[Jambo] Binary Fission of NARC into ODM-Kenya and NARC-Kenya: a skeptic's view.

Wananchi Wenzangu,

NARC, (not to be confused with NARC-Kenya), was fronted by Hon. Raila Odinga of the Kibaki Tosha fame, the late Wamalwa Kijana, Charity Ngilu, Mwai Kibaki, Joseph Kamotho, Prof Saitoto, William Ntimama etc, etc, etc.

I happen to be one Kenyan who recognized from the very beginning that it was a conglomerate of 'nyangau's' whose only purpose was to push KANU out of power and control the taps of Kenya's resources for their stomach's sake. Wanjiku, as politicians are fond of referring to common mwanyanchi, had no bearing in the equation.

Anybody who has followed the goings on in Kenya in the last four years of NARC rule will agree with me that my fears have been largely proven true. As soon as NARC came to power, it became apparent that some nyangaus were more equal than others. These more equal nyangaus, variously referred to as the Mt Kenya mafia, were being accorded bigger bites of the Kenyan cake than others. Small wonder then that NARC soon broke into the present factions of ODM-Kenya and NARC-Kenya.

ODM-Kenya is composed of those who were excluded from the table while NARC-Kenya is comprised of those who have been milking the Kenyan udder dry in the last four years. It is for this reason that I do not find any enthusiasm in me for either sub-conglomerate of nyangau's. The same individuals who fronted NARC are the ones now fronting ODM-Kenya and NARC-Kenya.

Elementary Biology teaches us about binary fission. In binary fission, a single cell divides into two equal or nearly equal parts. Binary fission of NARC is no different. Whether it is NARC-Kenya or ODM-Kenya, the DNA is the same. If anybody out there has figured out the difference, please be kind enough to let me and others like me know what the difference is. In a nutshell, I'd say that ODM-Kenya is the same nyangau. NARC-Kenya is more of the same. The difference between the same and more of the same is the same!!

Now, I will readily agree that come next year, either ODM-Kenya or NARC-Kenya will most likely be ruling Kenya. If I should go by the results of the constitutional referendum from 2005, ODM-Kenya would have the upper hand. If I should go by the Steadman Polls, fraudulent or not, then Emilio Mwai Kibaki will be president of Kenya come 2008. Unless something drastic happens, I will retain my utter skepticism. I have not found it in me to warm up to either nyangau grouping.

It is in this light that I will append the opinion piece below by one Jeckton Omondi from the Kenya Times. Mr. Omondi seems to be in the same boat of skeptics like myself. I share some of his views on ODM-Kenya. In a few days, the item will be archived and may not be easily available to those of us who are not internet survy, but it will be here for our reference. For the sake of transparency, I will point out one more time that Kenya Times is owned by KANU. KANU is one of the parties that comprises the ODM-Kenya conglomerate.

Thanks.

Michoma Douglass Moenga

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http://www.timesnews.co.ke/30jan07/nwsstory/opinion.html


Wanted: A more people-driven ODM Kenya

By JECKTON OMONDI

Are ODM -K Members of Parliament trying to con ordinary members of the party out of their right to determine the local and national leadership structure of the party? That is the questions most members of the ODM-K constituent party members are asking as they receive strange orders from the party secretariat, one after another.

The manner in which related decisions made in Naivasha are being released to the public in well timed sequential episodes speaks volumes of the Machiavellian strategy by MPs to obviate or manage public outcry that may arise out of the announcements.

ODM-K as a political movement belongs to over 3 million Kenyans who supported it during the referendum. When the MPs were in Naivasha, they made very strange decisions, one of which was to put off party elections until after the General Elections to avoid a situation where there is a disconnect between elected representatives and party officials?.

Must elected representatives (MPs and councillors) be in the key leadership positions of the party? Can't they be satisfied with automatic ex-officio positions in the structures, as provided for in the party Constitution? As they do this, ODM-K's chief rival, NARC-K is going out for comprehensive grassroot elections. Which structure will be more legitimate and readily acceptable during the crucial period when the parties will be hunting for votes, the selected or the elected one?

The MPs went further to declare that the constituency campaign forums that should integrate the constituent party structures at the grassroots will be established in meetings convened and chaired by local MPs?. Already a number of MPs are trying to lock out of local party affairs anybody whom they perceive as not being supportive of their personal political ambitions. Will such people be allowed to be part of the integrated structures?

Further, it is an open secret that in a number of constituencies, unpopular MPs established their own parallel party structures, different from those elected by party members. Which structures will therefore be integrated, the one recognised by the MPs or the one recognised by ordinary members of the constituent parties?

The Naivasha accord also included election of the presidential candidate through a ballot of delegates, 2000 of whom were to emanate from each constituency. Whilst members of the party thought that the delegates would be elected directly by party members drawn from across the constituencies, shocking details are now emerging of how MPs are currently drawing a list of loyalists to be submitted to party headquarters as legitimate delegates.

It is emerging that another decision reached at Naivasha, but which the MPs are still holding close to their chests, is that the 2000 delegates will also be called upon to nominate parliamentary and local authority candidates for ODM-K, on the pretext that opening-up the process to ordinary members of the party will be expensive, time consuming and hemorrhagic?

If the top and local interim party structures, including the delegates, are made up of loyalists to the current MPs, do ordinary members of the party and rivals to the MPs hope to go through democratic parliamentary and civic nominations?

If ODM-K rationale in demanding for essential minimum reforms is to ensure level playing ground before the General Election, the same principle must apply in the establishment of its own structures and choice of its presidential, parliamentary and civic candidates.

The principle of equity dictates that one cannot seek for equity with dirty hands? Does the party belong to current MPs for preservation of their selfish political fortunes or is it a popular movement that embodies the aspirations of millions of Kenyans who, as the preamble of the party constitution states, are striving for the achievement of equality, social and economic justice, freedom, the rule of law, national unity and community solidarity by establishing a democratic, transparent and accountable government that will institutionalise these values for the benefit of all present and future generations?

Prof.. Anyang Nyongo and Mr. Henry Kosgey must come out and immediately clear the air on these issues if ODM-K is to remain a people's movement.