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Mwai Kibaki was never a weak politician

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 It is Kibaki who wrote Kanu katiba in a bar, defied Gema and 'conned' Raila

When former President Mwai Kibaki was taken ill and airlifted to a South African hospital this week, his sickness rekindled a political debate pitting Cord versus Jubilee supporters about his legacy.

Was Kibaki a foxy politician and great President, or a poor politician who had a fortuitous tenure as President, a tenure that benefited from the democratic dividends arising from the exit of strongman Daniel arap Moi?

Those who view Kibaki as a "poor" politician argue that while he improved the economy, built infrastructure and expanded democratic space, he hopelessly tore the country apart when he allowed 2007 poll to spiral into chaos. That, in particular, will forever blot his legacy.

But the danger of reviewing the Kibaki years is that some people view his tenure as a single story — an aloof person, who while on a wheelchair found himself with a country to run, and concentrated on the economy, but forgot to deal with corruption and national cohesion, making him "a hopeless politician but a good manager".

To understand Kibaki, you have to recall that he was one of the guys who, while huddled at the African Corner Bar in Racecourse Road in Nairobi in 1960, borrowed stationery from the counter and drafted the constitution that gave birth to the Kenya African National Union (Kanu). He went on to become the chief executive of Kanu.

It is that same Kibaki who, when the political vultures were circling to ensure that Moi was fired as Vice President and replaced by a member of the Gikuyu Embu Meru Association, stood up and rejected the move.

In the Kenyatta Succession (by Philip Ochieng and Joseph Karimi), it is recorded that "Kibaki argued for the inevitability of Kenya being ruled from time to time by a non-Kikuyu. When he asked those who recognised this fact to raise their hands, some Gema leaders refused to do so".

When Jomo Kenyatta died, Kibaki was the third person that Eliud Mahihu, the then provincial commissioner of Coast Province called with the news – the first being the then Head of Civil Service Geoffrey 'GK' Kariithi and the second being Daniel arap Moi, the then VP. He was the third in the hit-list of the Ngoroko army after Moi, and the then Attorney General Charles Njonjo.

That is the man, who, when politicians were trooping to the opposition, and after he was demoted as Vice President and made health minister, stuck in government until he was confident he could form the Democratic Party and run for presidency.

 It is that same Kibaki who vied for the presidency four times and won twice in a row (although once it was bloody and traumatic). He is the same man who took Raila Odinga and his team to Kilaguni when the coalition government was facing some problems in 2009, and told them that the retreat was for relaxation and not to iron out political differences!

He was a practical guy who called foolish people 'pumbavu'. He is the same guy who spent a total of 50 years as a Member of Parliament first in cosmopolitan Donholm in Nairobi, and later in the homogenous Gikuyu backyard of Othaya.

He is the guy who appointed an anti-graft czar, then fired him because he was ruining his campaign kitty by going after some of Kibaki's biggest political contributors who were looting public funds.

It is that same man who got the self-styled professor of politics, Daniel arap Moi, to endorse him for a second term. Heck, he is the guy who takes the credit as having given this country a new Constitution (taking advantage of Raila's mobilization skills of course!)

Poor politician? Not Kibaki!

Alphonce Shiundu is a Nairobi-based journalist and an independent editorial content developer

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