National conference may be good for Jubilee

Kenya: On Madaraka Day, President Uhuru Kenyatta welcomed the idea of a national dialogue on matters of national importance. This was met with sighs of relief because it neutered a growing restlessness among Kenyans over issues negatively affecting their daily lives.

Separately, both Jubilee and CORD met to draw up the agenda for the meeting. On CORD’s agenda are matters touching on national security, corruption in Government, national unity, equity in public appointments and the disbandment of the current Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission office.

While other issues don’t appear to faze the Government, it has reneged on its commitment to dialogue because of the demand by CORD to disband the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). While IEBC is not a priority at the moment amid insecurity and hunger, the general perception among the 43 or so per cent of Kenyans who voted for CORD in the March 4 elections last year is that the electoral body performed below par.

IEBC has strenuously denied the claims and said it did its best under the circumstances. But on Tuesday, at a different forum, the Chief Justice castigated IEBC for the manner in which it conducted the 2013 elections.

The courts have been inundated with too many election petitions, forcing the Chief Justice to challenge the electoral body to exhibit competence, impartiality, fairness and a high sense of accountability to reduce the number of electoral disputes.

Overall, he observed, it was “contaminated with bias”. The ground is fertile from disillusionment sparked by insecurity, the high cost of living, and controversy and infighting in the ruling coalition. Matters like the laptops for schools, Anglo Leasing, the Standard Gauge Railway and biting hunger have not helped.

The Government has a chance to take on the Opposition over the matter of national dialogue and change the narrative from one of hopelessness to promise.

The essence of any political dialogue is to vent on important national issues adversely affecting citizens. CORD does not hold any sword over Jubilee’s head to force it to agree to its demands. It is through this dialogue, not grandstanding, that the ruling coalition can give reasons why disbanding the electoral body is not the magic bullet to Kenya’s problems.

Of greater importance is taming the high cost of living that is putting most things out of reach of the common man. At this point in our country’s history, people should not be dying of hunger.

Leaders must put their heads together and address this national shame. We cannot afford to keep the country in perpetual campaign mode and hope that rhetoric will solve our problems.

Jubilee has no choice but to dictate the pace of any national dialogue without taking every opportunity to throw its March 4 electoral victory in the face of the other half of Kenya. It must shed the ignominious “tyranny of numbers” for a “tyranny of brains.”