SIGNS OF THE TIMES

It has often been said that men learn nothing or very little from reality. It is very clear from last week's political events in Kenya that Kibaki is staring at a huge defeat in this year's presidential election yet some people who support him still delude themselves that he can win anyway.

When in Garissa the president was greeted with the tearing of "Kibaki Tena" banners in Wajir and when some assistant ministers who accompanied him greeted people with Kibaki Tena slogan Wananchi replied with "Raila Tosha". Assistant minister Maalim Mohammed blamed provincial administration for the cold reception that time and wherever the president visited. Maalim says that Provincial Commissioner took so long to address people in the hot sun and should have cut his speech short and for a remedy to problem the PC should be fired!. Logically, Mohammed is saying that addressing people of North Eastern Province for a long time when the sun is hot elicits opposition of an incumbent president and the best way to sooth the minds and spirits of the people is to sack the PC!

What does Mohammed's reasoning presuppose? To him people of North Eastern Province have no axe to grind with the president or his administration but rather an individual who happens to be a provincial commissioner and the sun. This argument wants us to believe that Kibaki has done well in NEP and people's deviance should be blamed on the hot sun and a loquacious PC. Now, what is serious about this lame reasoning is that someone in Kibaki bandwagon will buy and sell it to his friends.

In the same week Constitution Affairs Minister,Martha Karua, attended Presbyterian Church of East Africa function somewhere in Central Province where she addressed people and assured them that Kibaki will win the coming election. She painted a gloomy scenario on how Kibaki would fare in the election and when all hope had been dashed from the believers, she reassured them that the president would win after all because God is on his side! As a lawyer Ms Karua should have known better that God does not play anthropocentric favor games and that His favors could as well be with Raila. God's favor is based on His foreknowledge and His infinity- elements that are relative and beyond human comprehension. If Karua based her reasoning on the fact that PCEA supports and prays for Kibaki, she should know that other Christians also pray for and support Raila. God is no respecter of persons!

Exit Ms Karua, in come Moi. Elder Moi says that his support for Kibaki is final while convincing us to vote for Kibaki. Moi is telling us that he means what he says and says what he means while he thinks that we are are not guided by the same principle! Moi reasoning means millions who support Raila do not know what they are doing. He alone knows what he is doing. This world view has one objective: create sycophants. No doubt twenty and four years of Moi' leadership produced many sycophants! He demanded it and by wielding the club ( Chebunyo) in one hand and the carrot in the other, he was able to make many sycophants from both the ignorant and the learned. Unfortunately for him, he wields no more power and has nothing of great monetary value to reward those who accept to be enlisted in his school of thought. He has no more taxpayers' shillings to donate to friends and whoever kneels before him to seek his counsel. No more power, no more cheap money, no more influence!

Mohammed, Moi and Karua and others who reason like them should think better and confront realities head-on

J.K. LELEITTO SANG
MINNESOTA,USA