That was a white lie, Mutahi Ngunyi!

By LAWRENCE CHITERI
Published October 13, 2009

Once in a life time, one would be forgiven to take the tiger by its tail. This writing will certainly ruffle feathers, especially among pretenders, whom as we know are worse than murderers. Owing to diverse experiences, Kenyans have probably outlived certain stereotypes, long associated with various tribes in our country. I have a long shot to make, and daggers to draw, thus brace up and let’s take a stroll down memory lane. This will be the foundation stone to crossing swords, with one Mutahi Ngunyi, also known as master political analyst. Are you reading?

When I was growing up, and this was in the famed city in the sun, I learned that there were occupational and behavioral traits, tagged to Kenya‘s so labeled major tribes. Most of those who cobbled shoes along streets in Kenya, were predominantly Luo, or is it Lwo ?(my history tells me Luo is the dialect, thus Dholuo, while Lwo are the people – cross my heart!). The Kalenjin and any of their ilk from the Rift valley, were predominantly herders and did not see cattle they did not want to rustle. My tribe the Luhya , found security and comfort in serving as night watchmen. The Kamba mastered the art of faithful and docile servitude in shops and residences, while the Kikuyu for their entrepreneurial glut, were the forceful deprivers, either through deception or duress, and outright thievery!

That said and done, allow me to zero in on the two tribes, who have been privileged to provide presidents in Kenya. President Daniel Arap Moi elevated the Kalenjin trait of rustling, albeit with utmost stealth. They waited till you were dead asleep, and executed their raids; thus as Kenya slept politically, elections were rustled. As Kenya snored, Moi stayed in power unscathed. Then came President Mwai Kibaki, and in keeping with Kikuyu brinkmanship, he forcibly and violently robbed Kenya of their vote, and sat on as President. Anyone surprised?

Now I want to disabuse Ngunyi, and any like-minded cahoots of the notion of dominant, and dominated in Kenyan politics. The political landscape in Kenya is reminiscent to the hunting and gathering, that many communities engaged in up to 1950s. The hunters, base and servile, held certain moral fibre largely undocumented, but consensual. It was part of the game to hunt in a pack, replete with hunting dogs. When an animal was sighted, and a chase ensued, the person whose spear or dog, brought down the game was naturally honoured. There were rules as to which parts of this animal belonged to him, and nobody grumbled, or deprived them. The winner take all was not part of the game, because other hunters knew their take.

That the Kalenjin and the Kikuyu have provided presidents does not make them any dominant in Kenyan politics. Remember that Moi ruled the country without the Luo and the Kikuyu, and life went on! I read mischief in Ngunyi’s insinuation that the 2007 election debacle, emanated from incompetence on the part of the dominant, and recklessness of the dominated. By implication, Ngunyi has become a deft apologist to one group, while indicting another. The two groups were a perfect case of a hunting expedition gone sour in 2007.

When a man sets to woo, he whispers as the lady listens. Later it graduates to the lady speaking, as the relationship grows into a marriage, while the man listens. Finally, the two begin to shout, while the neighbor listens, which is how Annan came to the picture. The poor neighbour -Annan- could not help representing the world neighbours, who became inadvertent listeners, as the couple once known as The National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (NARC), shouted at each other! (Do you remember how they wooed?) Let us accept this, he was the savior. It is fallacious and rather late in the day, to equate the Kenyan experience with other cases in Africa.

Much of what Kenya is going through now is perfectly augmented by technological and environmental development, never enjoyed by the cases Ngunyi referred to. Dissemination of information- cell phones, the Internet, enhanced civic awareness, among others- has suddenly empowered the populace today. Appreciate that the countries Ngunyi mentioned were just emerging from the post -colonial nightmare and myriad unique challenges, and cannot compare.

The truth is that, elections were stolen in Kenya, blatantly, in fact, recklessly. Ngunyi, the people who stole elections were reckless, and they sought protection in existing laws. Let me tell you something, they will do it again, if nothing is done about reforms! Why pray thee, don’t you want Annan to insist on this? Now we know that if Moi wanted, he would have stolen the 2002 election for Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta. People would have died yes, but so what? Did Mahmoud Ahmedinajad of Iran not come for political tutorial in Kenya, and put it to successful use…ha?

Quick quip! So the Akamba have perfected docile servitude, read Kalonzo Musyoka;  the luhya, the tight guardian watchmen. Someone tell me Attorney General Amos Wako is not guarding rotten laws! The Luo have cobbled political shoes ever,  read Jaramogi Oginga Odinga with Kenyatta and Kibaki tosha! Did you agree that Kalenjins stealthily operate? So Moi survived; what about Isaac Ruto with all the scandals? And you’d be damned if the Kikuyu did not violently rob from the ballot box –ask Kibaki.

The longest and most expensive constitution in the world (who writes the Guinness book of world records), must come and save us from thievery, blood shed, and political irredentism! Let Annan champion this cause. Enough is enough!  Ngunyi, Kenyans will fight again. The dead are watching; the IDPS are awash; and governance is at its ebb. If not for obvious reasons, our politicians will jostle and crash on the most well paying job in the world. After all, the one who serves is the greatest, and they apply it in toto!

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