K-Whatever Alliance: Will it Survive the Coming Tsunami?

Why Matiba and Rubia Are Disgusted By Some MPs of the 10th Parliament

One thing I always admired in Kenneth Matiba was his slogan kuuga na gwika. Loosely translated from his native language, this means walking the talk. Matiba, then a throughly frustrated cabinet minister in late eighties courtesy of the then KANU Organising Secretary, quit the then ruling party KANU in a huff – something that was unheard of in those days of single party dictatorship. Matiba and Charles Rubia went on to create an alliance that campaigned for repeal of section 2a of the constitution, and this eventually led to their painful detention without trial. But ultimately, Moi, then strongly supported by some leaders still at the scene today, finally caved in to the pressure that these two gallant Kenyans started and allowed multi-party democracy in Kenya. In the earlier years, when most of the current chest thumping Rift Valley MPs were still enjoying free Nyayo milk at primary school, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the late George Moseti Anyona and many others had also tried to register their own political parties but they also ended up in detention courtesy of fimbo ya Nyayo.

Many other patriotic Kenyans have walked the talk or kuuga na gwika like Matiba would put it. This list cannot be complete without one Raila Odinga – who was incidentally also detained without trial for the umpteenth time - after he was joined by Matiba and Rubia to champion calls for multi-party democracy in the late eighties. Later on, Raila Odinga also quit the then leading opposition party FORD-K in 1997 to little known National Development and six months later run for president emerging 4th in an election that was rigged in favour of Moi and KANU. Kuuga na gwika!

The freedom of speech that many Kenyans now enjoy is owed to the efforts of these Kenyans who at one time or another put their lives on the line to fight the Moi autocracy.

The current pretenders to the throne masquerading as provincial representatives of Central, Rift Valley, Coast and Lower Eastern, pale in comparison when put on under the same microscope with the likes of Matiba, Anyona or Odinga. Charles Rubia must be exhausted at switching off TV channels and shaking his head in disgust whenever the press cameras go to a funeral in Rift Valley. The current crop of Rift Valley MPs are certainly no match for a lady who was elected as the first woman MP from Rift Valley and who was known as Chelagat Mutai. This lady was among those who dared to challenge the Kenyatta regime when the president’s word was law. We dearly miss this gallant daughter of Kenya! These current MPs have completely abused the freedom of speech that those of us who have walked the painful road of democratizing this country laboured for.

Today, although the politics of Kenya has evolved from what it was in the KANU era, it is still not apparent to the Panafric Hotel party goers that politics is now issue driven. Luckily, even a village peasant in rural Kenya knows this and this is why some of them are lining up to voluntarily return irregular MAU title deeds and also register the Mau secretariat. Some rookie MPs are refusing to accept this obviously acting at the behest of their status quo benefactors.

These MPs led an assembly at Panafric Hotel under the guise of raising funds as aid and humanitarian assistance to Mau Forest IDPs. But because many Kenyans do know that most of those who were at that so called future high table, including the convenor of the fund raiser, are themselves owners of huge tracts of illegally acquired land, some of which they have sold on to unsuspecting members of the public. In reality, the fundraiser was itself a total failure when looked at from a political angle. No wonder Moi is asking them to go back to KANU and take lessons on how to play premiership politics!

To add insult to injury, a quick follow-up of the of the Panafric fundraiser with successive public rallies in Lugari and Kwale to drum up support for the new K-whatever alliance ended disastrously when they were totally snubbed by the locals leaders and wananchi. Clonning the ODM Pentagon is no easy task especially if you omit the well known common denominator that brings the mwananchi to his rallies and his party.

Ironically during the same weekend, the Prime Minister was addressing a massive rally in Kibera's Kamukunji grounds in which he dared the land grabbers of yesteryears to quit the government if they were men enough. The prime minister was inferring to a situation where ministers unanimously adopt government policy today only to run back to funerals tomorrow to disown the same policies they helped create and adopt! Political observers also took note that the PM could be re-constituting yet another history making politburo when he declared that yet another tsunami is coming to wipe all the trash into the sea. Older Kumekucha bloggers know that in politics timing is everything and the time comes, it will be revealed here very promptly. Watch this space!

Despite all the disgust, the Rt Hon PM still found time to share a drink with us patriotic citizens at the popular Birongo Square (Nairobi West) after watching the Harambee Stars versus Zambia game. It was indeed a candid sitting in which we told the PM to keep up the efforts at reclaiming our valued water tower! Clearly the PM ridding on the back of huge public support judging by the pandemonium he caused at the busy shopping center.

The last one week has been a very humbling experience for the so called future leaders. The message they have received from churches, mosques, FM call-in programs, newspapers and other public forums is that they are now deemed to be promoters of impunity, betrayers of the Kenyan dream and a liability to the reform process that is already underway. In fact, the MAU land baron’s threats to introduce an ill-advised motion of no confidence against the prime minister has apparently suffered a painful still-birth after it received no support, even from the same crowd that gathered at Panafric. Suddenly, some Rift Valley MPs find themselves very lonely and very afraid. I think they will be totally shocked at what will happen to their already declared presidential candidate come 2012.

When the rest of country is brainstorming the all important Harmonised Darft Constitution, it is truly sad that some sections of society want to treat us to useless KANU era theatrics. It churns one’s stomach when we see that these are the same characters who are serving as Kenya’s VPs, DPMs, and Ministers.

Shindwe kabisa hiyo pepo mbaya.