Yesterday Mwai Kibaki sat in parliament and bathed in the glow of tributes from various legislators across the political divide.
For
anybody who has followed the president’s career closely it is not too difficult
to guess some of the thoughts that were passing through his mind as he listened
to the wolves in sheep’s clothing trying to outdo each other on who would give
the most glowing send-off to Number 3 as he completes his second and widely
believed to be fraudulent term.
The
president of the banana republic receives regular intelligence reports. The
reports usually leave out nothing and include who is sleeping with whom and
what they said about him as well as what derogatory nickname they usually use
to refer to him. That would explain the amused expression that he had on his
face most of the time yesterday.
Kibaki is obviously a very different man from the legislator who used to command close attention whenever he stood up to contribute to various debates in the August house. He talks much more slowly these days and walks at a snails’ pace. When he sits down he does so rather heavily. The combination of a terrible accident that
almost ended his life about 2 weeks before he was elected in 2002 is probably
what is most responsible for the ill health that has dogged his presidency.
Thankfully he is the last president who will ever be able to keep his health such a
closely guarded state secret. We have our new constitution to thank for that. But
there is no denying that the pressures of the office have also taken their toll
on Emilio Stanley the staunch lifelong Catholic.
The presidency
the world over always appears to be a much easier job until you get to sit on
the hot seat yourself. There is plenty of evidence to prove that the president
looked down on Moi’s presidency considering him a shallow uneducated man with
no university degree who did not deserve to be president. And yet it was to Moi
that he turned to help stabilize his shaky government barely a year into his presidency.
No 2 and No 3 have been very close since and there is little doubt that Kibaki’s respect for the Moi presidency has increased tremendously in the last 10 years. His preference for a schooled man over a street smart operator have prevailed
though. Hardly surprising when you consider the fact that he would never have
gotten anywhere near where he is minus his educational credentials which were rather high and rare in 1960 when the KANU party fetched him from Makerere to be the party's first executive officer.
Clearly
Moi was extremely street smart and very disciplined getting up at 4 am every
morning. Moi made his decisions quickly and was always the kind of person who
could think on his feet. In sharp contrast Kibaki rarely gets out of bed before
11am and often has a siesta in the middle of the day. Indeed he was late by
over an hour even for his big day in parliament yesterday. Kibaki’s
decision-making prowess has been non-existent and way too slow at best.
Many
of those who stood to speak in parliament yesterday recalled various
contributions the president made at the height of his parliamentary career. Personally
I find it difficult to remove from my mind his famous Mugumo-tree-and-razorblade
quip at the height of the fight for a return to multiparty democracy in the 90s
against Daniel arap Moi’s dictatorial rule. Kibaki told legislators then trying
to fight Moi that what they were attempting to do was akin to trying to cut
down a Mugumo tree with a small razor blade. A Mugumo tree is that thick huge
old tree that will often defy even an electric saw.
That
particular comment stands out on my mind and tells a lot about the kind of
person Kibaki is. It is interesting that those who busied themselves trying to
cut the Mugumo tree with a razor finally managed but paid a big price for it.
Some are dead and others like Kenneth Njindo Matiba have been maimed for life.
But Kibaki remained in his comfortable non-committal cocoon and only emerged to
cash in on the efforts of others.
Still
the truth is that Kenya has changed tremendously under Kibaki and he was the perfect
president to prepare Kenya for the next level. Everybody talks about the
infrastructural changes that are visible all over the country. Sadly some Kenyans
blinded by tribal hatred and the political heat of the moment can hardly see
what is pretty obvious.
This
blog has been rabidly critical of the Kibaki presidency but today I have chosen
to tone down that criticism and have a little empathy for the outgoing member
for Othaya. In many ways one of the reasons why he has not achieved half of
what he would have achieved has to be blamed on Raila Odinga whom many say did
not allow the old man to rule and work for Kenyans in peace. I partially agree
with that sentiment but also marvel at how a man who hated politicking so much
would rise to the most powerful office in the land still a novice on the basics
of a political dog fight.
Mr
President, Kumekucha wishes you a happy peaceful retirement and would like to thank
you for what you were able to do under rather trying circumstances. Let history
be the judge.
