Opposition is a crucial part of the government

For the last 30 years, Kenya has witnessed a transformation that has created mistrust among communities promoted by the government through regressive programmes. The arming of home guards in the Rift Valley in the 1980s and 1990s; licensing of dubious breweries targeting some regions; promoting ethnic tensions during and post-2005 referendum; lack of clear land policies; systematic socio-economic and political exclusion of some communities; permitting formation and registration of religious and non-governmental organisations, funded by donors who promote extremism, division, movements against culture, confusion and unbelief in God among the people.

This country has witnessed so much evil but unfortunately, majority citizens, including the leaders, end up lamenting and directing blame to other quarters but doing nothing about them. This country has representatives who are expected to interrogate issues because that is their responsibility.

The government has three arms - the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. Likewise, Parliament has two sides: the ruling and the opposition (majority and minority parties). This makes the opposition a crucial part of an arm of government and that is the reason why decrees in a democracy cannot work and benefit society without consultations between the two sides. My observation on consultation between these parties in Parliament is that they are skewed towards personal and individual interests.

This can be observed from 1988 when the clamour for change was enhanced by directly affecting the civil service and the business community which was fueled by dissent caused by the disgracing then Vice President Emilio Mwai Kibaki when he was demoted, sacking of the Chief Secretary in Office of the President Simeon Nyachae and the humiliation of Kanu officials, including Kenneth Matiba, who was rigged out of office through queue (mlolongo) voting. Since then, some of those at the top assume equality with the State.

Those in the system then and to this day, have followed the same sequence: that of approaching the opposition with promises and gifts but the result of all that is the death of the party and the oblivion of it's leaders. Those in government must wake up to the fact that government responsibility is enormous and requires concerted efforts from all quarters to contribute ideas and combined actions in order to serve society and build for posterity. The opposition become crucial in that endeavor as the House is representative court of the people.

But, the opposition must not just sit pretty like the days of old and expect to be called for consultation. In the past, we observed various reasons for the opposition to meet the ruling elites: Kadu crossing the floor in 1964; Shikuku's kula ugali 1992, LDP kuyeyusha miamba wa siasa 2001, grand coalition (nusu mkate) 2008 and the handshake 2018. In all these instances, the ruling party or its agents initiated talks by contacting individuals to consult. This must stop and let the country have definite procedural and periodic structured government-opposition consultations to deliberate on issues affecting our country. We cannot continue lamenting equally, the citizens and their representatives at national and regional levels.

The opposition must take its rightful place in and outside the House and at all State matters and discussions. But also, the opposition leaders may lack the moral authority to motivate citizens to value party membership because they are permanently on the move from party to party every five years without caring about ideological leaning of members. We all need to rethink our positions in order that our politics is streamlined and those to lead us in this are in the minority party.

The writer is Ford Asili Secretary General and former Runyenjes MP