STATEMENT OF INTENT « Hashim Radhi Mutters on Matters that Matter

It is a week now since the country went to the polls. The anxiety that gripped the country for three days after the election has not subsided. The M.P. elect of Othaya’s presidency hangs in the balance as the whole country, but Mt. Kenya region where he comes from is violently demonstrating against him. His tribe, the Kikuyu are bearing the brand of the violence, most of them innocently, just because they are of the tribe of Kibaki.

Kenyan politics is something that is grounded on regionalism more than tribalism. Political leaders, not knowing exactly how to understand it, run to the tribal-tagging as an easier way to gain popularity of support from their communities. The problem of tribalism first came into the scene of Kenyan politics during the fight for independence. Mr. Johnstone Kamau, alias Jomo Kenyatta and Tom Mboya, aka TJ belonged to the same camp of thought – they were pro-West in a divided world of East-West blocks. The Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was pro-East; and with United States and USSR backing the two sides, Kenya was plunged into the cold war before even it was a nation.

With the growing clout of TJ, the Kenyatta “kitchen cabinet” mainly from central province could not imagine a non-Kikuyu successor of the old man, Kenyatta. They had succeeded in driving a wedge between him and his the then vice president Oginga Odinga – but TJ was in the way. In 1969, TJ was assassinated – and as word goes – by none other than Kenyatta’s inner circle members, the Kikuyu. With Oginga gone from the scene, and TJ dead, the “Luo factor” was tamed, and with Moi, a young and seemingly naive Turgen without popular tribal support, the Kikuyu elite turned on land grabbing and bussinesses sponsored by State.

Kenyatta’s inner cabinet had forgotten that among them, was a man of integrity and personal ambition, a man who was high enough to frustrate their conspiracies: Mr. Charles Mugane Njonjo. Mr. Njonjo, though a Kikuyu together with Mr. G.G. Kariuki and Joseph Kamotho, were very close to Mr. Moi. They protected Moi from the Kenyatta inner circle members, thinking probably to use Mr. Moi later on, but Mr. Moi was miles ahead of his protectors.

Moi placed a lot of attention in building Kenya along a united front. But he also did need a tribal support base, hence he united the scattered Nilo-hamitic tribes around the Rift Valley into a “tribe” called Kalenjin – and with these, he built a power base bigger than even the Kikuyu. Still, Moi was not keen on just the populous Kalenjin but his own little tribe the “Turgen” became is focal point. Like his former master, Kenyatta – Moi continued the land grabbing job and invocation of tribal support.

In the meantime, all the tribes have been living together and assisting one another – but should a political crisis arise, the politicians would invoke their tribal affiliates and turn the country into a timed-bomb waiting to explode. Moi knew this very well, and on different occasions, played the bomb as a “nuclear testing” to warn his rivals, especially the Kikuyu. Yet, even to get to remove Mr. Moi from power – the opposition succeeded in uniting the entire country against Moi. In his “wisdom” Moi had planted a naive son of Kenyatta to be his puppet, the Kikuyu saw through this and refused to give him support. Kibaki was chosen as one who had been abused by Moi to fill the gap and the whole country rallied behind him.

It is amazing how things changed so fast. Mr. Kibaki was badly hurt during the presidential campaigns and needed medical attention. Unknown to many, the old man was also suffering from bouts of alcoholism, while his vice president it is said, was dying of AIDS. Kibaki had two groups of friends: the first were young lawyers and professionals who were eager to get rich quick, and the second were well established old friends who simply needed power and stability. Mr. Kibaki had also one more demon to reckon with: his wife Lucy, who as the story goes had been treated of depression and manic mental disorder of sorts. He also has a second wife whom he loves, but Lucy cannot stand. The two Kibaki groups played politics around his wives while the old man took to drinking.

The State House was in chaos as nobody knew what to do. Ministerial appointments had been planned by the young friends who were recklessly greedy for power. They took key positions on the ground that they were professionalizing the cabinet. With this, they managed to lock out key members of the opposition like LDP members. It is here that trouble began – orchestrated by Mr. Kiraitu Murungi and actualized by Dr. Chris Murungaru. The looting had began and the dream of the public was dissipating. Raila as the head of LDP was beginning to get the public’s sympathy and so the old invocation of “tribal affiliation” was taken up by Mr. Kibaki and his associates.

The referendum and the elections proved Mr. Odinga right. Kibaki had disappointed the entire nation – even his own tribe the Kikuyu. But, the invocation of tribal affiliation was something that guaranteed the survival of the politician and by consequence advanced his image as the protector of his tribe. The rhetorics had been propagated that should a Luo take over power, there would be revenge for the ills done to them by the Kikuyu. Raila had risen above tribal politics by vying for his parliamentary seat within a cosmopolitan constituency and by his remark “Kibaki Tosha.” But Raila too is a man who believes in action more than words, a man who is over zealous to the verge of recklessness. It is this recklessness that Kibaki harped enough to win the Kikuyu to his side that Raila is a dangerous man.

Raila’s stubbornness has not helped the situation either. Having the machinery that has amazed even his detractors, i.e. the manner he captures their schemes against him and the nation in such a detailed way without revealing his sources; and when the “political enemy” denies, the audacity he has to pointing out and revealing the ill served to throw out the arguments of his detractors. Raila has been shouting and even when people have not seen the evidence, their attitude has always been – let us wait, he will point them out. Raila succeeded to win the trust of the countrymen.

In the aftermath of the election, Raila pointed out what he considered to be anomalies in favor of the incumbent. His cry was not heeded and even the chairman of ECK who has the reputation of honesty and truthfulness, in fear announced the results he did not believe in. Alternatives have been offered as a way to curb the wave of violence across the country, but each time a solution that tends to expose the ill done to the people is suggested, the government has backed out of it.

There is something interesting in Kibaki’s appointment of Koigi Wa Wamwere as his spokesman in the reconciliation process. First, Mr. Wamwere lost his parliamentary seat in a region that is predominantly Kikuyu and this should say a lot. Well, the point as I see it is that – as “the story goes” Mr. Raila Odinga and Mr. Koigi Wa Wamwere are both victims of detention without trial for speaking against the ills of an illegitimate government. This is meant to send a message to Raila that harping on his detention will not take him anywhere since there are others “on our side” who have suffered “just like you.” The common man will easily see this meaning.

But there is a more subtle message for Raila Odinga which both he, and Mr. Wamwere cannot dare present to the public: while Raila and Koigi were political refugies in Uganda, Mr. Museveni was training them to overthrow the Moi government. Raila and Koigi could not agree on methodology of attack and their disagreement cost Museveni a lot. Raila wanted an attack that was multi-pronged, while Koigi wanted central province to be the starting point. Raila read mischief in this and could not accept. Museveni had to opt for Brigadier Odongo who was neither smart nor could amount to anything. Raila and Koigi failed to reconcile and to lead Kenya into a guerrila war that would oust Moi.

Kibaki’s choice of Koigi is to warn Raila that the Kikuyu factor is there to stand. He may be having a mass of supporters from all over the country, but it is the Kikuyu who are in power. The court is for Kibaki, the few judges that were thrown out unjustly and reinstated are promoted to the High Court and Court of Appeal. Chief Justice, who had run to swear in the president secretly will appoint the judges, and should the case reach Court of Appeal, a judge from Western Kenya, Effie Owuor has been promoted to Court of Appeal as “symbolically pro-Raila” but a Kibaki stooge, appointed just days before the election. The Attoney-General, Amos Wako who incidentally was a strong supporter of human right like Kiraitu Murungi is known to support a side likely to keep him in power. The whole “internal measures to restore peace and order” is pro-Kibaki and there will arise nothing out of it for the Kenyans.

Calling the international community as Raila is claiming is not going to be acceptable since there is likelyhood that having seen the previous parliament’s behavior, they could be prejudiced in favor of Raila. The election being called again is the true test. In this election, the people will have the chance to change their mind and vote differently or vote along their tribal affiliation. True, the defeat would be more painful either way – but the consolation would be that the mistakes made before did not bear much clout, the people had the right to change their minds and have done so decisively. This is my contribution for Kenya. Let us have another election and it must be supervised by AU and EU entirely. They should have the right to hire people of their choice from the local and other areas. They can work with the parties concerned. Another election within the coming month would be most appropriate. Save Kenya, assist the wounded especially the Kikuyu and the Luo.