It has been the talk of the town but not so official as it has displayed itself in the Kenyan constitution debate. Africans have absolute disrespect for the law. The Kenyan high court just made a decision. KADHI court is illegal and discriminatory. One would hope that Kenyans both ordinary and important would re-evaluate the courts decision and at least support the law even when it is unpopular. Oh no. that is not us. All we need is some guy telling us what is in the constitution/law and why we should all vote for it now or loose it forever. It is so urgent. All of us are going to die if we do not support the new constitution. What a rubbish/ a f.
Like they always brand us and I now concur, an African is corrupt through and through. An African does not know nor care what the f the law is. If Africans would obey the law just to a 50% level, we would be the richest/best continent in the world. Unfortunately that is not us. In the 21st century many of us cannot still investigate the truth and worse still many of us have absolutely no respect for the law.
As it played out, I could not help but cry. After the high court decision, Kibaki said ” Tuendelee, nobody should divide us, lets proceed in that very same direction’. Meanwhile Raila said “This basically has confirmed what we’ve said … that our courts are not independent. Our courts themselves are impediments to reform,” . My goodness someone would expect something different from those who have fought for the independence of the judiciary. For the first time in my entire life have I seen the judiciary differ with the executive and those who have suffered at the hand of the executive appear to support the status quo. For the first time the judiciary had the balls to say no to the executive and instead of supporting an act of courage we vilified the judges.
Recently the supreme court in America made a decision on campaign finance that allowed organizations to spend as much as they wish to support candidates. Even though Obama, the most powerful man on earth disagreed, he did not advice that people should proceed as though the high court had not made a decision. He however, decided to go through the right channel by attempting to appeal the courts decision. While many legislatures condemned the decision, they never did anything to rubbish the decision. In fact they would risk jail time if they dare disrespect that decision. In comparison to Kenya, we are pathetic. For us the law is stupid and we are smarter than the law and yet without the law we will all perish.
We are perishing already. we are here supporting and making a vote on a constitution that the Attorney general himself did not read. I bet you many members of parliament have not read the constitution at all. The experts do not know the missing sections while the spelling errors have been discovered by one Omatata. What a mesh. I stand to accuse any intellectual who vote for this constitution because in my view, they are confirmed supporters of mediocrity.
It is time for us to demand thoroughness, the rule of law and respect for the law. The decision by the high court must be respected until it is appealed. This referendum should not continue until the high court decision is repealed. If Raila and Kibaki respect the law then we have to wait. If Kenyans respect the law then they should not proceed with the referendum. The law is an ass but the law is the common ground between me and any Kenyan citizen. Without respect for the law, we will all perish. Let the law be supreme. Do not proceed with the referendum until Amos Wako’s appeal go through. THAT IS THE LAW!
Dr. Barack Otieno Abonyo
Associate Professor of Pharmacology
College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Florida A and M University
1415 Martin Luther King Dr.
Tallahassee Fl, 32304
Tel:850-561-2553
850-339-4806