The past week a video of Opposition parties’ leaders falling down to earth appeared online. It was more of the podium caving in due to their weight more than an act of the gods but maybe it is symbolic of how their hopes of mustering a mighty Presidential contest. It may be partly due to their own undoing or our own.
We all know that one, politics in Kenya has always been a very tribal affair. Right? It never has been about who has the best development record and who has proven time and again that they can deliver the most with the least available resources. It never has been who has tried at the very least to make Kenya less nepotistic, less tribal and more importantly, less corrupt. It is about who brings more people (read votes) on the table and/or money. Yes that money they use during campaigns comes from their pockets which have to be refilled once in office.
The winners of any election take power and with power comes control,money and its control. At the very least,once someone becomes an MCA or MP or Senator or Governor, they have a stable salary and allowances. With the office comes the power to control the national resources which sometimes runs into billions. Enters new word,tenderpreneurs. These are Kenyans who will always buy government tenders to supply goods and services for government departments at highly inflated costs. You have to be well-connected to pull this. Here is where election losers come in. They have enough money to buy tenders. They also have to be kept quiet for the period those in power are looting and plundering from public coffers. Tell me,how do we expect them to be the alternative government or maybe at the very least,be an able opposition? Won’t happen.
Where was I? What was I trying to say? I was actually trying to say that we are putting our hopes on the wrong people. There have been loud mummers and rumours of opposition leaders being part of or gaining from the NYS Scandal. You will note that there was no claim of it being a false accusation. There was a loud silence by most who were mentioned and there was not even a threat to ‘take the matter to court and let our lawyers fight to the very end’ or the usual ‘our people are targeted,’ and that to me is admission of guilt. Yet,here we are,expecting the opposition to offer us great leadership as Government-in-waiting. We are expecting too much maybe. A weak,rudderless and corrupt opposition does not auger well for our country.
Leave a comment