Kenya is a democracy and we attained this status back in 1991 after the late President Moi cowed to international community pressure to repeal section 2A of the constitution which allowed pluralism in Kenya. To arrive at that point , alot of suffering , pain , deaths , deportation and psychological torture were top of the menu. The KANU regime realized that , autocratism , KLEPTOCRACY and authoritarianism would not have fluorished in a democratic space. Fact!! The first multi-party elections took place in December 27. That election elicited alot of emotions and political tensions. The major reason that President Moi gave to the donor community ( IMF , WB and both bilateral and multilateral donors) is that multipartyism would have blended politics of ethnicity and balkanization. He staged a spirited reasons together with his fellow KANU blue eyed boys and acolytes as to one , the one party rule should continue to exist.
The 1992 presidential election was a contest that placed the Kalenjin fiefdom on one side and the GEMA nation fiefdom on the other. Moi held the KANU flag as an incumbent President while Kibaki held the Democratic Party (DP) and Kenneth Matiba held the Ford Asili party flag. Historians opine that , the KANU regime engineered those attacks which led to the loss of lives , properties and displacement of one community which was branded as alien who have unbridled appetite of buying land and settling in any region in Kenya. After that election , Kibaki and Matiba cited that there was massive irregularities and election malpractices and that Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) failed to conduct free , fair and credible elections. Matiba convinced Kibaki to jointly petition President Moi's victory at the Court of Appeal but Kibaki chickened out.
Official Opposition Leader
Kibaki gracefully joined the back benches as the official opposition leader. His DP elected MPs superceded all other opposition Parties no wonder Kibaki constitutionally because the leader of the opposition. There was no Handshake because , the leader of the official opposition had his constitutional duties well stipulated. He was the eyes and ears of Wanjiku in tht Parliament. By keeping the sitting Government in check and ensuring that the sitting Government ensured that it streamlined good governance , rule of law , entrench democratization , fight corruption and ensure that the economy is normal and the cost of living isn't skyrocketing. The role of the opposition is to check on that legislature , executive and Judiciary and make sure they don't abuse the powers given to them by the Constitution. When a presidential candidate loses an election , he/she should think of how he should join the backbenches and become an opposition leader and not thinking of how to root for a handshake between him and the winner who sweeps all the glory.
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Kenya should not adopt this mongrel type of a governance system. The reality is that , in Kenya's political system so far , we don't have a formidable Opposition but where did the rain started beating us. All the problems we are currently facing were brought about by our political elites. Back in 2009 , the Committee of Experts (CoE) led by the late Senior Counsel Nzamba Kitonga and his colleagues drafted a very good draft Constitution. It was the best Kenya would have and solve most of our Economic , Social , Cultural and political problems. Then kaboom!!! Politicians especially MPs in the 10th Parliament hijacked the whole process. How did they do it and led us to the problems we are currently facing?
The Committee of Experts presented the draft constitution to President Mwai Kibaki and the them Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Then , the Parliamentary select committee was formed and was ment to go over that draft constitution making changes here and there and the main task was to harmonize it. The MPs retreated in Naivasha's great Rift Valley lodge and the process of mutilating the constitution started in earnest. MPs drawn from ODM , PNU , KANU etc who were part of the grand coalition Government bangled everything. The removed the proposal to have the office of official opposition leader who was to be an ex officio member of both the National Assembly and the Senate. Again , the MPs mutilated the clause that had made the Senate to be the upper house and was tasked to veto all the bills coming out from the National Assembly. The most disheartening clause in that constitution that was strangled is the removal of the office of opposition leader. That's where the problems facing Kenyans today wwew mooted. It was replaced with National Assembly minority leader and Senate minority leader.
After the 2013 presidential elections , CORD's Raila Odinga led Coalition was defeated by Uhuruto led Jubilee Alliance Coalition , Raila Odinga was led out in the political wastelands. The 2010 didn't recognize the runners up in a presidential contest even after garnering close to 6.5 million votes. The role of Opposition was left in the hands of who the CORD coalition picked as as minority leader in both houses. The question is , how would you have expected Raila Odinga who was the runners up in that election to put the sitting Government on toes when he was outside the Parliament? How?? Where in any political system that christen itself as being democratic have you ever heard of that kind? You can't firm a formidable Opposition when you see outside the Parliament. You can't enjoy parliamentary immunity when outside it but when you are inside it.
Come 2022 general elections , I hope the duo ( Ruto and Raila) who are the leading presidential contestants may be rooting for a handshake post 2the general elections. Kenyans should not agree to this mongrel type of the governance system. We need a formidable Opposition but the most disheartening thing is that , he will be outside the Parliament. The BBI document had mooted the plan to create the office of the official opposition leader who would be an ex officio member of both National Assembly and Senate. Get a budget from the exchequer inorder to run his businesses in the benches by forming the shadow cabinet. The Parliamentary Accounts and investment Committees was to be strengthened.
Ruto has been from 2018 been criticizing the Handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga back in March 13. If he loses the August 9th presidential election , he may root for one either by hook or crook. By using this method , he must forment a post election violence inorder to cow in Azimio la Umoja president to come on board and have a handshake for the sake of peace. This is the route Kenyans don't want. This Country doesn't belong to politicians but it belongs to 50 Million Kenyans. Both Raila Odinga and William Ruto must commit themselves both verbally and in writing that both of them will accept the presidential election results. If either isn't satisfy with the results , they will use proper legal channels to lodge their complains not inciting their supporters to cause violence inorder to express their anger. In short , we don't want any Handshake. The one who will win the presidential seat , led him lead the Country with respect and rule of law. The one who will lose , let him become the voice of Wanjiku in the backbench and put tjr Goverment on toes. Handshakes my foot!!!
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