Baptism by fire

By Standard Team

Exactly two years ago today Kenyans went to bed fatigued by the long wait to know who their President for the next five years would be. They snored away what was to be their last peaceful night for months unsure if Mr Raila Odinga would rule them, Mr Mwai Kibaki would remain in office or Mr Kalonzo Musyoka’s ‘miracle’ had somehow worked.

They woke up to a day that has changed the course of Kenya’s history, transformed its governance model, and lowered her rank in the eye of the international community.

On December 30, 2007, after a cat-and-mouse game with the media and Opposition politicians, and under armed guard, the disgraced chairman of the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya announced President Kibaki was the one. As he was hurriedly sworn in at sunset, violence erupted across the country, and the script below his image on TV as he took oath of office said as much.

Today two years later, in which there has been power sharing between Kibaki and Raila, as well as relentless international pressure on Kenya to reform, it thus appears the nation underwent some form of baptism by fire in the dark post-election period. Today there is the image of a nation struggling to overhaul its laws, make peace with itself, rebuild its sagging walls, as well as reclaim its lost honour.

At the centre of the recovery process are the two leaders whose rivalry took the country to the precipice. On the other end are a citizenry that would want to wish away the ugly specter of 2007 as a bad dream, and work for a peaceful transition in 2012 when Kibaki’s rule constitutionally comes to an end.

As the nation walks past the second milestone away from the troubled period, Kenyans interviewed say the last three days of December 2007 would remain the darkest day in the country’s political history. The groundswell of political violence was felt in the campaign period, and the devastating results witnessed just as Kibaki began his second but Kenya’s most controversial presidential term yet. It is the term that changed the system of governance, which had been in place for over 40 years.

Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba argues the ugly events totally changed the country both for better and worse. "The election dispute and what followed thereafter incinerated the myth Kenya was an island of peace immune to war. Now the world has put us side by side with our troubled neighbours and Kenyans still fear the same could happen," Namwamba said.

Tallying rules

But he added the bitter lessons of 2007 have put Kenyans on the alert. "Although the sad events rolled us back economically, Kenyans are now mentally alert and that is why they worry of any tribal grouping like the proposed KKK (Kikukyu, Kalenjin and Kamba) Alliance," Namwamba argued.

For Imenti Central MP Gitobu Imanyara, failure to adhere to the stipulated tallying rules for the presidential vote turned the entire system of governance upside down.

He argues if the election results had been tallied properly, Kenyans would not have had a coalition government and the current positions of the prime minister and his deputies.

"It is important to now assess the future of our democracy to avoid a repeat of a similar scenario," said Imanyara.

Assistant Minister Adan Dualle believes Kenyans now have a bad memory of elections and would do anything to prevent recurrence of violence. "Kenyans are keen to see reforms in the Judiciary, electoral office, the police, and enactment of a new constitution. They also turn away from ethnic-based politics because they know it is the cause of what happened," Dualle argued.

Dualle said 2010 could be the defining moment for leaders if they want Kenyans to forgive them for the past sins. "People are already talking about 2012 as if 2007 never existed. Without reforms in this country they should forget 2012," said Dualle.

Turkana Central MP David Ethuro said the disputed presidential results and subsequent skirmishes put the country on a reform mode and lauded Parliament for playing an active role. "It is clear that the parliamentary election was not in dispute. The main disagreement was on the presidential vote, which indicated the people had confidence in parliament. This is why we have played a key role in reform," said Ethuro.

He attributed the formation of Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commissions as well as Interim Independent Electoral and Boundary Review Commissions) to the role played by Parliament following the disputed election result.

"Parliament has played a critical role on the reform agenda. During the last session, Parliament managed to complete 55 per cent of its agenda," explained Ethuro.

Ikolomani MP Bonny Khalwale, however, said the country had adversely been affected by the flawed results and urged the commissions formed to avoid making lopsided results to ensure the country achieves its reform agenda.

Economic gains

Party of National Unity Deputy Secretary General George Nyamweya argues infighting in the coalition government has overshadowed the economic gains the Government has made but likens the country to the metamorphosis of a butterfly.

"Kenya has been following the stages of the life of a butterfly. Right now we are in the pupa stage but soon we will emerge into a beautiful butterfly and everyone will once again be envious of us," Nyamweya said.

He added that the Government has surprisingly very well economically though the public has only seen the negative side. Former Kabete MP Paul Muite wants Kenyans to learn to look ahead and not wait to react. "It is clear without reforms there would be no 2012 polls. Some individuals are still focusing on the next polls when they know they were part of what happened in 2007. They have forgotten what happened," Muite said.

Sotik MP Dr Joyce Laboso said politics had permeated the socio-economic set up and the civil service, triggering conflicts, which Kenya should avoid. "There is need to de-politicise, de-ethnicise, and de-tribalise issues in the country and avoid scenarios where issues are centred on individuals, which in turn could ignite chaos," Dr Laboso said.

Chepalungu Isaac Ruto said the violence gave the country an opportunity to strengthen institutions to take care of ugly scenarios in future elections and that people should not trust individuals but institutions. "Never again should we trust individuals as they manipulate processes. We need strong institutions to last generations to come," Ruto said.