Most Kenyans Want Minimum Reforms Before Elections

According to an online poll carried out on the popular Nation media group site, Almost 60 per cent of Kenyans want minimum reforms before the elections rather than a full review of the constitution. It is clear that most Kenyans do not believe that a full review is possible before 2007.

This is hardly surprising. Most voters are itching to teach the current politicians a lesson at the ballot box and are anxious to get there. Full reforms to many seem to be a time-wasting tactic on the side of the government.

The call for minimum reforms was launched by non other than Agwambo himself. You have to give it him, the guy knows his sums. Narc Kenya seem to have done their careful arithmetic to get Kibaki a second term in exactly the same way that Moi did it in two multi-party elections (by getting a slim lead and over 25% of the vote in five provinces. In fact Kibaki has the huge advantage of being assured of a large chunk of the Kikuyu vote (or so his handlers think).

This is the main issue in the clamor for minimum reforms by the opposition who now want the constitution to be changed so that a President must be elected by over 51% of the votes cast, meaning that we would almost certainly have a run off in 2007, if this is passed.

ODM Western Kenya Rally: Emotions Are Blinding Us As Usual

Kenyan Political Views Always Charged With Emotion

I remember shortly before the general election in 2002, I met my former Kanu-think-tank operative and I asked him what he thought about a Kibaki presidency. By this time, not only had he fallen out with kanu and Moi, but he was seeking ways to sue them over a certain squabble he had over money with the former president’s aide, Joshua Kulei.

His reply floored me and left a bad taste in my mouth.

I’ll never forget what he said:

- The difference between Kibaki and Moi is the same.
- While we kill each other in the streets the two will castigate each other and then go out for a cup of tea together in secret.
- If I was expecting change in Kenya, I was dreaming.

That really hurt. I hated him for it. But I just smiled and told him that we shall just have to wait and see.

Well… We have waited and we have seen. And he was absolutely 1,000% correct.

This is really the big problem with political opinions. They are always so emotionally charged. We are always seeking reasons to support our preference and we call those reasons “facts.”

Just though I should pass this information on to all those die-hard supporters of ODM Kenya who are sure there will be changes if we elect this Kanu-line-up-2002 guys into power in 2007.

You may have a bad taste in your mouth now but by 2009 you may be having your regrets while you're an economic refugee in Spain or some place like that having gotten there in some dhow across the ocean like all those poor West Africans risk their lives daily doing. Or you may have arrived somehwere in Europe as cargo (heard about this latest illegal immigrants technique?)

These old guys don't have the sort of ideas and thinking needed to help get us out of the mess we are in.