Any keen observer keeping a close eye on the current reform talks by political parties will not fail to observe one thing. It has nothing to do with the ordinary people of Kenya. It has everything to do with politicians greedy for power for power's sake.
You can see the guys licking their lips and suddenly uniting amid intense horse-trading, so that they remove Mwai Kibaki from power. The sad thing is that when they increased their own salaries, no single MP refused to collect their remuneration in protest. Meaning that that is one bill that got 100 per cent support. Nobody said they would carry out country-wide rallies to drum up support for the new salaries to be revoked.
But now that they want power, they are going back to the people.
At the very least, I hope that in their reforms they consider the issue of independent candidates for any elective post in the country, from councilor to MP and the Presidency. Many good candidates have been locked out of the race previously just because they were unable to find a political party to support them.
So why have all these guys suddenly ganged up together? What has made fence-sitting President Kibaki change his mind so many times over the issue of reforms?
It is really simple. The facts are that Raila Odinga was going to take the issue of reforms and turn it into am anti-government campaign platform, which would have portrayed the current government and the president for what they are - anti-reform conservatives interested only in power.
It seems that the president is now listening to his advisors and those guys (like Mutahi Ngunyi, don't miss a trick. By accepting the reform talks, The president has literally pulled the rag from under the feet of Raila Odinga. Now it seems that even the opposition do not agree on whether there should be major reforms or minimal ones.
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Reader comments at this post were outstanding (both negative and positive). Read them for yourself.
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Hi Chris
ReplyDeleteAs a frequent visitor to this site,i think that your last 5 recent posts have been most informative, probably more than previous ones, thank you for them
1)As a young kenyan aged 26,i don't have a problem trusting somebody my age or older with a political office. The problem i have is people who don't have ideas or integrity holding political office
2)To me, the worst thing our fence-sitting president and the current administration in power have done is they have failed to inspire trust in our people
3)I want to know that the people in office are working night and day to invest me-the manpower-into the country and to invest Kenya-the resources-in me
4)Don't tell me to just work-at best give me a job or provide me with an opportunity or at the very least make sure i can chase safely chase my dreams without experiencing nightmares
5)Chanting the mantra of i'm proud to be kenyan in cult-like manner is not what i need to feel patriotic-ask me what i can do for my country and then step back and let me do it till the rest of the world sits up and take notice-i want people young or old in office who know how to step back
6)Don't underestimate me Mr.Nation Columnist man just because i am sitting in a comfortable chair in a western country and airing my thoughts freely about my country-one day i too will be in a position of responsibility in my country and i hope people will be able to tell me "excuse me, what do you think you're doing with my life"
7)The level of joy the president and his entourage enthused in their recent trip to the coast should have been matched with an equally high level of development they are bringing to the country-i don't think it was-smile when you're winning Mr. President
8)If tribalism worked, i would be the biggest tribalist-the old ways failed-i support Kumekucha-we need to do things in a new way-if some young or old person can do that, get in office and work-jivunia kuwa mwenye serikali
9)If you can't be accountable with a type writer, you will use new technology , new ideas to continue to be nontransparent and non-communicative-just more high-tech. Our future leaders need to be able to speak and paint a clear picture-no more rhetoric, no more tribal chieftains
Have Kenyans forgotten about the proposed taxation on MPs salaries & perks that was supposed to be "reviewed" by some Parliamentaty Committee!
ReplyDeleteNot only have some ministers & their ilk NOT returned "extra" cars but it is highly unlikely that MPs will be taxed coz they have to "tax" themselves! These are Kenyan MPs we are talking of... Amongst the greediest pigs in the world!