The National Super Alliance (NASA) is determined to go ahead with the swearing-in of Raila Odinga as the 'people's president' on December 12. This is in defiance to calls by the international community and local voices fearful of what direction the country could take following such a deed. Needless to say, NASA’s move is fraught with great peril, the most worrying of which is the probable, yet needless, loss of lives, as has been witnessed in the past during the alliance's protests.
US president Donald Trump’s message to NASA to avoid extra-constitutional actions like the proposed inauguration ceremony on December 12 should not be dismissed out of hand, even as NASA accuses the international community of abandoning Kenyans in their hour of need. There are many lawful ways of addressing electoral injustices that inform NASA’s disillusionment with the electoral process.
None of these alternatives includes the swearing-in of a parallel president to the one sanctioned by the electoral commission and consequently sworn into office in strict observance of the law. Calls to secede are not the solution either. And where there is bound to be a breach of the law, this newspaper chooses strict observance of it.
Entrenching hard-line positions only serves to undermine the need for national unity and the healing of rifts exacerbated by a prolonged electioneering period. NASA should mobilise the public in a bid to resolve long-standing issues like inclusivity and better governance, but most importantly, sell its alternative agenda. It is evident our form of democracy has failed to address the complex multi-ethnic composition of our society. But that is not to say it has failed. In spite of all its shortcomings, it remains a better alternative.
In fact, the Opposition owes it to the country to present a viable alternative government in 2022. That will take tact and hard work. Dislodging an incumbent will take more than populist statements made at rallies; it will need clear thinking about the issues that really matter to the majority of Kenyans who feel left behind.
The disillusioned masses who feel (rightfully) that democracy has not made their lives any better; those who feel that their voices don’t matter at all, surely deserve better than the political grandstanding and brinkmanship we have witnessed of late. NASA should rise to the occasion.
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