PNU: A Case of Ethno-Class Realignments

From: Odhiambo Okecth

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PNU: A Case of Ethno-Class Realignments
« Thread Started on Yesterday at 10:07am »A Digital Commentary from Onyango Oloo in Nairobi

Watching the Kenya Television Network (KTN) on Sunday (September 16, 2007) was a riveting affair.

After all, this was the anointed afternoon when, at long last, President Emilio Stanley Mwai wa Kibaki would unfurl the banner of his second term electoral vehicle.



To say that the whole event was tightly choreographed would be a bit of an understatement.

The machinations of Kibaki Tena impresario Lee Karuri were there for all to see, even though the man himself uttered nary a phrase. One could clearly see that the folks ushered into that hall with chessboard tile floors at KICC were not stray idlers ambling in from a stroll off City Hall Way, but rather, meticulously hand-picked seat fillers with a clearly assigned cheer leading function to fulfill on this momentous afternoon in neo-colonial Kenyan politics.

In between the wide-eyed blathering of anchor Beatrice Marshall (who at one point referred to NARC-Kenya money rain man Stanley Livondo as "Oliver Litondo") and the erudite Kiswahili commentary of KTN Leo mainstay Ahmed Darweish we saw the distinguished guests streaming in:

Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai. Former political prisoner and FORD-Asili supremo Njeru Kathangu. Ndia parliamentary aspirant Dr. Marion Mutugi. Mazingira party official, the pharmacist Mr. Makang’a. Former NCEC activist and current NARC-Kenya/Shirikisho wind bag Sheikh Juma Ngao. John Michuki. David Mwiraria. Kiraitu Murungi. George Saitoti. Dr. Chris Murungaru. Maoka Maore. Peter Kenneth. Martha Karua. Njeng’a Karume. Mwangi Kiunjuri. DP Secretary General George Nyamweya. Joseph Munyao? Dr. Noah Wekesa. Mukhisa Kituyi. The inimitable Bwana Bifwoli Wakoli. Lamu West MP, Mheshimiwa Twaha. New KANU Secretary General Josephine Ojiambo. Balala rival and UK ally Taib Ali Taib. Musikari Kombo. Simeon Nyachae. Raphael Tuju. Moody Awori and ultimately, Mwai Kibaki.

Notable No Shows:

Crocodile Eater and Tilapia Slayer Danson Mung’atana, Mama Rainbow Charity Ngilu, Mama NARC-K Mary Wambui and Mama Orange Jebii Kilimo.

Not seen by my own eyes even though he may have been present:

Kalembe Ndile.

The country’s CEO was supposed to have unleashed the long-awaited dossier at 3 pm- he ended up behind the lectern some minutes to four o’clock.

His address I do not need to repeat because it is covered extensively by today's online versions of Kenya's dailies:

http://eastandard.net/news/?id=1143974633

He told the nation he was launching his presidential campaign on September 29th which gives us a definite clue as to the remaining shelf life of the 9th parliament.

Bizarrely, he ended his address with words echoing Dubya's State of the Union signature closer:


"God Bless You, God Bless Kenya"- a subliminal pointer perhaps, to the possible American academic background and sojourn of his Kenyan speech writers.

It was a somewhat Madison Avenuesque moment, without the bombastic US garnish, flair and flourish-an advertising extravaganza straight out of a Republican Convention night.

If anyone thought the orgiastic crowd would troop out with the President’s last words, they were in for a minor surprise because Kibaki sat down.

And then the nauseating sycophantic supplications from his minnows ensued.

First up was Simeon Nyachae who could not resist throwing barely veiled barbs at Raila Odinga.

Uhuru Kenyatta took to the podium after the FORD-People strongman to shower the audience with his eloquent sarcasm about the five year cycles of ephemeral euphoria before vowing his submissive allegiance to Mwai Kibaki. If you want to view UK’s Sunday afternoon performance in purely contemporary macho cultural terms, the Leader of the Official Opposition was being compelled to say “Uncle” in front of millions of Kenyan television viewers and acknowledge the ethnic supremacy of his Gikuyu kinsman from Nyeri. Kenyatta Jr’s “peace and stability” exhortation was a declaration that he was closing ranks with the rest of the Mount Kenya comprador bourgeois status quo elite. It was interesting to watch the man who had exhorted Central Kenya voters to vote as a tribal bloc rail against the politics of ethnicity. That alone, should qualify the Gatundu South MP for a Best Performance in a Supporting Role Oscar.

Next in line was FORD-Kenya flip flopper Musikari Kombo warning against the dangers of “revolution”.

Then the afternoon’s superstitious swaggering highlight:

Shirikisho Coup Leader Ali Mwakwere warning darkly against the un-named presidential candidate (an obvious reference to the ODM flag-bearer) who had apparently caused the death of Karisa Maitha by talking about an upcoming vacancy in Kisauni a week prior to the death of Kibaki’s Miji Kenda side kick.

The only sober and thought inducing address was given by Cheranganyi MP and Agriculture minister Kipruto arap Kirwa who cautioned against the pitfalls and the arrogance of politicians going into pre-electoral pacts only to turn around and disown their earlier pledges. He of course went on to endorse Kibaki even though if we go by his disastrous 2005 record, he may end up delivering only 3 and a half votes for the incumbent in the coming presidential poll.

Rounding things off was the ever sneering Raphael Tuju complete with his trade mark smirk extolling Kenyans to re-elect the founding DP Chair.

Speaking of the Democratic Party, NONE of their representatives addressed the gathering. The party was not even cited or acknowledged as forming part of the core of the Kibaki Friendly PNU consortium.

Was this a deliberate snub?

Me thinks not.

There was a calculated move to portray the September 16th event as a "national occasion" devoid of any regional or ethnic tags.

It could have fooled many, but not those of us who are familiar with the


British playwright Harold Pinter and the

American magician David Copperfield.

Why do I invoke these two artistes who seem completely out of context in this digital essay?

Give me a few seconds to explain myself.

The world famous award winning playwright Harold Pinter is renowned for his deft and effective use of the concept of the Subtext.

In many of Pinter’s early plays you will find ordinary characters carrying on ostensibly routine small talk.

It is only when you read or heard the text underneath the text that you detected a whiff of menace, danger or even worse.

What Pinter brought out that at any one time, there could be a conversation within a conversation.

In the same way American politicians and their public relations handlers have become quite adept at sending coded, subliminal messages. For instance in the 1988 the Republican team campaigning for the election of George Bush Senior was able to scare off would be supporters and voters of the Democratic challenger Michael Dukakis by coming up eerie television spots featuring an ex convict known as Willie Horton (who just happened to be African-American) to imply that if Dukakis went to the White House, crime would spiral out of control. In the 2004 election, Karl Rove orchestrated another campaign to rally conservative white Americans behind Dubya by talking about “family values” and other code words.

Yesterday the sub-text was there and loud and clear for anyone who wanted to listen:

There was NO NEED for the Democratic Party, NARC-Kenya, Safina, Sisi Kwa Sisi, Agno and others to feature prominently because already the DP Chairperson and the Leader of NARC-Kenya- Mwai Kibaki- was there representing ALL Mount Kenya dominated political parties.

Yes, I hear some of my readers grumble:


“We sort of get the Pinter reference, how about the invocation of David Copperfield?”

That is even easier to grasp.

The best magicians, conjurers, contortionists and illusionists from around the world have developed the knack of diverting your attention from what they are really doing by pretending to do something completely different. That is how they are able to produce rabbits out of hats, transform handkerchiefs into white doves and seemingly saw ladies into neat halves.

So what was the PNU magic trick at KICC yesterday?



While Kenyans were seemingly led to believe that they were watching the launching of a so called “Party of National Unity” what was in fact happening was the exact opposite:


The installation of a completely tribal based and class dominated clique of status quo power vampires.


Why do I say this?

Let us look at the so called "regional parties" that supposedly constitute the “national” edifice labeled PNU.

FORD-People is now a rump even within Gusii country-the people having trooped to ODM.

Should I even bother to say ANYTHING about Raphael Tuju's non-existent electoral clout in Nyanza?

FORD-Kenya?


Mukhisa Kituyi, Soita Shitanda and soon, Dr. Kibunguchy are counted among former defectors from the Kombo stable. Even as a Bukusu outfit it can not give Kibaki significant votes in Western province come the Presidential polls.

Shirikisho?

Its legitimate Chairman Mwashengu wa Mwachofi was denouncing Ali Mwakwere a mere few hours after the Transport minister had declared fealty to Team Kibaki. The Coast province is overwhelmingly Orange with allegiances split between ODM and ODM-K.

KANU?

Gideon Moi-no friend of ODM- was castigating Uhuru for supporting Kibaki while Mutula Kilonzo is the Secretary General of ODM-K, Poghisio the ODM-K Chair and Ruto, Otieno and Okemo heavyweights in ODM. The former KANU electorate is massively backing the two Oranges.

Who represents the Akamba in PNU?

Munyao?

Ndile?

Please do not make me chortle.


The two political heavyweights from Ukambani- Kalonzo and Ngilu- have both vowed to campaign against Kibaki.

Let us go to upper Eastern province. Of course no one bothered to bring up Kiraitu or Mwiraria because they are counted as part of the Mount Kenya region. How about the Borana, the Gabra and other people of upper Eastern?

Too inconsequential for the Kibaki Tena team- or firmly in ODM if you want to be more factual.


The whole of North Eastern province?

Not even a second on the podium for the likes of Maalim Mohammed kumpigia debe Kibaki.


Again N.E. is Agwambo territory.

So at the end of the day, WHERE is the bedrock of the so called “Party of National Unity”?

You guessed it:

The Mount Kenya region.

And this PNU, where are its members?

Who are its officials?

I watched very keenly the televised coverage and I could see that the cameras never really panned the crowds outside perhaps to disguise two obvious things:

It was paltry in terms of size; it was a rent-a-crowd clothed in Vijana na Kibaki and other pro-government apparel.

Judging from the martial talk from the likes of Mwakwere, Nyachae, Uhuru, Kombo and Kibaki himself, it is clear that the ideological battle-lines are drawn:

On one side are the defenders of the neo-colonial status quo.

On the other side are those they have labeled as "revolutionaries" "empty propagandists" etc out to rock the neo-colonial establishment.

Speaking of ODM and its allies, I think it is time to pick up the cudgels.

Kalonzo Musyoka is once again quoted in today's newspapers that Kibaki is on the right and Raila is on the left and that he Kalonzo will coast to power through the middle.

What a muddle-headed piece of political crock!

I give the Kibaki Tena team kudos for clearly spelling out their right wing neo-liberal anti-people agenda cloaked as it is with pseudo-populist platitudes that all of us can see through.

It is ODM that I am slightly worried about.

Will ODM be put on the defensive with the red-baiting name calling tactics of their adversaries or will they soldier on, embracing and recontextualizing the epithets hurled at them?


In other words, will the ODM leadership rise up to the historic challenge and champion a national democratic alternative or will they bend over backwards to prove that they can just be as right wing, as neo-liberal and conservative as their opponents?

The base of the Orange Democratic Movement is clamouring for fundamental power shifts and popular democratic transformation.

The ODM leadership must listen to its social base and push for a radical election manifesto/agenda for action or else risk losing at the polls to Kibaki’s PNU.

One way of ensuring this is for ODM to embrace the idea of a United Democratic Front that I mooted earlier- an idea that will see the ODM leadership reaching out to other progressive political parties, other serious and consistent civil society formations and other democratic grouping like women, youth, workers, squatters and so forth.

More can be said about this, but obviously not on this public online forum.

Onyango Oloo
Nairobi, Kenya