Brave Sonko exposed Okoth’s love affair and their shared dirty secret

If adjectives were people, those that have been used to describe Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko (pictured) would swell into a crowd. They range from flowery ‘philanthropic’ ‘benevolent’ bighearted’ to not so attractive, ‘loutish’, ‘clownish’ and ’comical’, to cite but a few.

But candid, blunt, forthright, plainspoken, upfront and brave stand out more visibly. Hate or love him, the man speaks his mind and rarely dithers on issues, however sensitive.

That is what the flamboyant governor displayed at the recent funeral ceremony of the late Kibra MP Ken Okoth when he took to the podium at Moi Girls School, Nairobi, and bravely declared that Ken, whom he referred to as “my friend” had a secret love affair that had yielded a child.

Oops! He had touched a live wire that sent the crowd into a roaring applause as close members of the family, who would have preferred putting the matter under the carpet, moped.

Fired up by the voluptuous response, Sonko in his characteristic forthrightness spilled more beans.

He revealed that he nominated Okoth’s sidekick, one Ann Muthoni Thumbi to the Nairobi County Assembly as MCA at the request of his friend, Ken.

Little did he know that in so doing, he had unwittingly laid bare machinations that go on behind the scenes in the picking of various cadres of political leaders.

What Sonko innocuously revealed connotes that whereas some nominations into county, national and Senate assemblies are deserved, many are choked with nepotism, patronage, clannism and other ‘isms’ that undermine the leadership qualities necessary to crank up Kenya’s static development tempo.

The habit reeks of runaway corruption that has become a hallmark in our country. Hence, calls for the scrapping of nominated political positions are not in vain and should be given a heed through the anticipated referendum.

Elective positions have not been spared the abuse, thanks to a myriad anomalies.

They range from patronised political parties with no capacity to conduct credible internal party elections (people buy their way to party tickets), a manipulable electoral body, a discredited electoral process where figures are cooked at the counting stage, an Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission that allows characters with questionable ethical backgrounds to vie for leadership slots contrary to Chapter Six of the Constitution that emphasises on honour and integrity for those seeking public office.

Add to that a voluble, sheepish electorate vulnerable to petty and cheap influence with money, tribalism and other evils that exasperate a desperate situation.

A thorough public education is imperative.

That explains why two-and-a-half years since the 2017 General Election, dozens of MPs are yet to make their maiden speeches in Parliament while their names and the constituencies they represent remain obscure even to the most well-informed Kenyans.

I can enumerate them, but let me spare them that ignominy for now.

Did you read about an MP who was chased away with stones and jeers by his constituents who accused him of perpetual absenteeism when he surfaced out of the blues with donations?

Or the one who turned up drunk in a public meeting? Another had no qualms beating up a media personality over ‘negative publicity’. Irredeemable shame these incidents are!

Ward representatives, majority of whom are elected, are known for frequent engagement in shameful physical fights in county assemblies where they not only throw fists at each other, but send chairs and tables flying in a most crude and primitive display as happened in Kiambu in March over a supplementary budget, in Meru in April over the swearing in of a nominated member and in Nyeri in August last year over the fate of a majority leader. I can go on and on.

Foreign trips

The September 2014 gory incident in Makueni County that left several people including the governor’s body guard nursing gunshot wounds is still fresh in Kenyans’ minds.

The chaos was attributed to the governor’s refusal to yield to MCAs’ unreasonable demands for funds to quench their appetite for money, including unnecessary foreign trips. Kudos to Makueni voters.

Only one of the MCA’s survived a purge at the subsequent general election in 2017.

A lot of the muck that gives Kenya wrong leaders can be cleared with resolve and will from institutions to do the right thing.

It can be swept clean by way of civic education to make Wanjiku realise that good leadership does not have money, tribe, clan or friendship among delivery midwives.

Again, our Achilles heel as a nation and the bug that confines us to Third World status 56 years after independence is our kind of leaders and the way we come by them.

If nominations are to remain, it is only proper that they be governed by merit.

 

Mr Ombuor is a senior writer with The Standard. [email protected].