Political pull and push games bad for our image - Ghai

If the report in The Standard on September 21, about attempts by Uhuru Kenyatta, Kalonzo Musyoka, and Moses Wetang’ula to subvert President Obama’s invitation to Prime Minister Raila Odinga to lunch in New York is right, then it is shameful and malicious.

Kenyans generally feel rebuffed at Obama’s attitude to Kenya, which is painful since we claim, and he acknowledges, that he is one of us.

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and the US ambassador Michael Rannenberger have explained that President Obama is deeply distressed at the moral and political corruption in Kenya and wants to keep his distance from us until politicians mend their ways. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been anxious to establish contacts between the two countries at the highest level that it sent a delegation to Obama’s inauguration, despite being told by the State Department that they were not welcome. They had to watch the inauguration from a modest hotel whose inferior facilities they are unaccustomed to.

It is not surprising that our diplomats, not known for their skills, have failed so far to arrange a meeting between Obama and President Kibaki.

So, if The Standard is right, when the White House invites Raila to lunch with President Obama along with other African leaders, key leaders of our own government start the campaign to ‘disinvite’ the PM. But even then Raila still met Obama, not just for lunch, but also dinner, and discussed Kenya.

Raila was representing Kenya at the UN General Assembly, and is, for most of us, the country’s Prime Minister. You might think that Foreign Affairs Minister Wetang’ula would be preening at this, what could pass as his ministry’s success. Not only were our distinguished trio taken by surprise, but they are reported to be extremely upset. They seem to have ‘clarified’ to Washington that Raila was neither a head of State nor of government, and not eligible for the invitation. It did not matter he was representing President Kibaki.

It is well known that at meetings of Heads of State, representatives of absent heads are welcome. Raila is more articulate than Kibaki and would make a good case for closer Kenya-US relations.

The agenda at the lunch was of great economic and social importance to African States, and we should be pleased the Prime Minister represented Kenya. But that does not seem to concern Wetang’ula and his two allies, each of whom wants to be president and ‘serve’ Kenyans.

2005 meeting

Reading that Kalonzo might have been involved in the "disinvitation" campaign, I was reminded of a meeting I had with him and Raila in 2005, in Addis Ababa. I was in Ethiopia at the invitation of the Speaker of the House of Federation to meet the newly elected members and discuss ways they could best discharge their limited but important tasks. I had stopped in Nairobi on my way to Addis and Raila had mentioned he also had a meeting in Addis Ababa about the same time, and perhaps we could meet for a chat. On my last day, as I was packing my suitcase, the reception at the Hilton called me and said that Raila was waiting for me. I was surprised to see Kalonzo with him.

Over tea, they explained they were on a ‘bonding’ trip, to show Kenyans they were united in their struggle to remove Kibaki at the 2007 General Election. We discussed Kenya politics, and the fortunes of ODM. They were convinced they could topple Kibaki. I then asked each of them what he would do if the other were nominated ODM candidate. I reminded them that former President Moi had lasted so long because the opposition was divided. I thought the losing candidate for the ODM candidacy should say, "Raila tosha" or "Kalonzo tosha".

Both assured me there was no question that ODM members would have the last word, and they would accept their verdict, and would fight the campaign together. We know what happened to those pledges.

Incidentally, both feared that Kibaki would appoint his cronies to fill vacancies that were due in the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya and wanted to know what they could do to prevent that.

What were international standards on the subject? I told them that Kibaki could in fact bring in his cronies, as the IPPG agreement that appointments would be made on nomination of parties in proportion to their representation was never legislated. It depended entirely on trust, and good faith on the part of Kibaki — we know now that these were in short supply.

International standards

Subsequently I sent them a note on international standards and practice, comparing them to the Kenyan law, but heard no more from them. It seems they did little about attempting to change the law. We know what Kibaki did, and its horrendous consequences are obvious. Subsequently one of my two visitors in Addis defended the packed Electoral Commission despite the fraud and the violence. Kalonzo is suave and courteous, and I used to think that despite having served Kanu so loyally in the terrible years of its regime, he had a basic commitment to democracy and decency. Now that I watch his casuistry, justifying Kibaki’s reappointment of Ringera against all reasonable interpretation of the law, I am depressed about the morality of our leading politicians, their constant subordination of the national welfare to their personal interests, and the lack of principles.

What message does this send to ‘our son’ Obama? But all that matters is who becomes the next president, and inherits the corrupt and corrupting state.

By Yash Ghai

Former CKRC chairman.