brought to the fore, when Kibaki disowned the MOU. This document inspite of denials from Kibaki and his catorie of friends and supporters,was in the public domain. Some voters to whom Kibaki was unelectable, came out in 2002, to vote for him due to the MOU. Kibaki trashed that after winning. It was a betrayal.
Then came the fear of Kibaki to meet “the summit” members after elections.He was even ill advised to increase the number of members, where we saw then unknown to most kenyans politician, Chris Murungaru being joining the apex body of NARC.
Kibaki earlier own had introduced the good doctor above as a Minister in a very coveted position. He did not deserve it. Kibaki Mwai forgot or had no lessons on coalition politics. In coalitions all over the world, one has to appease those people who helped secure victory.
When J J Kamotho came out as the first politian to oppose Kibaki a month into NARC victory, he was courting trouble. Little did he know that Kenyans were still blinded by the rainbow rebelion, to notice who was in cabinet and who was out.
It is this blindness that made Kenyans especially the much educated, not to see Kiraitu’s schemes at the Judiciary in the so called “radical suggery”. Kiraitu Murungi was simply targeting to purge from the judiciary those percieved to be Moi, friendly judges and pave way for Kibaki to appoint his cronies. Didnt we see the appointment of the likes of Martha Koome?
Kenyans were too busy to notice, this Kiraitu interference with the judiciary.
The judiciary is now packed with Kibaki men. No wonder the did not even see sense to stop the safaricom IPO, a weeks into an election.
We saw these results coming when Kibaki’s ministers walked out of Bomas, followed by writing a draft constitution of their won and Kilifi and later tried to lure Kenyans into this Mount kenya made document.
The defeat of Kibaki and his men at the referendum, was a clear signal for those doubting Thomases, that Kibaki’s days at the helm were numbered.
If they were still in denial, then this election has come as a surprise to them. Not only to them, but to the biased Kenyan media which you belong. It is shocking news to your equaly biased so called political experts and commentators who always grace your talk shows and opinion columns.
Many of them hardly travel outside Nairobi to meet mwananchi who resigned from Kibaki cheering squards, a year after Mwai came to power.
No wonder when one commentator from the standard called Odipo- a lecturer at nairobi university, wrote a column two months ago about Kibaki’s lack of support in places like kericho, the response from these nondscript,biased commentators, was one of “what do you mean”.
Even one told him off and suggested that ODM was only strong in Nyanza. This he said for obvious reasons.
The truth is out now an dmy advise to those men and women whom you so often give your precious space and airtime to at Nation; to go out of their offices and mingle with mwananchi on the streets.
I trust the opinions of those jobless kenyans who sit on Aga Khan walk day in day out. To many, these are idlers who should be out of our good capital city, as our Dr. Chris suggested one time, that they should go back to the village. Perhaps he was borrowing a leaf from our uncle in Harare (Robert Mugabe, with his infamous “operation murambatsi” – translated as operation remove filth.
These people are learned and very inteligent. They are the ones and many others already in the village we should always consult.
Alfred Kidaha
Journalism lecturer
Jimma University.
Ethiopia
Nice article Alfred !!