Top human rights crusader becomes Jubilee cheerleader

I am in mourning even as I scribe this column. That’s because Ambassador Koki Muli Grignon, one of Kenya’s two top envoys at the UN in New York, used to be a close colleague and friend. But as they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Nothing signifies this truism more than the rise — and fall — of Ms Muli Grignon.

Once the doyen of electoral systems, Ms Muli Grignon has become a hummingbird for Jubilee. A megaphone and contortionist for make-believe virtues she once deemed vicious. My friend has denied her legacy — and betrayed her conscience. She is a modern-day Mulu Mutisya, the beguiling tribalist who concocted NAU (New Akamba Union), GEMA’s opposite number. Let’s dig deeper.

Unlike Mr Mutisya, Ms Muli Grignon is a fallen angel. A protégé of the late Grace Githu — Kenya’s first true elections guru — Ms Muli Grignon was once an inspiration to young Kenyans. Upon Ms Githu’s untimely demise, Ms Muli Grignon picked up her mentor’s mantle and kept the flag of the Institute for Education in Democracy flying high. Her name was once a synonym for free and fair elections.

Which begs the question — how did Ms Muli Grignon become a shill for a regime accused of manipulating the electoral process to gain power? They say power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But how much power does a mere deputy ambassador at UN really wield? The answer must lie somewhere else.

I was prompted to write this piece by a posting a spied on Ms Muli Grignon’s Facebook Page. The offending drivel was posted on September 29 at the tail end of the 70th Session United Nations General Assembly, known as UNGA 2015. Jubilee’s Uhuru Kenyatta headlined Kenya’s delegation to New York. He took with him a retinue of joyriders, most without rhyme or reason to travel to the Big Apple. His official hosts were Ms Muli Grignon and her boss, Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN, the acerbic Macharia Kamau. Ambassador Kamau is well known for his over the top screeds against the ICC. There’s a picture of Ms Muli Grignon fawning over Mr Kenyatta during the New York visit.

Ms Muli Grignon’s Facebook posting was Mutisya-esque — or worthy of Mr Mutisya’s reincarnation. She began by staying that “our national statement was well attended.” This was a jab at social media commenters who had written that Mr Kenyatta addressed a virtually empty UN chamber. But she quickly degenerated into sycophantic superlatives. She wrote that “our president truly stole the entire 70th UNGA 2015.” Unable to stop herself, she added that Mr Kenyatta is “brilliant, charismatic, and superbly intelligent.” She continued, “He (Mr Kenyatta) chaired, spoke, and the world listened.” I thought she’d stop there. But no — there’s more. What she wrote next should make the fathers and mothers of the Constitution weep.

In language the late Kariuki Chotara, KANU’s court jester would envy, she concluded that Mr Kenyatta was “not a star, he’s truly the sun!” She didn’t liberate her keyboard before saying how “proud and humbled” she was to call Mr Kenyatta “my President!” Then she appended several emoticons in their multiples clapping, high-fiving, and showing the heart, the universal sign of love.

For a person with quasi-academic proclivities, Ms Muli Grignon is truly stupefying. Mr Kenyatta himself should reprimand her for expressions that are not professional. Ambassadors aren’t supposed to be shameless criers in the king’s court. Ms Muli Grignon should have exercised restraint — calmed down — and curbed her enthusiasm even if she was utterly overcome by her boss’s charm.

For those who don’t know — or have forgotten — Ms Muli Grignon was one of Kenya’s valiant fighters for democracy. She was among a quartet of women who led the push for women’s rights at the Bomas constitutional conclave. She then became a supporter of Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka in the Kibaki/Odinga coalition government.

That’s probably how she got the ambassadorial post to New York in a game of tribal spoils. But then she quickly pivoted to an ardent advocate for TNA’s Uhuru Kenyatta when it became clear that he was the regime’s preferred choice. She proved her bona fides to TNA and Jubilee by becoming one of the most vocal detractors of the ICC. The gambit paid off handsomely.

Ms Muli Grignon, like several other Kenyans, has made an about face to become the apple of Jubilee’s eyes. It’s a tradition that goes back decades. Her bedfellows include Majority Leader Aden Duale and Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki. Mr Duale has famously said that he would jump off KICC if Mr Kenyatta and URP’s William Ruto assured him he would be safe. But in Ms Muli Grignon’s case, what was the struggle about?