We are exactly 30 days shy to the next general elections. President Uhuru Kenyatta tenure is coming to an end. It has both hits and misses. Infact , he will be going home with his head held high. As a human being , he is probe to errors and also to positives that he will be remembered with. One thing he will be remembered for is his tolerance immediately after the 2017 general elections. Though he won in the first round but his victory was quashed by the former Chief Justice David Maraga led Supreme Court , something that was kept cagey resurfaced at Karen official residence after DP Ruto while addressing a section of Kikuyu Council of Elders spilled the bin and let the cat out in broad daylight. He opined how he was tempted to slap President Uhuru Kenyatta after he offered himself to retire and head straight to Ichaweri, Gatundu South Constituency in Kiambu County to start his retirement.
Yesterday while addressing religious leaders who payed him a courtesy visit in State House , he revisited that issue of the slapping and teared his deputy into tiny fragments that will take decades to piece together into a whole item. Infact, President Uhuru Kenyatta said if Ruto could have executed his urge to slap him because of his decision not to participate in the repeat presidential elections , he would have offered him the other cheek to slap it too just like Jesus told his disciples and the masses who had turned up to drin from his calabash of Philosophical teachings. President Uhuru Kenyatta was ready to go home than see the Country burn again just because of politics. He couldn't have waited to see the repeat of the 2007/08 PEV that had torn this Country in the middle.
Back in 2017 , NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga petitioned UHURU KENYATTA'S victory in the supreme court. His battalion of lawyers argued their case to fruition and 4 supreme court Judges in an unanimous decision nullified it , one judge abstained and two Judges upheld President Uhuru Kenyatta victory. The majority carried the day. IEBC was ordered to conduct fresh presidential election. Raila Odinga developed a cold feet after realizing that , some mandarins in the Jubilee Government had hacked in the IEBC servers and manipulated it to their favor. He realized that it will be a battle in futility because it was hard for him to win and that , even that repeat election will not be free and fair. He gave a litany of conditions to be met by IEBC before he commits himself to participate in it but Chebukati and his commissioners remained adamant. Raila had no option than to jettison from that PRESIDENTIAL election and instructed his supporters to give polling stations a wide berth.
 |
|
President Uhuru Kenyatta participated in that election though the KENYA was becoming polarized. Ethnic tension had started building but not in high magnitude that it had build in 2007/08. Uhuru was disturbed. The opposition had started sentiments of cessation of some regions like Western Kenya and Nyanza and also coast region. NASA supporters had started to unleash a boycott campaign on some products perceived to be produced by companies and individuals which are pro- Jubilee Government. When a Country reaches to this point, as president who knows what he is doing , you can't use force. Use of it will only compound the situation even further and in a very bad way.
Demonstrations were happening thrice per week in Nairobi and in Kisumu Counties. Our Country's economy started nose diving. The investors confidence and Security was at risk. They were fearing that political violence may erupt again just like it happened back in 2007/08. But what shocked many especially us who were pro- Jubilee Government especially in Mt Kenya region , Rift Valley , the epicenter of Post Election Violence was very peaceful yet , Counties like Uasin Gishu and Nakuru are cosmopolitan that housed both Jubilee Party and NASA supporters. That alone should ring a bell to you. Who have been financing and inciting this violence in that Region. Raila lost in 2013. That place was peaceful. Not even a housefly was harmed. In 2017, there was no violence there not even a mosquito was injured. Demonstrations were only witnessed in Kisumu and parts on Nairobi City where NASA enjoyed massive support.
President Uhuru Kenyatta consulted his conscience and placed Kenya before him. As an individual , he realized that he isn't more important than the rest of 50 million Kenyans. He realized that as a citizen , father , husband and grandfather , he needs Kenya more than it NEEDS him. He saw the need for peace. His patience and tolerance was tested when NASA brigade conducted a mock swearing ceremony at Uhuru park where a sea of humanity who are outfits supporters had turned up to grace that event. President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered his CS interior to instruct inspector General to remove his men and women from that venue. He allowed the event to go on and after that , Police officers were instructed to escort those supporters home. He did all this not because he was a coward because he was avoiding shedding of blood. Is UHURU not a Statesman? I don't think in this African continent there is a sitting President who would have entertained all this theatrics especially from the opposition.
All this while, his Deputy was following closely. He wondered what President Uhuru Kenyatta was doing. If it was him , Raila Odinga would have been in the dungeons somewhere in Kamiti or Naivasha maximum security prison or exiled and the rest of his colleagues in the opposition to be held in communicado in their homes and a litany of their supporters to be either arrested and detained or killed and others to be left fighting for their lives after sustaining serious gunshot wounds. KENYA would be slowly be resembling a pariah State. President Uhuru Kenyatta avoided that route. As a Realist , back in his mind , he knew , there are only two ways of dealing with you opponent. First , to obliterate him in totality and second , to co-opt , make peace and work with him. UHURU chose the later. This made his Deputy to go berserk and amok. He is full of power thirsty and he can go to any extent to grap power. He won't care whether the Country will burn or not. That's why , he should not come near the instruments of POWER. Let him to contented with the 72 hours President Uhuru Kenyatta left power in his hands when he was honouring ICC summon.
As I pen this article , you may not like President Uhuru Kenyatta in many things he has committed as a person and as a Head of State and Government but on this or rooting peace with his political adversary is something that will be documented for the future generations to learn from and read. Kenya was taking the Rwanda route. UHURU prevented it and that is how Statemen do. I hope the Nobel laureate team in future will consider honouring President Uhuru Kenyatta after his tenure. We're it not for Covid 19 pandemic and now the Ukraine Russia war which have serious global economic reprisals , our economy was doing well. Peace is the hallmark of both social, Economic, political and cultural wellbeing of a citizenry in any State however rich or poor it may be. From my end , a STATESMAN is gearing to leave office and wants to leave power Imin safe hands. Hands which will respect rule of law , zero tolerance to corruption , entrench Democracy and human rights and reinvigorate our economy. God bless KENYA.
Comments
Post a Comment