What Those Campaigning For 2012 Do Not Know

In the relatively calm political waters that is Kenya these days, Prime Minister Raila Odinga kicked off the storm by saying in a thinly veiled barb aimed at his political rival Kalonzo Musyoka that politicians should concentrate on service delivery to the electorate rather than in campaigns for 2012.

Vice president Kalonzo Musyoka replied quickly trying to deflect the barb by saying that he too thought it was a bad idea to campaign now for 2012 when the electorate were waiting for service delivery. The VP licked his lips as he usually does and said nothing but repeat what the Prime Minister said (some strategy). But this was the comedy of the absurd because the truth is that the Vice President has been campaigning hard for 2012.

But the most interesting and brave comment on the issue came from Justice Minister Martha Karua (that woman has balls I tell you). She declared that she was well able to work for the people and at the same time continue with her presidential campaign for 2012. She emphasized that those complaining were running scared concerning her presidential bid but that would not stop her (and her so-called unstoppable march)..

Gacoka MP Mutava Musyimi jumped into the fray and said that it was very wrong for politicians to start campaigning for 2012 when they were yet to fulfill the current mandate given to them by the electorate. The reverend implied that it was bordering on the immoral to do such a detestable thing.

In the midst of all this, too many of the usual loud mouths were silent. And their silence is deafening. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let us first examine this issue of campaigns for 2012.

The truth of the matter is that as much as I admire Martha Karua, I am a little surprised that she has not stopped to ask herself why she is dancing herself lame on an almost empty dance floor. Why is it that the dance floor seems to be so empty? Apart from the man at the corner there licking his lips as he talks unconvincing sweet nothings, as usual (the honorable VP who is the least popular presidential candidate to have ever contested the presidency from Ukambani ever since the late Paul Ngei made his attempt in the 1960s with his Akamba People’s Party) the floor is empty.

For somebody contesting the highest office in the land, Martha whom I greatly admire for her courage and achievements as a woman however seems to have very little “feel” for the true mood in the country. Kenyans are not only not interested in these presidential campaigns that are said to have started, but they are disgusted and fed up with the political class as a whole.

The reason why the dance floor is empty is because most in the 10th parliament have correctly read the mood of the people and have opted for silence because they haven’t the slightest clue what they are supposed to do.

Kenya has changed forever and mark my words, the leading faces in the next general elections will barely be recognizable.

It really is very simple and my apologies for repeating this illustration in dozens of posts in this blog but I am afraid I can hardly find a better analogy to illustrate exactly what is going on here.

Think of the dog in the village that is so cowardly that when you cough it jumps. Then after years of abuse one day some not-so-clever guy corners it in some wall where it has nowhere to run. Suddenly the poor dog sees red and all the years of abuse and stones that have pelted it from every little boy in the village who has learnt to throw stones flashes across its’ mind. Suddenly that dog becomes very dangerous and the man who has cornered it cannot believe his eyes and is torn to pieces.

That cowardly dog that has reached its’ end is the Kenyan voter. Prepare to see the political class being torn into pieces, including all the big names some Kenyans like to worship.

So whoever wants to campaign for 2012 is very welcome to do so, at least some of them will be able to tell their grandchildren one day that they actually campaigned for the presidency in 2012. But I bet you that they will not want to discuss the number of votes they ended up getting.

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