OF EXCELLENCE OF EXCELLENCIES:BY CHRISTOPHER NAICCA

Happy belated new year to all and sundry. The election year is here. Already, tension is simmering. Right here in KYVA. Debates are raging. Lets keep it going. Believe me, I am learning a lot from every one of you. I must admit, contributions from one Omedo have impressed me. And I must also admit. I agree with him that Raila deserves a chance to lead this country. I have not seen a more consistent politician in Kenya. While others say he never settles and is too much of a rubble rouser who never gets satisfied, what I see is consistency. To further their argument, such pundits mention the Ford-K walk out, the Kasarani (Kanu) walk out, the NARC walk out…yada yada yada. What I see is consistency. There was a lot happening as regards his Ford-k walk out that ultimately led to NDP, but would you fault him for refusing to accept that his father had nominated the late Wamalwa? Would you fault him for demanding that things be done democratically? Personally, I don't like this thing of an out going leader imposing someone on the people. Is that not the same thing that happened at Kasarani? Was he wrong in demanding that ex-president Moi stop imposing Uhuru? How about NARC? Were they not short changed? Did not the gentlemen he had dined with dishonored agreements? So to me, this is a consistent man. So consistent that he doesn't stay put when you try to short change the party he is in. Why do Kenyans take less than they deserve? So much so that when we see a man who settles for nothing less we vilify him. We call the person stubborn. We say the person is never satisfied. This attitude is extended even to other matters of national importance. When the likes of yours truly mention the inefficiencies and inadequacies of the government, I can't believe my ears when I hear a Kenyan say that we like complaining. I'm taken aback when I hear people say `at least' something is being done. I get astounded when people settle for less, saying we are complaining yet the economy is growing. I'm sorry, but I will never settle for less. You will not give me six while taking half a dozen. Don't expect me to vote you in if you grow the economy but fail to catch the anglo-leasing thieves and fail to show any solid commitment to fight graft. No. I will not accept that. Don't expect me to vote for you if you sort out the matatu menace but raid a media house and poach opposition MP's without consent. No. I just can't take that. I am not satisfied, if you re-open KICC but close doors to ECK nominations dialogue. Why should I settle for less? I will demand the best. I will not trust you with my security of you clear Artur as a businessman and he turns out to be a thug. Why does Africa lag behind? We are easily satisfied. A mythical story of our origin sometimes gets me thinking. A tribe in Mali has it that after God had made all races, the African had wandered off and missed the ceremony where God was giving the different races talents and gifts. On returning, God remarked `Oh, I forgot all about you!' I have given away all the technology, industries, science and all that is good, what can I give you'. `That drum right there', said the African. And off he walked. Drumming into the night. Satisfied. We take a lot of crap as Kenyans. If fuel prices go up by unreasonable margins in Europe, do I need to tell you what they do? Don't they park their cars on all major roads and paralyze the country until the prices go down? These people don't take crap. In Kenya we accept. We are satisfied if the minister just threatens. Can you imagine if it was in Britain or France that MP's had increased their salaries ten fold? I bet you they would not have managed to walk out of parliament. The public can literally camp outside and not let you walk out until you adjust. These people take nothing less than the best. No wonder they are miles ahead. So when someone says we should appreciate that `at least' something is being done, I can't take that. And especially if corruption is not being dealt with. Because that amounts to giving with the right and taking with the left. For me, everything has to be happening. We are so far behind to go slow on certain matters. We have ministries to address virtually every area. So as matatu menace is being sorted out by one ministry, I expect the one charged with security to work. One cannot ride on the success of the other. So don't expect me to be `at least' happy that transport sector is improving if security is not. I want to urge you to take nothing but the best. Settle for nothing less. Why let the politicians get off easy? More so the ones in government charged with running the country. Frankly, it makes no sense to me, if after telling you about the inadequacies of president Kibaki, you in return tell me about the inadequecies of Uhuru. Come on, Uhuru is not the president. Kibaki is. Let us all focus on the government. Why do we even look at the opposition? Let us watch the government so closely so that they have no room to mess around. Do you watch sky news and see how closely the British media keep an eye on their government? Name me the leaders of three leading opposition parties in Britain. No, really, stop and think about it… If you are very keen, you may only remember Cameron. His first name escapes me as it does you. This is because they focus on their government. Tightly. Tony Blair has to be on his toes. In Kenya when you try to focus on the government and criticize them for not doing more, proponents of the government distract you by attacking the opposition in equal measure. Why the hell would I be bothered with criticizing the opposition so frequently when it is the government that is charged with running the country? No wonder our government has room to play around and not give its best. Because we let them. Lets be tight on them. Critique everything they do. Bring the best out of them. Don't settle for less. Now lets get back to the beginning. I started by seemingly supporting Raila. Let me first say this. I have lost faith with all of the current crop of politicians. They just play power games and will not take us forward until we send them a strong message. I feel so strongly that we cannot afford to give ten years of presidency to an individual from the current crop of politicians. We shouldn't trust them yet. We may stagnate. I feel that Kenya needs dynamism. We may also send a wrong message that we are satisfied. We need to send a strong message through the ballot. The politicians need to know that getting a second term requires excellence. Not just `at least something is happening'. Let us make getting that second term so difficult, you have to out perform yourself if you are to get it. I don't think Kibaki has been excellent. If we give him another five, the politicians will think that as long as you do something small, the public is okay. If we remove him and put another, at least (I hope) they will know that we are not easy to please. If we do that, I expect that the next person will realize they have to out perform Kibaki if they are to get a second term. Now the next message that we will need to send is that out performing Kibaki is not enough. So even this next person we will remove. And we should continue doing that until the politicians realize we take nothing but the best. And getting that second term is so difficult. Maybe then they can be serious. Maybe then we can grow. Kibaki has done what he can. If he has done A, B, C someone else will do D, E, F and so on and so forth. I don't expect him to deal with corruption in his next term if he hasn't in his first. So let someone else come and do it. And then another and another. This being my school of thought, Kibaki has served his five. So for me he needs to go. He has been okay, but not excellent. My school of thought demands I pick someone else…that is how Raila comes in. I don't think anyone else deserves the chance to serve the next five. Raila being what he is will try to out perform Kibaki, but like any other member of the current crop of politicians, he will not be excellent. So we also remove him after his five. Until the message of excellence gets through. After all, they seek to be called YOUR EXCELLENCY!