Is Kenya ready for a Luo President?

From: William Munene

2007 is election year in Kenya

This year is election year in Kenya. Kenyans would like to get a leader they will trust. To do so, one has to look at the country’s history before and after independence.

While doing so, one has to consider many things including tribal connotations and loyalty to the state and the Kenyan people.

One should also look at the past rulers and how they functioned and which tribes have done what for the Kenyan people.

There is one very important factor in leadership: “Tolerance.”

Many Kikuyu people died for Kenya during Mau Mau

When the colonialists ruled Kenya they manhandled the Kenyan people. Manhandling did not end until the Mau Mau uprising was stepped up forcing the colonial government to agree to hand over power.

For Kenya to become independent many Kikuyu people lost their lives than any other tribe in the country. This is a fact that the Kenyans and all the tribes of Kenya must accept.

What we are saying should not be seen as a contribution to tribalism. People have to deal with the the truth and accept it as it is. This is not being brought up to cause division in the country but to see the point, accept it and move on.

When Mzee Jomo Kenyatta took over as the President, he appointed a Luo Man Mr Jaramogi Oginga Odinga to be his vice President. That was okay for all the other tribes. Kenyans wanted to be their own bosses and surely they did.

Odinga’s impatience and intolerance

It did not take long before a problem arose within the government. The then vice president Odinga, did not have patience and tolerance. He wanted to topple Kenyatta. That is called lust for power.

The government had to get a new vice president. Joseph Murumbi stepped in and the Kenyatta administration continued to serve Kenyans.

It was soon to become tribal at the top. Many appointments in most senior and sensitive positions were given to Kikuyu people by Kenyatta. Can we blame him for doing that?

The answer would be no. Kenyatta saw no reason to trust any other tribe after that. He had trusted Odinga, a Luo man but he became impatient and intolerant. The seat of vice president was not big enough for Odinga. He wanted to be president.

Many started blaming Kenyatta for being tribal in his appointments after Odinga’s fall from grace as his vice president.

The “Loyal and patient" Daniel Moi rewarded

Murumbi’s exit was smooth. A gentleman’s resignation. After Murumbi, Kenyatta appointed Daniel Arap Moi, as vice President. The then quiet Moi became Kenyatta’s loyal servant and the servant of the Kenyan people. He was loyal, patient and tolerant. He did not try to topple Kenyatta. Kenyatta was comfortable to have such a man as his vice president.

Moi, a Kalenjin was not a man who tried to influence Kenyatta to appoint many Kalenjins in top and sensitive positions just like Odinga had tried to do when he tried to push Kenyatta around in an effort to get the president to appoint his Luo supporters to top positions.

When Kenyatta died peacefully in Mombasa state house, Moi took over power. Moi did not sack anyone immediately. He followed Kenyatta’s footsteps and allowed those appointed by the late president to continue in their top sensitive positions.

The clipping of the wings

It was not until when he was almost overthrown in 1982 attempted coup that the then President, Daniel Moi decided to clip the wings of those he found to be against his leadership.

Loyal and patient Kibaki

On taking over the presidency, Moi appointed appointed Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu as his vice president.

Kibaki was a loyal and patient. But when Moi realised his policies were being sabotaged by some people in his government, he decided to sack many and replace them with his own men. He kept his vice president.

It was not long before government buildings, state house and other major important installations were headed by many from the Kalenjin tribe. Of course Moi had said he was following Kenyatta’s footsteps. And Kenyatta was simply being copied by Moi in way of appointing his own men and women. These were the people Moi felt comfortable with, but he also had to have other tribes because of unity, peace and stability that the country needed after the attempted coup of 1982 had distabilised the nation.

Can we blame Moi for having many Kalenjins at the top and sensitive positions after the attempted coup to topple him?

The answer is no, if we have to be realistic because leadership depends on trust and loyalty to the leader and the people the leader is serving.

Moi at one point decided to renew the vice presidency by removing Kibaki, but did not put him in the cold. He gave him a ministerial position. People have said it was a demotion, but the fact is that the ministry of health is a very important and significant ministry world-wide. It is the ministry that makes policies that save people’s lives.

Moi then appointed Prof George Saitoti, a Masai - Kikuyu who served Moi’s government just like Kibaki - a service dedicated to the Kenyan people in total loyalty.

The multiparty democracy

The multiparty politics soon took the front seat in the 90’s forcing Moi government to re-tune and face the reality of changing politics.

Mwai Kibaki, Raila Odinga, Kenneth Matiba, Charles Rubia and others who pushed for multipartyism were soon in the front line challenging Moi for the presidency. They failed at the time to remove Moi.

President Mwai Kibaki and the faked memorandum of understanding

It was not until 2002 when Moi stepped down because of the respect for the constitution that a new man emerged the winner and took over as Kenya’s president. The man is Mwai Kibaki. He has led the country peacefully after taking over from Moi. President Kibaki has been loyal to the Kenyan people and has provided what the people needed most. The development and free primary education.

Kibaki’s government started slowly and carefully with coalition partners that included Prof Saitoti, Kalonzo Musyoka, Raila Odinga, Charity Ngilu, Kijana Wamalwa and others.

They said there was something called a memorandum of understanding that was signed. Kibaki has denied and has been supported by Saitoti who has characterised Raila as a leader that cannot be trusted. Saitoti and Kibaki have said that they were in the room where MoU was supposed to have been endorsed, an endorsement that would have made Kibaki to appoint some of the coalition partners to the top and to sweet things in his government, sharing the ministerial positions equally. According to Kibaki and Saitoti, there was no MoU unless one faked by his critics.

When Kibaki went ahead in style and appointed those he felt were fit to work with him, the coalition partners from the then little know LDP party cried foul and started causing endless squabbles inside the cabinet. They threatened the president to dare sack them warning him that if he did so, the government would collapse.

Kibaki send all LDP cabinet ministers home and withdrew all the pleasures they were enjoying, the pleasures that come with the ministerial flag.

This made many LDP men and women to start accusing Kibaki and his government. They even took the war to Western countries where they visited in pretence that their visits are meant to attract investors to Kenya.

Kibaki has already been accused for surrounding himself with Kikuyu people that run top sensitive positions. Are we going to blame him? The answer is no, because when the people he trusted - the LDP gang, damaged the cabinet before they were dismissed, continued to accuse him of tribalism, Kibaki had only one choice left - to get his men and women who he trusts for the stability of his government because he wants the Kenyan people to be the beneficiaries.

ODM-Kenya as a party was born with the intention to remove Kibaki from power

Now ODM-Kenya leaders are hoping to force Kibaki out of power. Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, William Ruto, Uhuru Kenyatta and others in their fold have a very difficult problem. They want Kibaki out, but forgetting that they have to be united first and speak with one voice.

This past weekend, there was a meeting organised in the UK, the former colonial master’s ground, where all the ODM-Kenya presidential hopefuls, Raila, Ruto, Kalonzo, Mudavadi, Uhuru, Balala and others were to meet and attempt to unite under the umbrella of the controversial Kenyan Bishop in the UK Gilbert Deya, who is accused of child trafficking and is wanted by the Kenya government to face the charges.

Controversial Bishop Deya wants Raila as president

It was expected that Deya, who was to foot all the bills connected with the ODM-K UK escapade, would also try to convince the leaders to choose Raila Odinga as the ODM-K presidential flag bearer.

When the other leaders realised what the whole thing was about, they refused to travel to the UK leaving Raila and Deya to agree whether to meet or not.

It has been reported that Raila was in the UK meeting his supporters and that Deya, according to Raila did not attend the meeting.

However, now it is clear that Deya man is active behind the scenes. This has scared off the other presidential hopefuls.

Back to our question: Is Kenya ready for a Luo President?

In summary: We believe that every Kenyan has the right to become president if the people decide.

Factually, however, we are now in a situation where Oginga Odinga was not patient and tolerant enough to wait and take over after Jomo Kenyatta as Daniel Moi did. Does Oginga Odinga’s character and behaviour at the time exclude all Luo people from becoming president?

We do not think so, and yet again we know how important it is to be careful in getting a leader. It is not enough to give leadership to a tribe simply because we think that the presidency has to be rotated in order to satisfy tribal feelings.

If there is a competent Luo who can become the president, then let it be! What Kenya needs is a leader that will unite the Kenyan people and guide them to prosperity.

Most of the tribes in Kenya are loyal to the Kenyan people and would like to see Kenya get a true statesman, one above who will not dwell in tribal appointments. But this is not one easy thing to overcome in Kenya in the very near future.

Kenyatta gave opportunity to the Kikuyu people when making top sensitive appointments. Moi gave opportunity to the Kalenjins when making top sensitive appointments just like Kenyatta had done.

Kibaki has already been accused of doing the same - giving Kikuyu people top sensitive positions.

What difference will it make if Kenya got a Luo President? The tribal thing will continue and be even more stronger.

Stability and the fight against corruption

While Kenyans try to look for the answer to the question, observers agree that Kenya needs stability and to continue to develop and fight corruption as it is doing now.

We do not advocate for any party, or any presidential aspiring candidate, and yet again many observers seem to agree that one last term for Kibaki might allow Kenyans to attain a stable political maturity, before the change of guard which can come after five years.

Stable political maturity is considered to be very important, because Kenyans will benefit from it in the need to move forward in future without having a president who uses tribesmen and women as a camping-tent to secure his or her cling to power.

Importantly as well is for ODM-Kenya mature and clean their own house first before venturing out to the electorate, because without unity within, one cannot manage to lead the country. ODM-K has continued to do what they do best - squabbling among themselves and accusing Kibaki government whenever they get the opportunity to do so.