‘Third Force’ an idea that is long overdue

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By KIMANI Wa NJUGUNA
Posted  Thursday, December 29  2011 at  18:24

Kenyans who have studied the history of this continent cannot help getting excited by the youthful politicians, mainly from the Party of National Unity, who are disgruntled.

This is because the group, seen as the ‘Third Force’ in the coalition government, has declared a break with the past.

These youthful politicians, mainly from Central, North Eastern and upper Eastern regions, have crystallised around the newly-registered United Democratic Front to provide alternative leadership and front Mandera Central MP Abdikadir Mohammed for the presidency.

According to them, the current political party leadership revolves around tribal kingpins, a situation which stirs up the kind of tribal animosity blamed for the 2007/2008 post-election violence.

Most Kenyans fully concur with them. Already, as the clock ticks fast to the General Election, some people have started stirring up ethnic emotions. We are being told that Prime Minister Raila Odinga is ruthless and likely to take revenge once he becomes president.

We are also hearing that Kenyans are unlikely to vote for another Kikuyu. This is being said in reference to Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, who is emerging as a formidable candidate with each passing day.

Such sentiments are evoking tribal loyalty and hatred in equal measure. They are being peddled by fear-mongers. Tragically, this is happening as a result of the same names being put forward to vie for the presidency every election year.

An elite crop dominating politics, intellectual capital and business is at the heart of failures of most African countries since independence.

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These people have continuously reinvented themselves with the aim of keeping any new face at arm’s length. As a result, they have become richer while the poor get poorer.

Most of the elite came from the educated political class of the first independence movement, traditional rulers or power-brokers under colonialism.

In some countries, departing colonialists deliberately created a small class of black elite, often from one ethnic group, as part of their divide-and-rule strategy.

Those leaders of independence movements became the post-independence elite in politics and business. They formed the new aristocracy or created networks to control the new states in all spheres of life.

It is for this reason that Kenyans must be educated to get it right this time round when we go to the ballot come 2012 elections. This is because year in year out, Kenyans whine about poor leadership.

This country is truly yearning for a new generation of leaders, which is not carrying the baggage of the old order. Kenyans must wake up to the reality that leaders are made, not born.

That is why we must expand our horizons and look for national leaders beyond the usual suspects who will always front themselves as presidential candidates every time elections come up.

It would do this country a lot of good if a president can be elected from outside any of the so-called ‘Big Five’ communities.

Kenyans, and the youth in particular, who are said to constitute 75 per cent of our population, must give very serious thought to the ‘Third Force’.

Mr Njuguna is a secondary school teacher in Gatundu District, Kiambu County (kimmejanjuguna@gmail.com