A LEADER OTHER THAN KIBAKI OR RAILA COULD BE A SOLUTION TO THE KENYAN EQUATION

Kenyans who hold various leadership opportunities hold responsibility in putting back our country to the right course. The grand coalition government has reduced itself to playing the role of having meetings whose only purposes are to discuss on how to work together without wrangles. While ODM side seems to favour the national accord as the basis of the guidelines of the function of the government, the PNU side is determined to keep on defining government as per the provision in the constitution of Kenya before the 2008 national accord. PNU appears to be of little respect for the national accord which got entrenched in our constitution after the agreements between the two principals on behalf of their parties after the post election violence. So far it has attested that it will be so hard for anything of great benefit to the ordinary citizen that will be implemented jointly by both sides of the coalition. Going by the sequence of events especially the public declaration by the Prime Minister that he had been pushed so much to an extend of supporting a snap election which he had opposed earlier are a pointer of worsening situation between the two sides of the coalition. While demanding to be the leader of government business and chairman of house business committee the Prime Minister declared that his interpretation of the national reconciliation act was that he was Prime Minister both in and outside parliament while PNU side claimed that the premier’s responsibilities were limited on prefecting ministries and to quote one of them that the parliament is not a ministry. It clearly shows that while most of Raila’s political lieutenants have no love lost for Kibaki, the PNU diehards appear to have contempt of the Prime Minister that it will really take a fool to imagine that Raila’s supervision of ministries is not limited to those that are headed by ODM ministers. It is so much noticeable that the Prime Minister who is supposedly the coordinator and supervisor of all ministries, deserves respect from the ministers whether PNU or ODM given that he is supposedly their boss. Most of the PNU ministers have never hidden their contempt for the Prime Minister recalling the comments made by some of them when the Prime Minister complained about shoddy reception when he visited Mombassa some time last month. Some of the public pronouncements made by the Prime Minister are so disturbing given the continued hypocrisy that we have one government in place. It was so sad for the Prime Minister to publicly abuse the president that he was running the government primitively. That was the final impression that things in the coalition are headed for a collitssion. Impunity has become part of life in Kenya that even leaders are not responsible enough to tame their tongues when making public pronouncements. The kazi kwa vijana initiative by the government should be lauded. It’s such a bright idea that leaders have come to realize that the future of the nation can only be invested in the young people. As a sign of good gesture, let it not just target the youth on lower cadre jobs but also focus on appointment of the young people in positions of policy making as was promised by both Raila and Kibaki during the presidential campaigns. However Kenyans must read signs of times and know that given the kind of political leadership we have it will be so hard to implement some of the great ideas drafted by the policy makers. This is because of the difficult in fighting corruption given the divisions in political leadership which will as well lead to inefficiency in a number of government departments. The squabbles will definitely slow our economic growth and lead to increase in crime as the trend has already shown. It is in the same futility that reforms that favour ordinary citizens will never be implemented under this coalition government. This administration might only be remembered for presiding over the five years of peace and suffering because apart from bringing peace among Kenyan communities the coalition government will be remembered for presiding over the suffering of Kenyans in the name of fighting for and over power. Kenyans are so desperate that they want someone sane, daring and intelligent enough to show us the way out. This is why I don’t find anything wrong with Kenyans calling for early elections to elect a government that has peoples mandate. That according to me was the kind of leadership ever required from the church leaders and it was long over due. The elections will save us from the five wasted years of peace and suffering. It’s this kind of scenario that I find speaker Kenneth Marende’s ruling about the house business committee in parliament palatable. Marende’s ruling showed that what Kenya needs first is good and responsible leaders. It also showed that most legal experts have corrupted the law and they only interpret it to suit their own political aspirations or those of their masters. it is the kind of leadership lacking in majority of Kenyans in using their positions for the sake of the country instead of being held at ransom by the squabbles between Raila and Kibaki.this is the aspect of leadership that is lacking in the civil society whose only role has been reduced to addressing press conferences and justifying donor funding while living in their own world thinking that workshops in big hotels and press conferences will ever bring change in this country. That will only bring change in the lives of the owners of those organizations. Let all people in all sectors rise up and make their voices heard up to the grassroots. It too sounded ridiculous but I found it somehow encouraging when some women leaders introduced the sex boycott as a way to compel Kibaki and Raila to take the country to the right direction. Being a man of course I don’t support this move but I think it’s laudable because it makes people talk. To me it was a way to reach out to the masses. Remember, it’s over a month now since the cabinet met. Unlike in the past, both Kibaki and Raila and other senior government officials snubbed the Labour Day celebrations. labour day celebrates the working population of our nation thus represents the productivity sector. It’s foolhardy to continue believing that the two gentlemen can solve any of Kenya problems apart from keeping us peaceful and non violent. People who serve much unknown leadership sectors might be the ones to save this country and not necessarily Kibaki and Raila or your common people addressing the press conference saying ‘way forward’. What these people only need is the attention and an ear. Maybe our media is giving too much attention to people who are no longer relevant as far as real reforms are concerned. We need to just learn a few tricks from Marende and all of us will discover how we can use our opportunities and wisdom to make to our nation shine at this hour of need. You may be the one holding the key to this quagmire. Just act and you might be the ultimate savior. FWAMBA NC FWAMBA BOX 41046, 00100 0736170218/07217794 45 http://kenyayoungvo tersalliance. blogspot. com http://fwambancfwam ba.blogspot. com http://fwambancfwam ba.wordpress. com