Saturday, February 11, 2012

Raila should meet Murang’a leaders



E-mailPrintPDF
Share/Save/Bookmark
ON Monday the lobby group Change Associates arranged for the Kikuyu business community to meet Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The intention of the group, also known as Kikuyus for Change, was to demystify Raila in the eyes of Kikuyu and let him respond directly to stereotypes that he intended to victimize the Kikuyu. Muranga leaders were angry, considering it traitorous to apparently lobby Kikuyu on behalf of a Luo.
Yesterday the group's head Ngunjiri Wambugu (a Star columnist) explained in a press conference that Change Associates planned to do the same for all presidential candidates.
Therefore Change Associates could organise for Uhuru Kenyatta to go to Kisumu and address the business community there. Uhuru could then defuse common stereotypes of Kikuyu - that they want to monopolise leadership, or whatever. Change Associates wants national leaders to enter the lion's den of hostile communities to tackle negative communal stereotypes with local opinion leaders.
The thinking is that this will gradually shift debate from ethnic rivalry to analysis of economic and social policies. This is a commendable initiative and Change Associates should pursue it vigorously. In fact they should arrange for Raila to meet the Muranga leaders as soon as possible.
Quote of the day: “In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.” - Author Alex Haley, author of Roots and Malcolm X, died on February 10, 1992.

No comments:

Post a Comment