Why
Ojode was not just junior minister
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By
Martin Mutua
Joshua Orwa Ojode was
the Assistant Minister who towered over his own office and political party and
had connections across the political divide, including the Presidency.
In life he may have been
a junior minister by designation, but as the country’s top leaders grieved at
his graveside, he attained a proportion of fame and respect in death that might
have eluded him in life.
The President wept for him, a man from Prime
Minister Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement.
One MP and former minister conceded he was the best minister Kenya
never had. In turn the PM, who should have given him the portfolio,
declared at his graveside that he assigned him the Internal Security and
Provincial Administration Assistant minister docket because he valued the
office and respected Ojode’s prowess, but in the power-sharing deal, Kibaki’s
side had gone with its ministerial docket.
In all the eulogies given as he was buried, speakers from across
the political divide were unanimous that Ojode certainly was only Assistant
minister by designation.
Every speaker said he bore the authority of Government, worked
hard to earn it and did not mince words when transacting its authority —
something, which made them refer to him adoringly as Sirkal — a corruption of
the Kiswahili word Serikali (Government).
They said his word bore the assurance of the Government itself,
and in his conduct, he was devoid of the political partisanship that is the
nature of Kenya’s politics.
“He belonged to ODM but could easily charm his way into PNU…he
worked so well with a PNU minister,’’ said Raila.
In the end the Ojode that Kenyans knew was not the one who
was lowered to the grave, this time with the honours associated with State
burial that is only known to have gone to Kenya’s founding father Mzee Jomo
Kenyatta, a few ministers and a Vice President.
To crown the new recognition he got in death, following the June
10 chopper crash that also killed his former boss, Prof George Saitoti and four
others, the Government literally landed in Unga Village, Ndhiwa Constituency to
bury Ojode.
Many of the dignitaries made the journey of 400 plus kilometres
from Nairobi to his home for the burial by road — probably because the horror
of the tragedy that took his life discouraged many from making the usual
beeline to the airport for chartered planes and Government choppers.
There were only four choppers that separately brought in President
Kibaki, the PM, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and former minister Nicholas
Biwott, a man credited with linking Saitoti to former President Moi when the
Kajiado North MP was a mathematics lecturer at the university.
Clout
Agriculture minister Sally Kosgey, Speaker Kenneth Marende, Lands
minister James Orengo and Gichugu MP Martha Karua eulogised Ojode as an
Assistant minister who bore the clout of a higher office, and who was friendly
to all, regardless of political affiliation.
The President praised Ojode, saying he was a
man who stood by his words and never changed a single thing even when
confronted.
“I get a copy of what ministers are going to say in Parliament. If
you want to come and look at those copies, please come. I know those who change
in the morning what they said on Sunday and those who will repeat exactly what
they said on Sunday,” he said.
Sirkal who was serving his fourth term as the elected
representative of Ndhiwa constituency cut a niche for himself after having been
“shortchanged” for a full ministerial position by his party in 2007 when the
Grand Coalition Government came to power. This was despite the fact that in
2005 he had, following prodding by the PM, rejected appointment to be
Environment minister by Kibaki.
Given his passion and enthusiasm and the fact
that Saitoti appeared to have delegated the Ministry’s parliamentary function
to him, his absence in Parliament was immediately noticeable to viewers of live
broadcast of House proceedings and colleagues, many of whom spoke favourably of
the late Ndhiwa’s MP’s answers.
No flag
It was, however, Eldoret North MP William Ruto who captured the
larger than life image of Ojode when he declared: “He was the best minister
Kenya never had”.
He added: “Ojode was a minister in every way except that he didn’t
fly a flag.”
During the funeral service for Ojode in Nairobi on Thursday, Raila
broke his silence about how the late MP complained to him after he failed to
appoint him to the Cabinet, but he said he nonetheless refused to leave OP when
Raila tried to transfer him later.
And on Sunday the PM told Ndhiwa voters that given that at the
time ODM joined government, PNU had gone with half the Cabinet seats including
the plum ones of Defence and Internal Security, he was in a dilemma over what
to do to please everyone in his side and get influential dockets at the same
time.
“As you know, it is very difficult to take away meat from the
hyena’s mouth,” he quipped.
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