We need to support Hon Raila--How about supporting the people of Kenya?

Hi Odhimabo,
They call it ad homien.

When the reasoning fails, attack the person, and skirt the message.

Today, close to 1 million Kenyans live outside the country. Some people have called them "strangers", "foreigners", "cousins", but I for one would never dismiss another Kenyan's argument simply because he/she does not live in my neighborhood. I would never doubt the sincerity, commitment and patriotism of Kenyans abroad simply because they are not talking while on Kenyan soil.

I know that Kenyans abroad are contributing immensely to the economic, technological, socio-economic and political advancement of Kenya. It is estimated that 10 percent of the GDP is now contributed by people you are dismissing as irrelevant. The influence and commitment of Kenyans abroad have been recognized by all political parties and they have made various attempts to court them. If those abroad were useless to the country and only those living n Kamorock are useful, why would these politicians be bothering?

Do you think that if I come and live in Kamorock for a few months then I will also start thinking in a myopic way?

I have no apology to you or anyone about where I am residing when I discuss my country.

As for supporting Raila, that is your pendekezo. Your subject matter was "we need to support Raila". I asked you, " why"? what is the vision? How has Raila fought for reforms since the referendum?

If you said "we need to support kibaki or Kalonzo or Mudavadi or any one else", I would ask you the same question.

Just as it is your right to ask us to support xyz, it is also our democratic right to ask you why should we support xyz? We have our criteria. How has xyz pursued these issues?

As for fighting for democracy, we paid our dues, Ndugu Oketch. When prison became the only option, we were imprisoned and then exiled like all patriots. It insults all those who fought and sacrificed everything for you to to start talking as if the struggle was borne by just one or two people (). We don't want another Kenyatta Day syndrome, whereby hundreds of thousands of Kenyans were rounded up in operation Jock Scott, and only Kenyatta ended getting the recognition-becoming the only Kenyan who suffered, albeit without bitterness--while allocating land equivalent to an entire province to himself.

So drop your contemptuous tone alluding to us having been handed democracy by one person. If you didn't do your bit when the situation called for, may be these elections are your greatest political activity.

Now to turn to substance, you keep on lamenting about corruption, tribalism and bad governance. But how do we solve this problem? Do you think that corruption, tribalism and bad governance is going to be solved simply by changing presidents. This is simplistic to the point of naivety. I have told you this many times and I am going to repeat it until it sinks in. There is only one way to end corruption, tribalism and bad governance; through constitutional overhaul

The people of Kenya elected NARC in December 2002 on the express belief that they were going to enact a new constitution within 100-180 days max.

We all know the opportunism of the government side, how they frustrated the Bomas conference. We all know about the Wako draft and we are together in condemning Kibaki for such abuse of office. He will have to answer for his acts of omission and commission.

Nevertheless, simply because Kibaki has not been straight with Kenyans on the constitutional front does not mean that we should KANU back to power as a solution to corruption, tribalism and bad governance while they were the architects of these evils.

The people posturing as opposition in Kenya today cannot stand even one minute scrutiny. In fact the group- if you are anything to go by- has very thin skin and want total blind obedience. I must just sing your song otherwise I am supporting Kibaki.

I must not question the opposition's failure to push Kibaki to the wall until there is no doubt in our minds that the opposition people are indeed committed to reforms. But even if they did that I would be the last Kenyan to ever trust another group to be given a blank cheque on an empty promise that they will deliver a new constitution in what is fast becoming the proverbial 100 days after assuming office.

In this position I beg to differ with 99.9999999% of Kenyans if that is what it means. For I know about the elite of Kenya.they will never act on what is best for the people.

We therefore gauge the sincerity of politicians not by what they promise in terms of ending corruption tribalism and bad governance, but whether and how hard they are currently fighting to bring a new governance order now--which can create permanent structures to institutionalize transparency, accountability, devolution of power and citizen participation in decision-making.

Thus, for those seeking office to pass the "trust" test, they must abhor the notion of another government (even if it is their party in party) being sworn in and governing for another five years under the present constitution.

They mist sincerely be ready to fight for comprehensive reforms before elections as a way of institutionalizing democratic structures now- so that wananchi are not bamboozled into believing that they can change the system by merely voting A out and B in.

It is a cruel trick on the people of Kenya for ODM to fail to take every opportunity available in the last 15 months since the referendum to create a roadmap with a clear time table towards comprehensive reforms before elections as they promised.

We now ask Kibaki : "where is the new constitution"? Likewise, we also ask ODM, "why did you not not fight for reforms"? In fact we ask with a lot of concern "why did you insist on minimum reforms, while the government was offering comprehensive reforms"?

Tegi Obanda
Ottawa, Canada
May 3, 2007