NAIROBI GOVERNORSHIP. WHAT IS AT STAKE?

Nairobi Governor Dr. Evans Kidero is not a violent man.

That he allegedly assaulted Nairobi women leader Hon. Mrs. Rachael Shebesh was uncharacteristic, and a surprise to many.

Kidero later explained that his reaction was a response to extreme provocation by Shebesh who had first assaulted him by grabbing at his private parts.

This is believable. Kidero understands the power of public opinion. There is no way he could have slapped Shebesh – especially in crowded public room – unless under very extreme provocation.

Extreme provocation often elicits extreme reactions; especially in self defense. In the courts, a person who takes another’s life while defending themselves from a terrible threat is often accorded sympathy. Consideration is given to the fact that their action was forced on them.

As expected, there was a round of condemnation following the Kidero – Shebesh incident – some balanced and genuine, many not so.

Loud condemnation was heard from deluded ethnic chauvinists who consider Nairobi county leadership to be their ethnic preserve and believe that with this incident, Kidero had gifted them a chance to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. The misguided elements trying to shout the governor out of City Hall without giving due process a chance are political terrorists, driven by narrow chauvinist ambitions which, if given a chance, can only result in backward leadership for Nairobi.

As with almost all things Kenyan, the “grab & slap” has evolved into a high stakes political game, and the assault case is a mere excuse.

Last month, a TNA legislator seriously assaulted a senior police woman in broad daylight in Nakuru town. Unlike Shebesh, the Police Woman was on duty and in full uniform. A chorus of condemnation is yet to be heard. It is unfortunate that our politics controls so much of our moral compass

This obvious double standard is a clear indication that what is at stake in the Kidero- Shebesh “grab & slap” is the Nairobi Governorship. Very few of those shouting loudest are seeking justice for either Kidero or Shebesh. This is a political lynch mob. Is it possible that the Shebesh raid on the governor’s office was part of a larger scheme (including the County Workers Strike) to paint the Kidero administration in Nairobi County as failed – just in time for the verdict of the petition?  I think so. For the misguided plotters, a verdict against Kidero would have been the coup de grace.

In Kenyan politics, there are few coincidences, and truth is often stranger than fiction.

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