Like all Kenyans, I love peace, I would even say I love peace more than democracy. I rejoiced when Dr Annan declared that there was an agreement between Raila and Kibaki. However, I am uneasy with the arrangement that I have seen evolve over the past couple of months.
It has been a while since I posted on this blog. The main reason for this delay was that I traveled to Kenya. My intention was to post an article from the belly of the beast, but my best efforts were thwarted by the slow connection speeds. But that is a topic for a different blog site.
In my previous article, I was enthusiastic, but suspicious of the mediation and negotiations and for those with ODM persuasions like me cannot help but feel that we have been short changed by both politicians. I am one who believes in voting for my interests based on the issues. I have never been one give to personality cults. My membership in ODM is not linked to Raila or The Pentagon in anyway. The reason I supported Raila and I am passionate about ODM is that ODM appears to be the party of ideas and Raila has been a transformational leader to this point, and not because his Bondo is near my Vihiga or we are bonded in some Western Alliance. I believe in the issues: that Kenya needs a new constitutional dispensation as soon as possible, Kenya needs to move to a devolved system of government in which my grandmother in Vihiga will have greater say in the priorities of her government, and that corruption has to be uprooted by a relentless radical like Raila, before a foundation can be established, for a nation based in the values of our forefathers and not in an imperialist colonial mold. In my humble opinion these core issues will be beneficial to all Kenyans current and future.
My frustration with the current peace accord and all its outputs is that they are a result of compromise over compromise, and it appears that the ODM ideals will be watered down by the PNU agents who want to maintain the status quo like all incumbents. This tendency to reject change is due to the assumption at any alteration to the current course is a rejection and reflection of the regimes past failure: hence Kibaki's, Kazi iendelee, without questioning if the job at hand is the correct task for this time. Therefore, I am concerned that any changes to the primary structures will be insufficient, inconclusive, insincere compromises between the two parties that do not trust each other and will leave the people behind.
As I said in my previous article, Kenyans should not settle for a boardroom negotiated outcome. This type of settlement excludes the Kenyan people and is based on a ‘give and take’ with illegitimate office holders (remember, we do not know who won the elections), not mandated by a clear majority in Kenya. My thought was that the purpose of the mediation should have been to work out a formula that allows for fair judicial process, that will ratify or nullify the elections and have the resulting presidential by-election in the most reasonable time-frame. The sooner decisions are taken away from the boardroom and brought back to the Kenyan people the better.
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