Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo
Our beloved country is surrounded by several failed states, ungovernable nation and struggling economies due to man-made mistakes.
Witnessing these political scenarios in our immediate neighbors should serve as the best lessons.for us. And also as a deterrent advance warning for anyone bent on making political mischief in our country.
Although God has been with us ever since our nation attained its political independence 49 years ago, however, there is no guarantee that the same could be with us in the next decades to come..
But if we are strong enough to discard negative ethnicity and parochial thinking; I am sure for certain that we can weather the storm.
As at for now, our country appear to be heading to cross to a road judging from the chest thumping utterances by leading politicians from our parties.
The worse of it all, however, is the latest development whereby some people have started mixing politics with religion.And the latest culture of other issuing threat to the lives of their perceived political enemies whether real or imaginary.
And with the election days now ticking on very fast, this is the time when we should all stand upright to be counted,
including religious leader hard pray hard for the Divine intervention so that our Almighty God could find an alternative escaping route for us, which is devoid of the previous experiences of the 2007/2008.
Instead of religious leaders giving Kenyan spiritual nourishment trough prayers in the churches and mosques, they have gone solo agitating for cabinet appointment that is based on religion and not on political ability and reputation.
In this context, I have in mind some of the degrading comments and utterances made this week by a certain section of Muslim leaders following the latest cabinet reshuffle effected by the two principals of the coalition government President Mwai Kibaki and the Prime Minister Raila Odinga to streamline the ministries.
Cabinet reshuffle is just the very normal re tune in every government’s normal exercise. In the neighboring Tanzania such reshuffles have occurred whereby some people who had held plum ministerial slots for decades have been at time demoted and posted to serve the nation in other capacities even as low as the regional commissioners, which is an equivalent PCs in our country.
But the seemingly more patriotic Tanzanian official, however, have always taken their new posting with pride and serves their people diligently without any complaint.
The supremacy of political parties is also paramount in that once you appointment of election to a public body was sponsored by a particular political movement, one must toe the line and strictly adhered o the policy and programmes of the sponsoring party. One working under such circumstance must always avoid flirtation with leaders from other parties which are perceived to be not reading in the same script with the doctrines of the party which had brokered such appointment of sponsored the person in question. It could be even worse in a coalition government like the one we have in Kenya.
In this context, I have in mind the sacking of the Tourism Najib Balala who is an ODM for Mvita. This legislator was elected on an ODM ticket to serve all the resident of Mvita constituency irrespective of their ethnicity, tribes, race religion, or creed.
It is arguably that Balala was one of the most effective and efficient Minister in the coalition government, but at the same time we must not lose our sight that he his appointment was brokered by the ODM a part of it cabinet share in accordance to the national accord, and a such his loyalty to the sponsoring political party is paramount and superseded any other consideration. Balala’s sacking therefore was long over due.
I therefore strongly disagree with those accusing Raila Odinga of being a dictator. The question of dictatorship id not arise nor is the question of dishonesty on the part of the Prime Minister. In my view Raila is too tolerant person a far as the essence of party politics are concern. He has accommodated many politicians with diverse opinions under the one roof of his ODM party.
We must remember the old past, especially during the reign of power of the retired President Daniel Arap Moi’s KANU regimes when some Ministers were forced to remove their cabinet flags flying in their vehicle bonnets by the police manning the road blocks after the swift sacking announcement at lunchtime via the Voice of Kenya.
It is still fresh in our minds of an incident in which cabinet Minister from Western Kenya was caught in cross fire a s he drove from Nairobi to Nakuru on his rural home on one early afternoon after he had been fired via one o’clock radio news footage, which he apparently was unaware of. The former Minister got a shock for his life. He was stopped at a police road block near Naivasha town, while sleeping on the left side of the back seat of his vehicle; ordered not only to remove the flag on his car, but also to surrender the official government vehicle to the next nearby police station and find his own way home. What a humiliation experience?
The impending general elections will come and go like any other previous elections and as such we should not lose our sight on the important task of building Kenya as one strong and a united nation.We must tone down our emotions and avoid venomous utterances while taking into consideration that not all of us will be sitting in the State House, but only one Kenyan with God’s blessing will be the sojourner in that House on the hills.
I am not only blaming the politicians, but also strongly abhorred the quack clergymen and priests who have been offering their services cheaply to politicians by offering them prayers by roadside, public rallies in return of financial gains or political favors.
These are some of the most ungodly actions in our country. Such religious persons have no moral authorities to offer prayers to the politicians outside the established churches of God. I am sure for certain that God doesn’t listen to their sycophantic and commercialized prayers and those they are praying for could face the severest punishment instead of blessings.
All in all Kenyan leaders must tone down and seek for divine intervention so that peace could prevail in our beloved motherland. The true spirit of cohesion is the answer, and not by the way of government creating so many money guzzling and ineffective commissions which are only consuming taxpayers money without achieving any tangible result that is good for the Wananchi.
Instead offering prayers for drunken youth accompanying politician in public rallies, our religious leaders should organize one national day of prayers for the soul of those thousand of Kenyans who laid down their lives as the result of politically motivated killings during the post-election violence and those our people who wallowing in abject poverty at the numerous IDP camps.
Our leaders should brainstorm together and find the solution of how to settle the IDP so that they could resume the normal life, and have their soul and spirits genuinely reconciled with their tormentors who violently evicted them fro their legally acquired farms and property. We must not be deceiving ourselves that our leaders have reconciled themselves simply for political expediency. The genuine reconciliation must take the root in the grass roots in rural locations in places lie Narok South, Molo, Elburgon, Kuresoi, Olengruone, Londiani, Burn Forest, Turbo, Uasin Ngishu, Cheranganyi, Nandi North an Nandi South, Nandi Hills,Naivasha,Trans-Nzoia, Tans-Mara,Nakuru, Sotik-Borabu borders.
These are the place where clergymen should be accompanying politicians while preaching the gospel of serious and genuine reconciliation involving the population. Such prayers meeting are so necessary and most essential as we are approaching the next general elections. Such reconciliatory prayers must involved the elders of the communities and the down trodden citizens of this country, some who are so bitter for having lost the possession of anything they had before 2007/2008 orgies. Instead of half-hearted votes hunting reconciliation meetings like those we have witnessed in the recent past.
Let us build a better Kenya for the future generation and stop placing our country in the election mood at the times. This is naive and primitive please give Kenyans a break so that they could cultivate and pant their farms now that the long rains is around.
There is nothing wrong with us holding the next general election in March 2013 as per High Court judgment, but there Is still room for the two principal to agree and have this date changed to December this year owing to other logistics and technical problems such as schooling period for our children etc.
Ends