I support Raila – when the dust and emotion settles he is the right to sack corrupt ministers.

By Macharia wa Gakuru

Before I met Raila in 2003, I thought him as a terrorist, a man who wanted to overthrow the government of Kenya by force. I saw him as a very bad man, and being he was a Luo, then he was against the Kikuyu, as I was made to believe that Luos were against kikuyus. Besides, for those who wanted to be very radical in their arguments, they compared him to the uncircumcised Philistines in the bible times (we don’t know if he is circumcised – and does it matter?) whose place was in Kamiti Maximum Prison. This mentality might be very much thriving in some members of Kikuyu community and how wrong I was and some still they are. In fact, one person told me if Raila ruled Kenya like Koigi wa Wamere, he will never step in Kenya and will shave his hair if Raila is out of the office or dies – whoever dies first –hoping that Raila was to die first before him.

I went to a social gathering the other day in East London and a good friend of mine was a bit drunk. He wanted to tell me his mind while he was sober but being that sometimes, you respect people while you can reason normally. He told me all he thought about me and my links with Raila in a straight manner. Let us call this friend Ngure Muramati – though it is not his real name. Muramati is Uhuru Kenyatta ‘damu’.

‘Macharia I know you support Raila’ he started

‘Yes I do I think he will make the best president Kenya will have in this decade. He is a leader ’, I replied.

‘Let me tell you I think you are a traitor and someone our tribe (kikuyu) should never trust ‘, he replied with signs of anger and frustration.

As I sipped by coke and he galloped his tusker he continued,

‘I remember very well you said that Kibaki stole leadership from Raila and that you wrote sometime back that Kibaki is out of touch with his people what will you say about Uhuru Kenyatta – what is wrong with him?’ He asked with a bit of focus.

For a minute, I saw as thought he had sobered up. I knew despite him showing signs of being drunk he was not out of his control or anywhere near. It was just one great opportunity that had risen for him to put me on a spotlight to know what I thought.

‘Kenya does not need a political dynasty. The next president of Kenya should be from any other tribe and in my opinion; Luos have contributed in our country and should lead us. I hate to think we will have another Kikuyu president.’ I replied.

‘That’s why I tell you that you have been paid to speak wrong about us. You are against Kikuyus,’ he bust out and banged the table.

‘No’, I replied

A friend sitting with us – Musau calmed him down ‘there is no fought here Muramati – it’s just a general discussion’

‘Kenya has 43 three tribes or even more. When will we have a Massai president, Luhya, a Digo or a Taita – Somali or even Rendille? Are they not Kenyans?

Don’t they deserve to lead us and even some can make Kenya much more transparent and free of corruption. In my opinion I don’t want to see another Kikuyu president and whilst the concept of democracy is that let the best win I still fell the tribe should support anybody else apart from their own’, I clarified.

The man did not like me for this. He ordered another round of drinks. By then my Nyama choma was ready and I was happy to share with my fellow Kenyans.

Another Kenyan hearing the debate decided to join our table. He had I think also noticed that the roasted meat was on the table.

‘Could I join you?’ he asked politely.

Well why not – Musau invited him as he introduced himself as Ochola.

Ochola was quite fluent in Kikuyu He explained.

My father worked in Nyeri post office and here he married his Kikuyu wife and I was born.

‘My parents are still in Nyeri – that’s where we call home,’ he told us.

He ordered a plate of Nyama Choma

‘I agree with Gakuru’ he said.

Muramati jumped in ‘well of course – you have Raila’s blood’ he exclaimed.

‘Of course yes but I also have a Kikuyu mother and I live in UkuyuLand,’ Ocholla added with a bit of frustration in his voice.

‘Raila hate him or love him he is a leader. He is active in every way and he acts on what he says. The other day there were issues of Mau forest – who went out to plant the to plant trees? Raila. Where was Kibaki? Hiding in the statehouse or pretending to be busy. Kenya requires a strong leader and that is what we know’, Ocholla added.

The evening did not end up well each man stood his ground and alcohol taking Muramati’s normal reasoning I decided to excuse myself and leave.

Kenya has many potential leaders be it Kalonzo Musyoka, Mudavadi or Uhuru Kenyatta but none of which world match the energy that Hon Raila gives our country. Of course I would prefer a very new person with ‘Obama factor’ but we cannot see any. Hon Muysimi Mutava looked as though he had credibility but when he got in the parliament he went to sleep or closer still thought of his own stomach. Tell us who out there will give Kenya a fresh new look? Who has the guts even with nothing in their hands to lead Kenya – is it Sam Ochieng, Jeff Macharia, Cllr Lapini or entrepreneur Joshua Odongo or our own Mister seed (Peter Kiruthi) who, who? Cannot we organize ourselves and find one among us and we give him or her our total support?

In my own world, I would hate to see another Kikuyu president. It will be so unwise and even in the next twenty years the Central province should give other provinces an opportunity to lead us. We do not need a dynasty in Kenya and we need to share our wealth to balance our people. There are tribes who cannot stand on their own, as they have not had the opportunity that the Central province has had. Central province started at an advantage and will always be advantaged lets give others a change.

Issue of Sacking of Ruto and Professor Ongeri

Kenyans forget very fast. In 2008, Ruto was at the center of the killing in the ethnic cleansing in the rift valley though we have to wait for ICC to prove this theory. Kenyans are very easily fooled. It is said that it is Uhuru who financed and equipped the Mungiki group to counter the Ruto Rift Valley killing – giving him a big merit among the Kikuyu tribe. How comes that they (Ruto and Uhuru) are sharing the same bed and darling of each other?

Have we just forgotten that its Raila – Ruto factor that caused the same mayhem that we saw in Kenya in 2008 and again they are fronting Ruto a good boy for PNU and Raila pushing his agenda of being the Kenyan president?.

Kibaki – we have known him as being at the center of a corrupt government whose accountability is never questioned enough. Well not as corrupt as Moi’s rule. Kibaki as a matter of a fact has done something that we can see but he could do a better . We also know you are corrupt in your own way and you will never jail your very own ‘boys’ – ‘kanda cia moko’ likes of Saitoti, Kiraitu Murungi, Murungaru and others. Equally the same will be said for Raila. Behind the scenes I guess that someone has refused to honor the dirty deal. They pocketed the whole money and do not want to pay their masters – this story is still unfolding – wait.

Kenyans we know the facts that all these political devils – Raila, Kibaki, Kalonzo, Ruto Mudavadi or even Kenyatta are not enemies. They are very good business friends. Don’t we hear that Railas son Federal and Jimmy Kibaki’s son are making huge profits in selling Kenyans oil?. They cannot let their dads fight – no way. We are all fooled.

Kenyans don’t be fooled. All these guys are playing the political game. There is new alignment being formed but whatever the alignment Raila Odinga is my man. He is the cleverest and sort of better nationalist than all the others. He wants to match Obama on the international scene and with this I think he will strive to do a good Job. He want to prove skeptics wrong that after all those years of struggle he had only good intentions to lead Kenya and as they say Luo’s are very good managers.

In my mind and when all the dust is settled Raila is right on the issue of planting trees on Mau escarpments, trying to remove all the squatters and the big fish out of the largest Kenya water catchments area which Kibaki boycotted. He is also spot on to sacking Ruto and Prof Ongeri. General Kiguoya – Mwai Kibaki should have supported both moves and it’s a shame he returned corrupt ministers in government at expense of the common mwananchi. Looking forward to President Raila Odinga in 2012.