By Francis Ontomwa
It is exactly 10:30am and a stroll along this busy street reveals small gatherings of people engaged in heated debates.
Groupings of young and old men have converged around newspaper vendors and some popular joints such as outside hotels and on corridors in clusters.
Heated debate seems to ensue from each of the groups and from afar one can notice how moving the topics of discussion are, as some are seen laughing out loudly while others nod to speaker after speaker’s words.
Intricate issues
Some call them street bunges (Parliament) while others refer to them as Bunge la Mwananchi (people’s parliament).
They have always been there and each day they are sprouting and the numbers seem to enlarge by the day.
While an array of issues are handled in these barazas ranging from social, economic to personal issues, politics seems to be the hot potato.
The looming General Election has particularly fueled their springing up. For a regular visitor here, there is a high likelihood of spotting the same faces time and again.
Succession politics
Taking centre stage is the succession politics of 2013, analysts are keen not to write off the political chitchat found on the streets.
“The things discussed in these gatherings are usually bare bone facts on the ground. They depict what the common person thinks about the country’s politics and somehow they have a way of shaping the general opinion,” says Veronicah Kiluva, a researcher at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST).
According to Dr Kiluva, this is a case of participatory governance where people own their country’s issues and an exercise of the freedom of expression. “They are healthy and will definitely tilt the scales in the discourse of the succession politics,” notes Dr Kiluva.
The debate usually starts small but as time progresses, more and more self proclaimed analysts join in and fuel the debate with their ideas.
“What we do, we have to peruse the pages of the newspaper to get the latest news before tabling our opinions in the barazas. You got to have something credible to tell these people, otherwise you will be given marching orders,” says Cleophas Omondi, a former Kenya Railways employee.
“Our discussions zero in on the most popular candidates for the presidency.”
At some point they forge common ground, but at times, disagreements arise, temperature rises and adrenalin hits fever pitch.
Peaceful deliberations
“We hold friendly discussions but at times things go overboard. The other day some two men ended up fighting here and we had to come in and intervene,” says Robert Nandwa, a boda boda operator in the town.
Most of those who attend the barazas contend that Kenyan politics will be greatly influenced by mwananchi and that is why they spend their precious time discussing issues that touch on their lives directly.
