Muluka write-up on Kalonzo was a cheap and low shot

By MUTHUI KARIUKI

Barrack Muluka in The Standard of February 18, 2012 smacks of malice against Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka a man who considers Muluka as one of his friends.

Although he attempts to pass it off as a treatise on the need for issue-based politics, itcomes across as an open attack on the character and politics of the VP.

Muluka seeks to perpetuate the "opportunist" tag that the VP’s and the enemies of G7 Alliance have been working hard to stick on him to not only damage his image ahead of the elections but also break up the Alliance.

First, it is not true that the VP is a man who "believes and stands for nothing". For the benefit of Muluka and others of similar mind, the VP believes in empowering Kenyans and creating an enabling environment so that Kenyans can wipe out poverty from their midst.

Let us start with the matter that has routinely been used to attack Kalonzo — the International Criminal Court (ICC) cases involving Kenyans and the significant role that he played in trying to stop The Hague from taking up the cases.

When he embarked on shuttle diplomacy to convince the world that Kenya is a mature enough democracy to deal with the post-election violence cases, Kalonzo received a lot of flak from his opponents, fellow MPs and civil society. They accused him of trying to stand in the way of justice and for being insincere in his mission. Indeed most of those MPs who voted for The Hague are now busy in prayer sessions accusing the VP of shedding crocodile tears.

But, like Muluka’s decidedly foreign heroes, the VP had the courage to stand alone and pursue his mission amid the barrage of criticism and derisive comments from his detractors.

Since he firmly believed it was in this country’s best interest that the post-election violence problems be sorted out here in Kenya, Kalonzo stood his ground, endured the jibes and carried on with his mission. Mr Muluka, is this then a man who stands for nothing?

Kibaki’s number two

Although he met resistance in some countries in the West, his message resonated well among African leaders who have been wary of ICC’s tendency to target African nations. It is Kalonzo’s firm belief, and pride in Kenya’s sovereignty, that gave him the courage to pursue his mission. It was his desire to ensure that Kenya retained its dignity and respect among the family of nations.

Like any patriot, the VP knew that Kenya’s image was not going to remain the same if it allowed its citizens to be dragged all the way to the Netherlands for trial when we pride ourselves as a functioning nation, with a first rate Constitution. Although The Hague had its way in the end, history will one day prove the VP right on the matter.

To claim, therefore, that the VP was driven by personal ambition is grossly dishonest. In any case, the diplomacy was a national assignment given to him by President Kibaki. As Kibaki’s number two, a trusted ally and an accomplished diplomat, Kalonzo fitted the bill as the best candidate to carry the President’s and Kenya’s message to the world.

The VP did not wake up one morning and decide to globe-trot for his own political ends.

Muluka’s claim that Kalonzo appears to be "ingratiating himself with the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities" is an unfair comment. As an aspiring president, Kalonzo has the right to seek support from all Kenya communities.

The VP has always made it clear that he was attending the prayer rallies as a friend of the The Hague suspects and as a member of the G7 Alliance. The matter of order of seniority in the events does not, therefore, arise since the allies in this context remain as equals as they go about searching for a single flag bearer.

Will Muluka to deny the fact that at one time he did work for the VP? Isn’t it not true there was a time he travelled with him all the way to the University of Atlanta in the US where the VP delivered a keynote address that had a lot of input from Muluka? Let us all be honest in whatever we endeavour to do.

Writer is the Media and Communications Advisor to the Vice President.