Mudavadi is sailing in turbulent waters
By Alexander Chagema
French philosopher, Alexis de Tocqueville, once observed that ` America is great because it is good and if it ever ceases to be good, it will cease to be great ‘. That goodness, he noted, was defined in the Americans unwavering belief in God and their unity in purpose.
Not so long ago, Kenya was a great African country, the pride of, and gateway to Africa. Our lost greatness was also defined by national unity and our belief in God, as the first stanza of the national anthem proudly avers. God is good, God is love and love is the binding glue that holds humanity together.
Today, Kenya cannot be described as a great country and the reason is that we stopped believing and trusting in God. We seem to have placed our trust in the hands of politicians who have since led us onto the path of hate, tribalism, nepotism and unhealthy competition for personal aggrandizement.
The type of political rivalry being played out in western Kenya over the presidency , orchestrated by Mudavadi , ably assisted by two highly unstable acolytes – Dr. Khalwale and Shitanda -and Eugene Wamalwa , also backed by an assortment of local MPs and `outsiders’ are creating fertile grounds for home based animosity . Mudavadi has been in politics longer than Wamalwa but has exhibited indecisiveness and a laid back demeanour that betrays a weakness in him as a national leader.
On the other hand, Eugene seems to have the will to move on but his Achilles heel is his over reliance on others to do the spade work and market him. He lacks the courage to go it alone, perhaps because he suffers an inferiority complex. Eugene has had uneasy political friendships with Jimmy Kibaki, Maina Njenga, William Ruto, Uhuru Kenyatta and Cyrus Jirongo for political expediency. Unfortunately for him these friendships have stigmatized him.
The brand of politics arising from KANU’s one party dictatorship gave rise to the `my tribe’ syndrome as a way of self-preservation. Consequently, the major tribes all want their man at state house in order to `eat’. Mudavadis reluctance to play in the major league of Kenyan politics was exploited by Eugene Wamalwa when the nondescript Simama Kenya outfit ran by Jimmy Kibaki urged him to do so on the false premise that luhyas could vote for him as a block . These machinations had not taken into account the Jirongo and Khalwale factors.
Dr. Khalwale has time and again thrown barbs at Musalia Mudavadi but being the opportunist that he is, he has thrown his weight behind Mudavadi in the hope that he can ride on the crest of Mudavadi’s wave to the governorship of Kakamega County. While Mudavadi still dilly dallied inside ODM, Dr. Khalwale and Soita Shitanda had enticed Wamalwa out of Ford – K to have him run for the presidency on a New Ford-K ticket. The belated entry of Mudavadi into the race complicated matters. Seeing as it was that Mudavadi had more appeal than Wamalwa, the only two MPs on a New ford Kenya ticket abandoned him and their rag tag party for Mudavadi and the little known UDF party. That left Wamalwa sulking and together with Jirongo, threatened to form what they called a third force to check Mudavadis rising star.
Jirongo on the other hand had been given a cold shoulder by the URP. Their bruised egos are up in arms, and they are already spoiling Mudavadis party in western. Without the Bukusu sub tribes vote and those in Jirongos area and other areas still sympathetic to ODM, it is obvious that Mudavadi will be sailing in very turbulent waters. Will he make it to the shore?
It is worthy of note that politics `found’ both Mudavadi and Wamalwa , having been prevailed upon and voted into parliament on sympathy votes following the deaths of father and brother respectively – they did not find politics on their own volition .
With the infighting in western going on, the luhya can forget the presidency – at least for now. Nobody goes to a house where siblings are tearing each other apart and whoever said `united we stand, divided we fall ‘ knew what he was talking about.
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