Open Letter to President-elect Uhuru

BY ODHIAMBO OKETCH
TUESDAY, 12 MARCH, 2013

I want to officially congratulate you and the Jubilee team for convincingly winning in the just concluded General Election. There were anomalies yes, but you won and won big and even if a re-run is ordered by the Supreme Court, I know you will still win, and now even with a bigger margin.

When Kenyans were invited to register as voters, you and your team went to work, and you registered what the maverick Mutahi Nginyi later called ‘the tyrany of numbers’. Your supporters came out in large numbers and we could see evidence of that.

Then, you mounted a well organised campaign across Kenya. On the D-day, your supporters came out in their droves to vote for you. Your Excellency, as our next CEO, you have some huge responsibility on your shoulders.

First, you and your principal assistant- William Ruto must attend the ICC cases in person. Please prove to the world that you are all innocent and let the world be ashamed.

But in the event that you are convicted, kindly step aside as fast as you can. We will stand strong with you now that you are our President. Again, move with speed to construct the Mau Summit- Kericho roadhas been a nightmare to motorists. Move with speed to remove the hyacinth that has clogged Lake Victoria.

Develop fish processing plants near Lake Victoria for their fish produce. Incorporate the people who did not vote for you in your Government, and make Kisumuespecially Kondele be your first public engagement as the President of Kenya after you are sworn in. Host your first political thank you rally in Kisumu, then move to other regions as well.

Your predecessors talked of preaching peace across all Kenya immediately they signed the National Accord, but we did not see them do that even once in the five years we have lived with them. Kindly make peace and national reconciliation a priority number one. Strengthen our democratic space and make it possible for any Kenyan to be President- not based on tribal arithmetic, but on clear policy and manifesto.

Invite all Kenyans to love each other and more so, invite your core supporters to be ready to vote for non of their own. Move with speed to solve the land question and issue all persons who have come of age with identity cards. The out going teams failed on this. We still have along way to go with you.

This is just the beginning of the several letters you will be getting from us. You are now our President and we will be complimenting each good move you make. But we will equally be very hard on you when you make a wrong move.

                         The writer is the Executive director, Clean Africa Campaign