1. INTEGRITY CRISIS IN TOP
KENYA LEADERSHIP
At last Mr. Raila Odinga, Kenya’s opposition chief, realized what he is up
against in the Kenya government dislike for him. He realized the entrenched dark
forces operating underground against any bit of headway he is seeking. So Raila
did what nobody expected of him, snubbing a national independence ceremony,
the Madaraka Day.
This was just coming two days after Uhuru Kenyatta has dismissed them as
people who need to go back to school and learn some discipline. So when the
Madaraka Day came Raila, unlike his usual nationalist self, snubbed the
occasion. Moreover the chief guest at the ceremony was to be President Yoweri
Museveni, the Uganda president said to be mobilizing support in Kenya against
Raila’s presidential bid. So to be at the occasion sharing a podium with a man
doing dirty work for his nemesis Uhuru Kenyatta, was too much for him even if
a national event calls for patriotism and non-partisanship.
The entire opposition brigade boycotted the celebrations for the first time in
Kenya’s 52 years of independence. It seems that the opposition, at long last, saw
that the government was too compromised to be even cheated with a mockery of
patriotic duty. Identifying with compromised people running the show and the
arrogant presence of Museveni seems to have baulked the opposition.
Kenya’s opposition finally seems to be taking the cue from the west that refused
to deal with the government because of integrity issues. For instance since Russia
started to behave funny over the Ukraine question the US President Barack
Obama has simply refused to identify with their leader Vladimir Putin. The issue
of Putin has even cost FIFA chief Sepp Blatter his presidency of the football
body because he wanted World Cup to be played in Russia. All other reasons for

2. his departure are just secondary to the main issue of taking the beautiful game to
Russia.
Opposition in Kenya, at long last, seems to be adopting the same tactics and
President Uhuru appeared bewildered when he realized it on Madarka Day. This
was a bad week for the president. He was not only snubbed by the people at
Machakos, but here again was being given a wide berth by most people on a
national event requiring people to think beyond political party affiliation.
The western nations started it all in Nairobi after the March 2013 general
elections which to many was a civilian coup. So the western world entirely
ignored Uhuru’s swearing in ceremony as president. Let alone the issue of
sending representatives to the event, their ambassadors were right there in
Nairobi, in fact a walking distance to the place of the ceremony, but none
ventured into the swearing arena. Not even the Japanese. The event was left for
the Chinese and African dictators like Goodluck Jonathan, Mugabe and
Museveni to share in the limelight. That powerful message from the west was
furtively down-played by Uhuru and his handlers, just as this month they down-
played the opposition’s snub.
There must be deeper reasons for this new strategy by the opposition. It cannot
be the insult of going back to school because politicians are used to such
awkward remarks. The opposition must have realized the level of disrepute this
government has sunk to especially regarding the conduct of the Deputy President
William Ruto. They realized they are dealing with people who should be in jail,
as the DP was tricked in an interview at Citizen TV to admit that he owns 5-star
Western Hotel which sits on a grabbed public land. Previously Ruto had been
found guilty of owning irregularly 100 acres prime land belonging to a displaced
person in the 2007 – 8 post elections violence. This conviction by a court of law
contrary to chapter six of the constitution mandatorily made it illegal for him to
remain in public office.
Recently an MP from his home turf told the Deputy president to “stop being
petty” and that is the DP if “a leader from a place where children and women

3. were burnt alive in a church, he must not think that the people of South Rift
region can also do the same” So in a space of just one week things have been like
crumbling under Uhuru’s feet as even his anti-graft fight has been vilified as
nothing but hot air going against the regulations that stipulate the anti-corruption
body EACC cannot prosecute if it is not properly constituted. Right now most of
the anti-graft commissioners have been compelled to resign and the remaining
ones do not constitute a quorum for legal action to be effective.
Very often the opposition co-operation with a warty government has been used
to sanitise and lend credibility to a system that has sunk below the moral depths.
So they avoided this internal independence anniversary to the applause of all and
sundry. Fate seemed to conspire against the ruling duo as the ceremony grounds
seemed to be boycotted even by the people, so school children took pride of
place in half empty arena. What is worrying now is whether the boycott was a
temporary measure by the opposition or a long term strategy to be employed by
them to expose the government as not enjoying popular legitimacy.
Uhuru’s boycott with the west has been such that no European leader has
officially shaken President Uhuru’s hand. He has managed to shake hands with
President Obama under special circumstances, and Obama is billed to come to
Kenya next July. Maybe it is because Obama is an outgoing president. But it still
remains a tricky issue whether Ruto, a convicted person, will be allowed
anywhere near Obama in his 8 hour visit.
The foreign snub is easy to live with because it is not immediately felt. But a
local boycott if enacted on a wider scale may have serious repercussions on the
already shaky government. This would create glaring legitimacy issues and
coupled with the threat to boycott the next polls would put Kenya on a very
tricky trajectory.
The opposition has finally opted for these down-to-earth tactics because of the
governments’ obstinacy. They have completely refused to address the issue of
electoral reforms and seem bent on seeking fresh ways to rig elections once
again. Their main ruse this time round is to deny opposition areas identify cards

4. without which no one can register or vote. A low voting turn-out would be forced
onto them as the government boosts their areas registering under-age voters and
even the dead. The 3 million diaspora vote would also be handy for manipulation
through embassy activists. They even seem prepared to sabotage the Save Kenya
referendum which the opposition is banking on. Then there is enlisting foreign
support and especially financing through Uganda and other companies with
which they cut deals.
Another concern of the opposition which could see them adopt desperate
measures is personal security. Raila is said to be very security conscious and that
is why he has had nine lives. But he recently lost his son in questionable
circumstances. Museveni said at the Madaraka function that if a jigger is
molesting your foot you gouge it out instead of cutting off the foot. Although it
was said in a different context people who are security conscious can make
anything out of it. Raila’s son’s postmortem details were taken to Germany for
specialist analysis and Raila must be with the results now. Such incidences can
call for discretion in political relationships thus limiting political space. They all
add to the complexity that is Kenya’s political situation today.
By:
FREDERICK OWINO OYARO
Email: frederickoyaro@gmail.com