Thoughts on the Kenyan election

Iam not Kenyan, but for a while I could’ve swapped my Green Passport for the Blue one, following Uhuru Kenyatta’s twitter feed. Initially, I didn’t like Uhuru for the simple reason that I don’t think that the highest office in any country should rotate like a monarchical stool within the same family. Not at least in Africa. The Americans have done it effectively, but American presidents run only two presidential terms - nothing more. Their constitutions are not changed at the whim to suit the popularity of sitting presidents. If that were the case, all the famous presidents, from Abrahiam Lincoln through Bill Clinton and Barack Obama would have been presidents until they dropped.

So, having grown up in Government House, Nairobi with a silver, or Golden spoon, one expected Uhuru Kenyatta to stay in the background, guarding the vast inheritance bequeathed on him and reportedly counted in millions. It is said that if he did that, the chances of him or his children ever running bankrupt would ever be slim. In other climes, being the son of your country’s longest ruler would earn you something sinister that could result either in being shot or living in perpetual exile. Uhuru’s father, the late Jomo Kenyatta ran his country from independence until his death in 1978.

Something inspired Uhuru to test his own political popularity, some say as a prop of his father’s successor, Daniel Arap Moi. Once he tasted the enticing fruit of politics, Uhuru has been rising so much in profile he inspired another political feud with the son of his late father’s archetypal opponent, Raila Odinga whom he beat to become president.

Uhuru earned many followers when he and his deputy, Williams Ruto agreed to answer to criminal charges brought against them by the International Criminal Court, ICC at the Hague. It was the first time that a sitting president and his deputy would waive their immunity and stand in the dock knowing that a guilty outcome meant kissing bye-bye to their freedom and perhaps even sparking violence. The duo could have towed the ignoble path of Pierre Nkurunziza who, rather than stand trial unilaterally exited his country, Burundi from the ICC. Uhuru and Ruto did a brave and tactical thing confirming that a clear conscience needs no fear of repercussions.

All that done, it would have been enviable and in line with that principled stand if Uhuru contented himself with his first term and left office to enjoy those enviable jumbo packages reserved for Africans who have the fortune of running or ruining their countries in Africa. Yes, it was said that there was no chance in hell that Raila’s opposition Orange Democratic Movement could have upturned the mandate of the Jubilee Alliance at the polls, the problem was not with the outcome, it was with putting country above personal ambitions. In the views of most observers, these political juggernauts failed the test.

From taking a principled stand on this year’s presidential elections, the Kenyan judiciary appeared to have read the handwriting on the wall by ensuring that it lacked the quorum needed to make a pronouncement on the case brought before it by the opposition. Their first principled stance in annulling the elections angered Uhuru so much that he publicly threatened to ‘reform’ the judiciary.

This last re-run is, to say the least a sham. It could not be said that Raila put his country first in the way he handled his pullout and subsequent order of his supporters to protests. Such calls in a volatile situation tantamount to the declaration of war. An older Raila saw succeess where his late father failed.

Observers say that if Uhuru/ Ruito ticket had built institutions that could naturally ‘grow’ successors, things could have turned out differently if they resigned and returned to their former day jobs. That way, they could have broken the jinx of winning the coveted Mo Ibrahim Foundation Price with all the speaking and travelling opportunities that follows. But no, they wanted more.

Politicians are dreamers, and in the pursuance of their dreams, they often forget that incumbency provides certain immunities that leave supporters vulnerable and their countries open to insecurity. African politicians have woefully failed to listen to the voice of reason not to put personal ambitions over and above the survival of their nations.

This narrows the elasticity between lawfulness and expediency. From Burundi to South Sudan, Togo to the Congos, conflicts arise from people not distinguishing between the two. Africa can do better and it is largely up to its leaders to make that happen. Our continent cannot continue to take one step forward and several backflips in its march towards development. This continent continues to raise heroes who subsequently downgrade to zeroes. There must come a time, when, like good actors, even popular guys should put the interest of their country over and above personal ambitions; where personal rights are dropped in the interest of public good.

The Kenyan run-off remains a sham and its ‘winners’ are impostors. The hope is that Kenya and Kenyans would find the best way to solve its evident crises without plunging their beautiful nation into the cauldron.