Time Kibaki left the scene

President Mwai Kibaki has been on the scene for fairly too long.
 
He was porched from Makerere University where he was a tutorial fellow in 1961 by the great Jaramogi, so that he could be the first Executive Officer for KANU, the Independent party. He later contested for the Bahati parliamentary seat and won, amid stiff competition from Jael Mbogo.
 
This scare from Mbogo made him decamp to Nyeri, where he has become a parmanent feature at Othaya. He was made an assistant minister, rose through the ranks to become a minister, a vice president, back to a minister, then a back bencher in parliament, graduating to become the opposition leader in the last parliament before becoming the president of Kenya.
 
In the process, he had two unsuccesful stabs at the presidency in 1992, and again in 1997. On those two occassions, he was backed by the Democratic Party, a party that was largely seen as Central Province based.
 
But in 2002 when Kenyans under the command of Raila Odinga gave him support, he easily won the presidency. This was ample proof that as Kenyans, we could defy all odds and vote for anybody who could fight for our rights regardless of his tribe. But the president, having been around for too long, promptly forgot that it took the intervention of Kenyans to have him sweep to state house.
 
His going back to the roots, and in the footprints of Kenyatta were his greatest undoing. Kenyyatta ruled Kenya when we were still not fully liberated. The obtaining times were different. Kenyans were more alert politically as they elected Kibaki to office, that any slap in the face could be taken note of immediately.
 
His imminent defeat at the hands of the same Kenyans who propelled him to state house, will be a sure lesson to all those who will come after him; that the power of a united people cannot be taken for granted.
 
Students of history will find a field day in writing the rise and fall of Kibaki. Here is a man who was sacked from the lofty position of a vice president, but retained in the cabinet as minister for health. Again, here is a person who upon being elected into office of the president, promptly went ballistic calling those who voted for him pumbavu, mafi ya kuku and bure kabisa. And forgeting that in 5 years time, he could want their vote again.
 
Time will have come for him on 27th Dec to reckon with his destiny; self inflicted as they are.
 
The lessons Kenyans must learn from the Kibaki debacle is that arrogance and ego centrism does not pay. We must strive at all the times to build one unitary Kenya where all have equal access to all opportunities.
 
If we start segregating on the basis of tribe, then we loose it all just like our beloved Kibaki has done. When we talk of fighting corruption, and at the same time engage with Anglo Leasing Ghosts, thinking that Kenyans are not watching, we are mistaken.
 
The good thing is that on 27th December, by 7pm, signs will start emerging that at long last, Kenyans shall have given back the country to the people, and we will all share in the coming victorty of the Peoples President.
 
Odhiambo T Oketch
Secretary; ODM Embakasi Constituency