Why 'poaching' opposition leaders kills democracy and Wanjiku's say

President William Ruto with his deputy Rigathi Gachagua and a section of Jubilee leaders at State House, Nairobi. [PCS]

The government is making declarations and "announcing decisions" in places of worship, with the Deputy president promising Kenyans that we should expect this for 52 Sundays of each of the next five years.

In the meantime, opposition leaders are leading their supporters in holding the government to account in mass political meetings every Sunday. Neither the government nor the opposition is willing to dialogue or reason together. This kind of conduct from either side was commonplace prior to our 2010 Constitution.

We believed roadside declarations; threats and promises made from church pews or through the media, political rallies, and demonstrations ended in 2010 but they are back with a bang!

It almost feels like the Constitution has been suspended to allow for a contest of dare, dare, and who will blink first between the government and the opposition. In recent weeks, we have come to expect that every Friday, there are several revocation and replacement appointments; the new government is ridding itself of all former president's appointments.

While this is "normal" for a new government, the way everything is being done is interesting. President Kibaki's appointees were mostly retained and allowed to serve their contract period.

Public appointments, although done by the government are expected to serve and be accountable all Kenyans irrespective of their undeclared political leanings. What is really concerning is that politics is beginning to affect public service delivery and entrepreneurship.

When politics invade public service delivery it invariably undermines it and sucks away freedom to perform from public servants. These are the people who facilitate and create an enabling environment for those baking the national cake.

Also, when people getting appointments are mainly supporters of the ruling coalition and mostly from two or so tribes is indicative of a serious societal problem and unsustainable. The millions of qualified Kenyans from majority of the other ethnic communities whose appointments are being revoked or who cannot be appointed because of their perceived political leanings, are the breeding ground for dissent.

In the meantime, prices of basic necessities, food, gas, fuel, health, and utilities keep on skyrocketing. The worst is yet to come. If the cost of water, a commodity freely granted in every household in countries much like Kenya, has risen by 75 per cent, then we are in trouble.

In fact, for years now, the Nairobi Water Company delivers only two days a week, Saturdays and Sundays, and yet our bills are too high.

The increase of gas prices means Kenyans go back to felling trees to make charcoal; will our forests/tree cover ever recover at this rate?

The costs of fuel and electricity are making light manufacturing almost impossible because production is becoming cost-ineffective while domestic consumption is a luxury yet, there are no or paltry wages and salaries increments, which are not proportional to cost of living and annual inflation rates.

In fact, the Salaries Remuneration Commission has decided to widen the salary gaps with some vital public servants being paid below the minimum wage, while others are graded at international organisations salary scales! Sad.

The political "poaching and pirating" of opposition representatives, consensual or otherwise is undermining our hard-won democracy. What is worrying though is the motive for amassing numbers in Parliament and Senate. Is our hard-won Constitution under threat?

A threat to our Constitution will not be without serious challenge. Political parties whipping and sanctioning their members have the law behind them; both the Constitution and the Political Parties Act.

In the meantime, we are missing Senator Okiya Omtata and wondering what happened to "the other" religious bodies, faith based and civil society organisations? Where is the LSK, when we are witnessing political goings on of the 1980s and 1990s? It only takes, what is going on now to destroy our constitutional, democratic and social order.

-Join the conversation @Koki_Muli @StandardKenya.