Otieno Mak'oyango
23 March 2008
opinion
Nairobi — Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. The post-election chaos that rocked Kenya was extraordinary. So was the February 28 Peace Accord signed by President Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Mr Raila Odinga.
The December 27 elections and all that followed soon after will go down in history as the turning point in Kenyan politics. In its wake, many thought nothing spectacular had happened. Some even tried to proceed with business as usual, but no. The new set of circumstances could not, it turned out, accommodate the business as usual syndrome.
The accord set in motion a chain of changes whose final outcome is, for now, a matter for conjecture. Put another way, the country is undergoing a quiet revolution. It will, unfortunately, take time for many to come to terms with, embrace and appreciate the full import of the accord. In effect, the accord means facing up to new challenges and opportunities.
Some truths must, in any case, be confronted. The business as usual syndrome or the more familiar expression "status quo" are terms many Kenyans had long come to loathe. Change, which otherwise passes as a quiet revolution, has been on the lips of the rank and file in this country for sometimes now.
Kenyans have, if anything, been so loud in their calls for change that nobody can fault many of them for believing that Senator Obama, the US Democratic party presidential candidate, might have borrowed the word he now uses with relish in his campaigns, from this country.
That Kenyans need change is obvious. What is not are the challenges and problems unique to the changes the country is set to bring upon itself. It is, for example, obvious the country is headed for a parliamentary system of governance as opposed to the current imperial one. This imposes responsibilities on the country many times more and heavier than does the other system.
The accord presents Kenya with a much wider array of change possibilities and options than the country ever imagined it could be called upon to deal with at a go. The workload is, to say the least, huge. This emphasises the need for foresight, resolve and commitment to accomplish the mission at hand.
Political representations
The scope and nature of work to be accomplished make it compulsory for Kenyans to support the accord, in word and deed. This is why some actions are raising eyebrows. The scramble for Government positions by some leaders is a manifestation that this country may not be ready for the required changes.
Two groups of MPs from Mt Kenya region have, reportedly, demanded fair representation in the coalition government. The groups - one from Central Province and the other from Meru -want representation because their people voted overwhelmingly for President Kibaki in last year's election.
"The group has genuine fears that given the current political situation, Central Kenya might be denied its rightful political representation in government," says a recent letter to President Kibaki, signed by the MP for Mathira, Mr Ephraim Maina, in his capacity as the chairman of CPG. The demand is preposterous. Subjective expressions like "rightful political representation" belong to the time gone by.
Demands on either Kibaki or Raila for fair representation are not confined to one region. They have come from Western, Nyanza and Rift Valley. The only exception is Coast, where some leaders have gone public that it would be unreasonable for them to demand positions from the two leaders.
Temptations to return to the old ways - which perpetuated corruption, tribalism, inequality and poverty of the majority - are high. However, the voice of change has matured and stands tall above the rest. Statements by the retired Archbishop Ndingi Mwana a'Nzeki and the MP for Eldoret North, Mr William Ruto, are instructive.
"Our leaders should know that President Kibaki and the Prime Minister-designate, Raila cannot please everyone with the posts available in Government," said Ndingi.
Ruto said this was the time to make sacrifices and not to haggle over positions. "Fighting for positions would be trivialising the lives lost as a result of the recent crisis," he said.
Scramble for positions in government portrays Kenyans as people driven more by greed and self-interest than the higher interest of national harmony, unity and the need to carry the country forward to economic prosperity. With the stage set for the legislative and other activities to foster the anticipated changes, the best leaders, can do for this country is to proactively engage in the change process. The same applies to the civil society. Workshops on the envisaged changes, not only by the leaders but the rank and file Kenyan, would serve a useful purpose. Kenyans should own the process.
The writer is former MP for Alego
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