There Is Only One KK-Kibaki Alliance

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Rachel Wambui Shebesh



The president’s interest in this kikuyu-kalenjin outfit is solely to engineer his succession

By Rachel shebesh

There is nothing like a KKK alliance. It is a KK (Kikuyu-Kalenjin) alliance bonded by three factors: Succession, The Hague and Railaphobia.Secondly, each of the players and supporting crew in the so called alliance are in it for totally different objectives.

President Kibaki’s interest in this alliance is solely to engineer his succession. It is the reason that compelled the president to grace the rally in Eldoret under the politically-correct auspices of a peace, reconciliation and development agenda or the region.

If the President thought he cut the image of a statesman at the rally by being no-committal about his successor and calling on all communities to work together, I am afraid he came out more as a Kikuyu elder representing one side of the KK Alliance. In keeping with his elite brand of politics, unlike Moi, it would be expecting to much of him to openly anoint a successor.

The President prefers symbolism and ambiguity as a means of communicating his real intentions. That is why he was flanked on either side by the preferred KK partnership and also the reason he paraded the Hon William Ruto on stage for a second time. If the President genuinely sought national reconciliation his itinerary should have started at an IDP resettlement where plans for final resettlement would have been communicated directly to the victims. Instead he chose to play politics at 64 Stadium.

It was disheartening and callous of the President of the Republic of Kenya to call for a speedy resettlement of IDP’s which should be completed by June… as sufficient funds have been allocated. What happened to the executive orders? The kind he issued under the Narc government in the speedy recovery of the then Kanu grabbed Kenyatta International Conference Centre? My memory fails me but I am curious to know who the Kanu officials were at the time.

I have no doubt that Kibaki’s preferred heir is Uhuru given the message coming from his erstwhile lieutenant like Hon. Michuki and other Central Province leaders.Besides,the President has never made any pretensions to correcting tribal imbalances in the top echelons of strategic institutions like the Office of the President, the Finance Ministry,Military,All police units and the NSIS etc. In these sunset days, reconciling only two ethnic communities in the battle for numbers is no way to bequeath an enduring legacy.

This is where the little matter of The Hague provides a convenient interlock of mutual interest. With arguably, two of the de facto KK leaders on the Ocampo list working together is not an option, it is an imperative. Doubtless, the vote rich Rift Valley is an attractive proposition for any Presidential aspirant; while playing ball with the ruling elite is political insurance against potential adversity.

This is also the reason the President will sit smugly as the KK leaders and foot soldiers pour vitriol and scorn on his Principle partner in Government, the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga.The Prime Minister is now a convenient scapegoat for all the real and imagined ills afflicting the coalition government including personal woes of members on the wrong side of the law.

I fully agree wit those who say Kenyan politics have never been issue based or value driven. They are simplistic, tribal and about self preservation, no matter the cost or the price. Like in war, deception and propaganda are effective tools in politics.

Tribal leaders repeated lies or misrepresentations about the Prime Minister have useful propaganda value and will no doubt erode his popularity within their enclaves. It would be naïve for any politician to undermine the formidability of a KK alliance irrespective of the foundation on which it is built.

My first concern however is how the President intends to wiggle out of ICC process without subjecting the country to a façade of useless canvassing missions being undertaken by the Vice President Kalonzo.

Secondly what plan does he have for reconciliation the rest of the communities in the country including all other displaced persons elsewhere? Thirdly by playing realpolitik at this crucial stage of implementing the constitution, is he confident that its desired outcomes will be realized? Finally we must fiercely guard against any horse trading by the Executive in the selection of our next Chief Justice and Attorney General.

For those individuals from other communities being roped in as flower girls to sanitize the tribal engagement, I conclude that you must be a personal friend or are bonded by having a common enemy.

Why do I say so? Firstly, in terms of ideology, shared values and principles I see no common thread. The land grabbing under Kenyatta/Moi era, mega scandals, the collapse of state institutions and the YK 92 excesses symbolized by some of the faces in the KK alliance are totally at variance with the simplistic almost naïve demeanor of some of you.

Secondly, you bring nothing to the table and will remain flower girls even if the 2012KKK wedding comes to pass. You simply don’t have pedigree, matching wealth, or numbers. You can’t be promised anything either because of the checks and balances in the new constitutional dispensation. Thirdly our politics have no space for indecision. If you don’t aggressively stake your claim for the top seat, don’t expect it on a silver platter. Politics being the art of the impossible, those awaiting endorsement in the event that the ICC indicts potential candidates should stop daydreaming for with realpolitik they may never face trial.

It is decision time. As citizens of this country, we have an opportunity to shape the leadership we want. We must smoke out these tribal alliances and expose those hiding behind age and generational change. I call upon advocates of true change based on values and principles to not only soldier on but offer themselves for leadership in various parties.

ODM is embarking on its Operation Clean Chama or One County-One Country campaign through holding party election starting March. Come compete, stake your claim and challenge the status quo in a fair battle. Ultimately however we get the leaders we deserve.

The writer is ODM nominated MP