By Murimi Mwangi
The two-horse-race cliché has dominated the
presidential campaigns. The ODM team has already bestowed the reform tag on
their horse and is rubbishing the G7 horse as a wagon of conformists of impunity.
However, this reformism-conformism gimmick is a lyric
that the public must ignore since riders of both horses have a history of being
merchants of impunity and none of them qualifies the title of a true reformist.
For starters, Uhuru Kenyatta has over history
dirtied himself with the muck of impunity due to his relationship with all the
post independent governments. He was a Moi project in 2002, despite being a
political naïve then. It is widely believed that Uhuru never joined politics to
serve the interest of the wide citizenry but to protect members of the elite
class that had illegally amassed wealth during the Kenyatta and Moi regimes.
The unprecedented merger of KANU and other
pro-Kibaki parties in 2007 into PNU was a deliberate attempt by Uhuru to remain
politically relevant after his untenable loss to Kibaki in 2002. He did this
with the hope of in inheriting the kikuyu chiefdom from Kibaki, which he has
dully achieved despite having serious crimes against humanity in The Hague!
His rival horse rider, Raila Odinga’s credentials of
reformism are pegged on his 7 years detention by president Moi, his vigorous campaign
against the insubstantial 2005 constitution and eventually his efforts in
acquisition of the new constitution. Ironically, Uhuru also rejected the 2005
draft and campaigned for the 2010 constitution alongside Raila. So why does
Raila qualify to be a reformist for the same things that the alleged impunity-conformist
also did?
Raila has also been acclaimed for his momentous role
in bringing the lakeside nation into the Narc coalition of 2002 that trounced
the 24 years of the despotic Kanu regime.
However, Miguna Miguna, in his memoir peeling back the mask claims that prior
to Raila’s historical pronouncement, ‘Kibaki
Tosha’, he was just from signing an MOU endorsing Nyachae’s presidential bid.
This is a clear indicator of a wavering politician; an allegation that has also
been confirmed by his former head of protocol Tony Gachoka.
Raila’s campaign strategy in the 2007 election to
date still encapsulates serious suspicion. Muted allegations that he conducted
the campaign based on a concealed agenda of 41 tribes against 1 (that fuelled
the 2008 chaos), is a serious negatron of his alleged reformism.
Additionally, his occasional doublespeak on national
matters also portrays a leader without a clear stand. In parliament he says MRC
is a prescribed gang but at the Coast he has the guts to say that the armed
hooligans wrecking havoc there can come to a round table with him and discuss
peace!
At one time he says that ICC suspects should be
locked up in Kamiti Maximum prison, but later on we hear he is in serious
coalition talks with Ruto, one of the ICC suspects.
Paradoxically, both Uhuru and Raila claim that they
would fast track the full implementation of the constitution upon election. However, for Uhuru to be given the green
light to even contest the presidency a flawed integrity bill mutilating chapter
6 of the constitution has to be effected- that tells a lot about what would be his
style of constitution implementation.
Raila’s promise of speedily implementing the
constitution also sounds ridiculous. On one hand he wants to forge an alliance
with Ruto, yet that can’t happen unless the integrity Bill is blemished to
allow Ruto into the arena. Additionally, how will Raila Marshall his government
to implement the constitution if he brings aboard Ruto who captained the
rejection of the draft by the Kalenjin nation?
A true reformist is an indefatigable leader that not
only stands by a single voice but who also walks their talk.
However, none of the two horses prognosticated as
key contenders for the presidency pass the test of reformism! Perhaps we should
select among the rest who have been discarded as insignificant by the polls.
The
writer is a communication and media student at Maseno university wilsonmurimi@yahoo.com
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