Campaign Spins and Gaffes

Move over Conjestina! There is a new phenom in town! Fighting out of Statehouse Nairobi, she is arguably the fastest “pound-for-pound” or should I say “slap-for slap” contender. Publicly, her record is 2-0, but privately, it is understood that she has a string of victories that have been kept “under wraps.” Armed with enviable defensive techniques (Presidential security detail) and supersonic speed, she easily decks her opponents! Her notable opponents are journalists and high ranking government officials. Going by this, “Conje” can sit comfortably knowing that she is not going to be the next opponent. What a perfect Christmas gift for the opposition! Deleting the footage worsened the situation as it gave the opposition a two-pronged godsend. First, the assault itself can be easily reenacted (like in Redykyulass) to drive home the message of national embarrassment and subjecting the beautiful country to international ridicule! Secondly, the deletion reminds the voters of just how heavy-handed and dictatorial this regime can be. It brings back the memories of the Standard raid and the late-night visit at the Nation centre. Ouch! These are things that the President’s handlers and strategists would like to forget but somehow, they keep popping up! Talk about a gift that keeps on giving!

My “favorite” political commentator was at it again, this time he was defending the President’s position on live debates. He argued that incumbents and “frontrunners” normally do their challengers a favor by agreeing to debate them on live television. According to him, Kibaki is the frontrunner despite the fact that all credible polling show otherwise! He went on to give American examples like President Richard Nixon refusing to debate in 1968 and 1972 campaign periods. What he didn’t mention was that in 1960, the then Vice President Nixon was humiliated by the Senator from Massachusetts John Fitzgerald Kennedy in the first ever televised Presidential debate in U.S history! At the time Nixon was President Dwight Eisenhower’s deputy, he appeared tensed, out of touch and sweaty to audiences watching television across the country while Kennedy appeared confident with extreme command on policy issues. Kennedy went on to win the Presidency. For Nixon, snubbing the next debates was out of fear. Mr. Odinga’s strength is President Kibaki’s Achilles heel. Watching the two campaigns, there is no doubt as to who has superior oratorical skills. The debate in my view would have given the people a Nixon-Kennedy debate, Kenyan version.

Professor Ali Mazrui made headlines with his controversial claim that this election will be decided by either the “tactical genius of Mr. Odinga or the intellect of President Kibaki,” the part that grabbed attention was his assertion that Mr. Kibaki is the only intellectual in the race for the house on the Hill. I’ll leave the definition of the term “intellectual” to the good professor, but the last time I checked, before plunging into politics, both Mr.Odinga and Mr.Kibaki were lecturers at respected universities! Mr.Odinga taught mechanical Engineering at the University of Nairobi while Mr. Kibaki taught Economics at Makerere. The question is: Which discipline is regarded as more “intellectual?” Being a presidential appointee, professor Mazrui must have been promised more “Mazuri.” That is the only way a respected teacher can turn into a cheer-leader!


Stay tuned for the next piece.
Jackson.

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Good analysis and excellent call. Thanks.

William P. Odhiambo Okello