With the death of Ministers Kipkalya Kones and Lorna Laboso Kenya enters another mourning phase of its legislators. ODM must be smarting from serial human loses after the death of four of its MPs in as many months. The present tragedy wouldn’t have visited at the most politically trying moment given the shaky and untrusting Government of Grand coalition Kenya is grappling with.Granted, conspiracy theories abound. Add that to today’s five buy-elections and the tension couldn’t have been more palpable. The first question that comes to mind is why would two ministers fly in the same chopper given the past Marsabit experience that coincidentally happened 26 months ago to the day? Even in commercial flights they warn of unlikely events. And just how safe and airworthy are these choppers outside the military ones that our politicians ride in while running political errands? Well, these are politically charged times and the present tragedy only succeeds in opening more questions than answers.
Painful circumstances are conspiring to prescribe constant electioneering mood for ODM. Their majority status in parliament is under constant threat. Add to that the clamour for grand opposition and you get is a party with her threads all stretched out at the seams. But again being the scavengers they are, the noisy politicians (specifically from South Rift) will be circling the empty seats even before the two late ministers are lowered six feet under.
Universal equalizer So are we jinxed or are the two Ministers simply unfortunate victims of elite death? Well, you don’t have to be superstitious to understand Kenyans’ general discomfort with anything left to the fate of official investigation. The stones are never touched leave alone lifted. Commercial aircrafts are exclusively owned by typical SURVVY Kenyan entrepreneurs whose forte is CUTTING CORNERS. So there you have it DECEPTION and all its variants is never too far away in our hell-for-leather philosophy to wealth creation.
Death remains the universal equalizer and may the two late Ministers earn what they deserve in the life thereafter. They may not have been saints but fought the life war by serving their people the best way they knew how. We are no better either. We are left at the mercy of political vultures continuously scheming to feather their nests. Fare thee well Lorna and Kones.
PS: True to the adage that calamities come in doubles, more than 100 people are feared dead Tuesday at Khartoum Airport when a plane burst into flames after skidding off the runway when landing from Amman Jordan in a stormy weather. And this is hardly a month after Sudan lost 24 people including a minister in a plane crash last May. Obtuse coincidence/s or are we dicing with death?
