{UAH} Pojim/WBK: Raila declares Saba Saba 'public holiday' - Politics - nation.co.ke

http://www.nation.co.ke/news/politics/Raila-Saba-Saba-public-holiday/-/1064/2347956/-/malhdxz/-/index.html

While Kibaki was still in celebratory mood, with the likes of Chris Murungaru and Kiraitu Murungi yelping at anyone that looked like an 'arap', two things sprouted from the ground and placed needles in the National Rainbow Coalition bed – the Anglo Leasing scandal and protests over the MoU he signed with Raila's group that he had no intention of fulfilling.

The less we say about the second term, the better for Kenyans because of of its bloody nature. But alas, it was the 'noisiest', as all forced marriages are at consummation. The old man may not have had peace but he succeeded in ignoring Raila and his team, even after the humiliating defeat at the 2005 referendum; the fateful project that saw Raila on the same side with Ruto and Uhuru. 

Coming to Jubilee, there are a few  things to say after carefully looking over this past. First, Uhuru still talks of "our five years"; man, time runs fast and simple mathematics shows we are only two years away from the year in which you and Ruto will be seeking a fresh mandate. Your first year in power went like a flash with little good news to report, except the new 'love' from China.

Also, the controversial nature of 2013 elections, especially the shambolic performance by IEBC, and the Supreme Court ruling that devalued the premium of one Willy Mutunga at the bourse of democracy and independence, overnight, set the stage for the circumstances we are in today. 

The fact that just about half of those who voted actually cast their ballot papers against Uhuru and Ruto complicates matters because it is not a small constituency. Defeated they may be, but as to whether they moved on or accepted the Jubilee gag without protestation is debatable.

Their sense of loss is peppered by the way the Jubilee government has so far performed, what with contradictions, miscalculations and mumbling. Then there is its decision to apply the 'tyranny of numbers' that took it to power discriminately, even within the coalition itself, so much so that there is a groundswell in the Rift region.

Again, there are factors that  may have nothing to do with Jubilee but which have only worsened perception against it. They include an economic slump, terrorism, insecurity, and extravagance and waste. As if this is not enough, they spat in the face of the West and rushed into the arms of that stingy economic vampire called China!

Let us connect some more dots in this historical narrative; the worst that Uhuru and Ruto could do is apply the violent and repressive tactics that include cudgels, teargas and bullets, as was done in the 1990s.

The way I see it, they can get away with behaving like they are in their old party, but only for a time before reality strikes. This is because the problem has acquired a new dimension in the well-laid bed Jubilee made for IEBC and whose side it is refusing to leave as the electoral body slumbers comfortably. This is the lynchpin, the 'noise' you are hearing about 2017.  

The writer is Group Managing Editor (Print) at The Standard.

ktanui@standardmedia.co.ke

Standard Digital News - Kenya : Undercurrents in Raila 

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