Raila is a performer; Hassan Mwidau

Hassan Mwidau today cobbled some fiction and passed it on as political commentary. I want to believe that political commentary must bear some semblence with the truth, but if it defies all known facts, it nears fiction.

In South Africa, our very own Nelson Mandela, served in jail for 27 years and came out to be the first elected African president for South Africa. Did he have any experience at governance? Yet his one term presidency has been celebrated all over the world.

Without any experience, he made great milestones in governance. Moluor Mandela never even had the pleasure to serve as an MP in parliament, either in government or in the opposition to gain any experience.

In Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, the aschitect of Nepad, is doing great. I bet he also never had any experience at governance.

What Hassan eloquently calls experience are things someone who wants leadership of Kenya must not come near to. 44 years of thievery is no experience to be proud of. And it is good Raila has never been part of that 'experience'.

When Moi made Raila his Minister for Energy after the historic merger, Kenyans all celebrated when he brought some sanity to the arbitrary increase in fuel prices. His style of working made Moi and the mandarins of corruption appoint Migosi Chris Okemo to be his co-minister in the same Ministry.

He was going to spoil the broth, and he had to be controlled to ensure the business as usual style of governance 'experience'.

When Kibaki appointed him the Minister for Public Works and Housing, Kenyans witnessed the first time in history when a Marshal Plan both for roads rehabilitation and construction, and for Housing were put in place.

A master Plan on roads was crafted, and immediately, those with 'experience in governance' viewed this as a populist measure, not as something beneficial to Kenyans. he was immediately denied the needed money to finance the Marshal Plan. I bet Mwidau, as a political scientist was above 18 and could witness history as it unfolded.

Raila destroyed the corruption networks at the Ministry of Public Works where he unearthes cowboy contractors. He even refused to pay them for work not done. But those with 'experience at governance' ably led by Kibaki and Mwiraria, promptly circumvented the rules Raila had put in place, and soon, the cowboy contractors were paid, and it was back to business as usual.

Raila came up with a marshal plan that was going to see Dominion Group put up 150,000 affordable and spacious housing units for Kenyans across the country. The little tax holiday that this group wanted was effectively scuttled by those with 'expeirienc in governance'. The housing project was scuttled by the safe hands, and the housing docket was removed from Raila and given to Kimunya, another safe hand with the needed 'experience in governance'.

If this is the kind of 'experience in governance' Mwidau wants, I am happy Raila does not qualify. He does not have the kind of safe hands at governance that makes Kenya a begger state, while enriching the safe hands with Experience in governance.

Odhiambo T Oketch
Komarock Nairobi