Ababu Namwamba made a mistake by quitting ODM post

I’m an admirer of Ababu Namwamba. I even saw him as a future president of Kenya. I expected him to prove himself as ODM secretary general, a position he fought for prior to the aborted Kasarani elections. At the time, he had the support of a majority of delegates as seen by the standing ovation he received on arrival.

I had hoped he would settle down and perform his duties the same way Anyang’ Nyong’o did, or even better. However, since Hassan Joho, who also fought hard for his position, is not complaining, I think Ababu has another problem. Resigning and complaining that he was given a gun without ammunition is just an excuse. It also proves he supports concentration of power in an individual, yet this is what the Constitution sought to do away with when it removed an all-powerful presidency. Even Raila Odinga was once a director of elections in Ford Kenya.

In my opinion, Ababu was hurt when he lost the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly. And because of the serious allegations that were leveled against him, he must have felt he lost moral authority required of a person holding a position such as the one he held in ODM.

Ababu should have been patient, though it is clear he had always wanted to leave. Even Barack Obama became US President by sticking with the Democratic Party. Ababu is talking about a third force, but how far this will take him is not known.