Democracy on trial

The Opposition missed an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to the tenets of democracy on Saturday. Senate Minority Leader and co-principal of Cord, Moses Wetangula was in Kakamega to launch his 2017 presidential bid in a ceremony that was briefly interrupted by violence.

There were early pointers to trouble when Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya vowed the launch would not be held at the symbolic Muliro Gardens. This venue holds a lot of significance for the Opposition and it was evident there would be a tiff when Kakamega Senator Bonny Khalwale swore the meeting would go on at the designated venue, come rain or shine. The bad blood between the governor and senator was going to play out. For a party that professes to be democratic, such democracy must be demonstrated in the way it conducts its internal affairs and nominates its presidential flag bearer.