Friday, May 11, 2012

Kenyans Must Learn From History Before They Cast Their Vote

By two Kumekucha Anonymous commentators
What more could be said on this subject? We have been shown - by time and time again - what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and why we should do it for the express purpose of enabling ourselves (the majority) to have a better nation in which we can at least be proud of and above all enjoy living in it for a change.

Chris, one thing is for sure, it does not matter who wins the presidency, because we, the people, will still end up on the losing end, as well as find ourselves on the wrong side of the equation after the 2013 general election.
That is unless fundamental changes are made and implemented in all branches of government, the private sector, including all regions of the country.

Otherwise, we, the people, and the fifty year old nation will get another so-called new president (bus driver with moderate driving skills) but remain stuck with one of the world's most dilapidated buses, with the same old myriad of mechanical problems, same old makanga ('marks'), same old untrustworthy mechanics, same old rough and rowdy passengers.

And left with no alternative but swallow our collective pride and accept - as usual - to be driven on the same old unpaved roads that can't handle floods brought about by the seasonal torrential rains.

Well, Musalia Mudavadi may seem to be the lesser of the other four evils (contenders), but corruption incorporated and tribal extremism unlimited will not just evaporate in a matter of weeks and months unless majority of the known godfathers and culprits are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and forced to forfeit their ill-gotten wealth from way back when.

We, the people, have divorced ourselves from history on numerous occasions in the name of collective amnesia, and that's one of the reasons why we've continued to pay a very hefty price, fifty years after independence.

Will someone out there challenge Kenyans from all walks of life to defy the cultural norms - sickening tribal extremism - that compel us never to look beyond our myopic ethnic prism during the much dreaded season of our so-called democratic general election?

Our cultures often insist that we continually strive to support our anointed tribal chiefs during peaceful times, and stand behind our tribal warlords in any type of battle and war, while not informing us that the traditional circling of ethnic wagons for whatever reasons known to us can be a never ending-abyss of discontentment and disillusionment within those very communities.

So far, Kenya has been in desperate need of political leaders cable of 'providing' nurture, safety, healing, development, and vision, and not experts in tribal finger-pointing and sabre rattling before and during election season.

Those of us who survived the post election violence, or were very lucky enough to have not been affected in any way, shape or fashion during the deadly mayhem of '07/'08, should never forget the obvious, that anything can go wrong, and what can go wrong will go wrong if we don't change our national psyche, retrogressive ethnic psyches as well as warped (devilish) personal political interests.

As a matter of fact, the next president, including all of the elected officials and government will not be able to help most of us - you and me - deal with any misfortunes in life that are bound to head our way (God forbid) between May of 2013 and May 2018.

Such as personal economic collapse, divorce, devastating illness, death (within our immediate families and respective communities), usual insecurity, displacement, vehicular maiming, and a myriad of related complications that come with aging etc.

Hence, just because some of us already believe that we are on the right side of history - whatever that means after fifty years of political decadence and ethnic strife that are bound to continue after 2013 - does not give us the right to hate, abuse, despise and look down on our political opponents with malice and hubris.

I will be one of the first people to go off on a limb by saying that there are no guarantees in the coming general elections, and as mater of fact, things are not what they seem to be.

The presidency will not be won on silver platter due to the fact that the dynamics in the country have changed a lot and will continue to change beyond our wildest imaginations.

All things taken into account, may the best candidates win the general elections, and may the most qualified presidential candidate with a national appeal end up being elected by the majority of Kenyans.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

President Musalia Mudavadi?


We never learn from history do we?

The truth is that revolutionaries and popular candidates never get elected president of Kenya. But compromise candidates do.

Let’s take a brief trip back in time shall we..

Oh boy there Kumekucha goes again with his boring history lessons, I can hear you sigh and fart in your comfortable chair in some nicely air conditioned office far away from the reality on the ground.

But I insist because it is impossible to see the road ahead clearly without understanding exactly where we are coming from.

In 1963 it was not popular nationalist Tom Mboya who was elected the first president of Kenya. Nor was it the radical Jaramogi Oginga Odinga whom western powers were not comfortable with because of his close links with Moscow. It was moderate scape goat Jomo Kenyatta who had been bust preaching reconciliation with the colonial government having given up on the hope for independence any time soon. The old man found it hilarious that the likes of a young man called Tom Mboya were chanting Uhuru sasa!!!

In 1978 it was not President Kenyatta’s nephew Mr Fix it, Njoroge Mungai who ascended to the presidency nor was it radical nationalist and former vice president Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. It was in fact a clumsy heavy Kalenjin-accent moderate whom nobody respected called Daniel arap Moi.

In 2002 it was not revolutionary popular Kenneth Matiba (the true people’s president) who took over as president nor was it the faithful long-serving vice president of the Moi era George Saitoti. Nor was it the man who had been on permanent campaign mode for many years, Raila Odinga. It was the moderate Mwai Kibaki.

The way things stand now Musalia Mudavadi looks like he is the one. He has all the right characteristics going for him. He is the ideal moderate candidate and the clever but corrupt people backing him have read the situation very cleverly and positioned him as such. Indeed if the elections were held today he would win by a landslide and there would be no need for a run off.

And that is where the problem is. The elections are a long way off and yet a mere week is a very long time in politics. Just as well because if Musalia Mudavadi were to win the presidency the political class in Kenya will have won yet again and the people will have lost... yet again. It is really as simple as that.

I have been very busy in recent days trying to measure the true impact of Mudavadi’s recent moves on the ground and I can report that I saw the kind of excitement that I have not seen in a long time. Even the Kamba who have generally snubbed Raila Odinga are uncharacteristically excited about a Mudavadi candidature. It seems that in Kenyan politics it pays to be quite and humble fence-seater and never step on anybody’s toes (just like Mwai Kibaki was before he ascended to the presidency).

I have just released the most explosive raw notes I have penned in a very long times. Get free samples of past raw notes at rawnotes@listwire.com