Why I'll not vote for Kibaki

It is indeed true that Kibaki government inherited a debilitated country with negative economic growth. The country was in need of a visionary leader who could steer her to the right direction. This responsibility fell on Kibaki's shoulders and all those who were disillusioned by almost 40 years of KANU's misrule came together to vote in a new beginning in December 2002. The mood was ecstatic and at his swearing in ceremony, the giddy participants could not hide their new found joy. Kibaki did not disappoint, for he promised a change. A change from the past, the past that had brought Kenya to her knees!

No sooner had the celebratory dust begun to settle than the people started to experience a sneezing episode caused by the settling dust. The sneeze has since turned in to a real medical condition to the country because of the reasons I'll group as the constitution, graft, integrity and the opposition. These are the reasons why I'll not vote for president Kibaki even though his era is reported to be so far better than that of his predecessor, former president Moi.

The long awaited new constitution was to overhaul Kenya's past and replace it with a constitution that valued Kenyans, recognized Kenyans, and protected Kenyans regardless of their ethnic origins, socioeconomic status, and proximity to the centre of power. This was not to be. Kibaki abdicated his leadership role in constitution making to sycophants whose earlier interest in the new constitution was only to decapitate former president Moi's powers hoping that President Moi would not accept defeat. With their man in power, the new constitution was an unnecessary burden to the exchequer. Kibaki's failure to enact this new people driven constitution is one of his biggest failures.

The second reason is president Kibaki's inability to fight and at least reduce corruption. Soon after Kibaki came to power, traffic policemen who took kitu kidogo were apprehended by the public and the sign that the vice was on its way out was conspicuous. But the Anglo leasing scheme matured and obscured the vision of the fighters. The denials, accusations and counter accusations reached a deafening amplitude but all Kibaki could do was to cheer those who said that Anglo leasing was 'a scandal that never was', even though the funds were reportedly refunded from wherever.

As if this was not enough, the report of the commission set to investigate and recover some of the stolen public money by the mammoth Goldenberg rip-off that left the country bare was trashed after the commission itself took hundred of millions of shillings from the public. The surgical and radical cleanup of the judiciary headed by Justice Ringeria turned out to be more of witch hunt than a pragmatic cleanup of the judiciary system resulting in promotion and appointment of conveniently selected persons. Then, the Artur brothers' saga brought to glare of publicity the face of graft and incompetence within the government. Nobody is certain as to the country of origin of the Arturs, their reason for being in Kenya, and their relationship with the government's security apparatus. A report from the commission set to unravel all this mystery is still a secret. An indictment to the government's complicity!

My third reason for not voting president Kibaki for a second term is lack of integrity. Kibaki and his then shadow attorney general, Kiraitu Murungi, had proposed to the Ghai commission that ultra vires presidential powers needed to be trimmed with some powers delegated to the prime minister and the parliament. On enthronement, the power bug induced a changed course, and what was needed now was a more powerful unifying president. He felt that intra vires powers would hamper his ability to govern effectively. In the same breath of integrity is the adoption of Moi tactics that were thought to have ceased with the end of his tenure. The same Kiraitu Murungi, asked Moi to concentrate in herding his (Moi's) livestock and promised to show Moi how to govern. Nobody imagined that Moi's hitherto undesirable techniques would be the template of Kibaki's rule. Sycophancy and cronyism all rolled back to the centre of power. Favouritism became criteria for vetting recruitment to coveted government and quasi-government openings. Wachira Waruru, the former Managing Director of KBC was replaced not for being incompetent, but for his balanced and independent judgement. The Moi management strategy is also evident in the implementation of unplanned undertakings such as the creation of new districts without regards to location and cost for the headquarters and core staff emoluments. I guess one would say the president is a decent person! the problem is those who surround him. We heard this of Moi too as the country was wasting away.

Finally, a strong opposition is a good check for a complacent government. Lack of proper opposition in Kenya since independence brought about a de facto one party state that metamorphosed to a de jure one party state at the pinnacle of KANU's misrule. Kibaki as the first beneficiary of multiparty politics should have encouraged opposition, since he was the leader of the opposition in the previous government, to keep his current government in check for the benefit of the entire country. What has Kibaki done' He has consciously attempted to muffle dissenting views and the opposition by forming the so called government of national unity to emasculate the opposition and promotes his own selfish agenda. To achieve this, Kibaki expanded his cabinet to accommodate the bribe-able MPs thus increasing the government numerical voting superiority at the expense of rational debate in parliament and efficiency in the ministries to benefit the country. It became them against us. In spite of the presence of numerous political parties in Kenya today, the government if not checked, is minimizing their role of keeping the government on its toes. Is it a surprise that those who benefited from the fight for multiparty are the ones who hate it the most' A razor blade indeed cannot cut down a Mugumo tree.

Okumu Kaluoch