By Bill Kembo
There’s something about parties (and here I am referring to a soiree and not the one referring to a group with common beliefs) and the energy and the life and the spirit of entrancement they generate.
Maybe I am different, but have you been to an exceptionally laid out bash and never wanted to leave? Well, I have been to a few.
The food, drinks — never ending streams and the conversation are simply captivating.
Where am I going with this? The political party launches we have had in the last few weeks and the many more that will be laid out to inaugurate manifestos for the “old” parties come to mind.
There have been multiple entrants into this race to State House; I am not writing anyone off but for the significance of this opinion, I shall intentionally focus on the “Big Four”, namely, Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto, Musalia Mudavadi and Raila Odinga — their entourages, euphoria, integrity and the letter and the spirit of the new Constitution 2010.
Back to the flowing drinks and great food. Here’s the thing, all the parties I have been to invariably have had chicken, beef, duck, sea food, all sorts of salads, an assortment of wines and spirits, sweets and desserts.
What makes any party stand out is how the décor is set, how the chicken is done; choma, stir-fried, baked, sauced, rubbed, crusted, stuffed etc. This applies to all the other dishes you might savour.
To date I cannot decide which party I attended was the ‘Best’. Reason being, all kinds of cooking antics were used and these have over time confused my palate. I have my feet all over like the proverbial greedy hyena and want them all.
Musalia Mudavadi. He went all out. Ok well, at least he tried to go all out with the launch of his presidential bid at the KICC on a UDF party ticket.
With a well-crafted speech for the nation, he made lots of promises as is expected of such discourses. He said :“I have sought to identify with a party and leaders whose pursuits are consistent with my aspirations for a country governed by the rule of law...”
William Ruto. Gave full measure at Bomas of Kenya to unveil his party of choice, URP, and launched his presidential bid. Ruto’s manifesto seeks to assure on “the dream to found a society anchored on the beams of liberty and justice, equity and dignity... a political system underpinned by the rule of law...”
