Political adolescents join the gravy train

By Juma Kwayera

The Tenth Parliament faces two serious problems that are almost a contradiction of each other.

The first is a crop of debutants, who constitute more than 70 per cent of the 222 members of the National Assembly. The second revolves around a clique of old guard who have perfected thievery and looting of national coffers into an art, which they execute with such finesse that leaves the debutants overly awed. This clique is obtrusive, looking out to obstruct attempts to block a peek into their crime world.

When the Roads Assistant Minister Wilfred Machage took to the floor to explain the vanity of setting up a special tribunal to try post-election violence suspects, he said Kenyans had lost interest in national institutions and therefore would not trust the Parliament to set up a body to try its own, he used precedents in our political history to argue his case.

Dr Machage recalled that the assassination of former Nyandarua MP JM Kariuki was preceded by State-organised acts of crime. There was bomb blast the previous evening at the once busy OTC bus offices in downtown Nairobi. A commission of inquiry was set up, which investigated and made recommendations. Nearly 40 years on, the findings and recommendation are yet to be made public or acted upon.

Series of fruitless inquiries

He also made reference to gory murder of former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Robert Ouko. A series of inquiries have failed to unveil his killers. In all, more than 20 potential witnesses in the inquiry have since died in mysterious circumstances "to obfuscate any inseminating," he said. Many Kenyans know the culprits are free and some of them are prominent leaders. These are the corruption grandmasters who are adept at covering their backs when they plot crimes. Even the courts, the MP for Kuria said, lost public trust the time they failed to prosecute corruption suspects.

It was the same train of thought that was exhibited by Kimilili MP David Simiyu Eseli. The MP debunked the lie being sold to the country that Kenya will this time have an honest Judiciary, courageous political class and security personnel to take the bull by the horns.

Dr Eseli and Machage may have been cynical but wise counsel informs the nation that their arguments were anchored on historical facts. These crimes, for instance, took place when President Kibaki, ministers John Michuki (Environment), Dalmas Otieno (Public Service), and Sam Ongeri (Education), to mention just a few, were in the Government.

Six months ago, the Young-and-Restless MPs took turns to pummel Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga as diffident political cohabiters. The so-called principals in the coalition Government soaked in punches from the likes of MPs (Ababu Namwamba Budalang’i), Isaac Ruto (Chepalungu), John Mututho (Naivasha), Joshua Kutuny (Cherengany), Mithika Linturi (Igembe South), and Kiema Kilonzo (Mutito). Upon the formation of the Grand Coalition Cabinet, they coalesced around weird idea of forming a grand opposition to, allegedly, check the Grand Coalition Government.

Is it then a surprise today the cacophony about the grand opposition has died? Hardly! Again, is it surprising that the silence coincided with expose of the Grand Regency hotel rip off, the fuel and the maize scandals? No guessing here. It is now obvious the grand oppositionists wanted to court their more agile elderly old hands to hire them for their laundry work.

First timers in Parliament

The old guard in Parliament, most of who have a history of looting public coffers, can take comfort because this new tribe of "politickers" were not persuaded by the ideology to serve the society, but fill their stomachs. In any case, it is a known fact that first timers in Parliament are usually poor, ignorant and impertinent rustics who jump at every opportunity to draw public attention.

The once self-styled progressive forces — or third force a they preferred to be called — under the banner of grand opposition, have disbanded and now, presumably, dining with graft chiefs. It will not surprise anybody if they shoot it down — after all, they are guns for hire.

Public cynicism MPs is expressed in the rumour (it can as well be truth) that the once rancorous grand oppositionists are paid Sh200,000 weekly to see nothing, hear nothing, think nothing and say nothing.

The political adolescence manifested early has given way to acquiescence in impunity. The upstarts have ingratiated themselves into the graft circuit, which keeps them comfortably tamed. They can pour libation in honour of the gods of graft who must be happy about their ‘born-again’ students.

—jkwayera@eastandard.net