Kibaki Attempts to Stem Political Bloodbath

Kimunya’s political death before he resigned has forced Kibaki to act albeit in arrears. With MPs smelling blood, Kibaki has finally realized that being aloof and leading by remote control can be politically fatal. This has seen him call a PNU meeting for Tuesday to help recoup some resemblance of an organized party despite the reality being the parts disintegrating from the plastic sum.

Kibaki’s attempt to take direct control of PNU comes with challenges that he must be ready to confront. For starters he is cleverly trying to manage his own succession. The wars so far pits his close allies and also threatens others who are left with no known party were PNU to disintegrate. Put with political egos ballooning at every party convention it will be interesting to see how the whole succession battle fans out. The war is on pitting four parties. The Karua axis believes they have boxed themselves into the ring and are left with choice but to fight. Jomo Jr. on the other side cannot afford to see his dream/deal shuttered right before his eyes.

The experienced and moneyed Prof. Kiarie Kinuthia Saitoti must also be having an ace up his sleeves against the loud political toddlers. Water Assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri completes the picture of rivalry and fight for post Kibaki political space in Central Kenya with Grand National Union party whose patron is none other than Daudi Mwiraria. Kibaki has a tough task to reign on the bloated egos and contain the suffocating ambitions of 5Ks -Karua, Kenyatta, Kiarie, Kiaritu and Kalonzo.

Taming egos of 5Ks
Granted, impunity and utter contempt can be effectively applied to a nation enslaved by a tattered constitution. While selective and selfish application of the law can afford you the luxury of auctioning a country to China and Libya, containing burning ambitions of fellow politicians scheming to succeed you is a different ball game altogether. With Ford-K having decamped when its value dramatically depreciated in the coalition, it will be interesting to see the direction Narc-K takes with the iron lady in the controls. Kalonzo’s too is not naive to the political dynamics and will want his commensurate pound of flesh when the right time for payback comes.

Leadership from the rear can be very expensive in the long run. One would have ordinarily expected PNU to have a meeting prior to Kimunya’s censor motion in parliament. But make no mistake. The present attempt to secure the stables after the horses have bolted has more to it than just political fire fighting. With the king exposed, he has to come out fighting to chaperon his troops in order to avoid any more leaks given that more deals with Libya need to be accomplished before Leader Gaddafi throws embarrassing and incriminating tantrums.

When you con your way into political office ridding on a tower of Babel you must be ready to have your skull kiss debris from the resulting ruin. Well, the duly elected has his job cut out for him. He must brace himself for the challenges of managing a patchwork of political edifices revolving around competing loyalties albeit with the common agenda to succeed him. Kibaki is simply paying the ultimate price of cobbling a party on the wrong premise and devoid of any structure.