A to Z of Kibaki: From Anglo-Leasing to Zzzzzz facade

Kibaki's ally David Mwiraria (left)  resigned in the wake of the Anglo-Leasing scandal. [File, Standard]

As an excitable youth in 2002, I was part of the crowds that walked alongside late President Mwai Kibaki’s motorcade from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Uhuru Park when he jetted from treatment in London.

Before that, I had never been a Kibaki fan, largely owing to the media reportage of the 90s around him that shaped my impression of the politician.

But in the air around me, and the country at the time was change and reforms. 

Everybody, including all my heroes, had cast their lot with him.

Over that period, I attended all his major rallies, including the one he was declared tosha, his penultimate pitch at Nyayo Stadium on the eve of the election, and of course his swearing-in.

 Needless to add, I voted for him in my first ever vote that December.

For eight years, I covered late President Mwai Kibaki’s main functions, observed, and picked out a lot about him. 

Below, A to Z of Kibaki from a journalist’s diary.

A for Anglo Leasing

The first corruption scandal of his regime, Anglo Fleecing, as it came to be sarcastically known, destabilised his beginning, and clouded his focus. For a man who had sworn that “corruption will be a thing of the past," it was a disappointment that this happened under his watch. It was sad that he dithered in taking action on the culprits. Even worse it happened when his health was failing.

B for Bure Kabisa

For the period he ran the show at the country’s seat of power, Kibaki did not suffer fools gladly, be they drunkard teachers, cattle rustlers, unregistered voters, his driver, petty drunkards and rouble-rousers and those disregarding family planning.

 He publicly declared them useless, like kitchen droppings. As journalists, we watched out for his off-the-cuff address, for that's when the vintage Kibaki came out.

C for Constitution

He rode to power on the promise of a new constitution in 100 days [which was made by Kiraitu Muurungi.] The days turned into months, years and despair set in. Bomas Constitutional Conference fell apart and the hastily crafted constitution, the Kilifi Draft, was shot down in a referendum pitting the Bananas and Orange sides. 

Kibaki's banana side lost to the Raila-Odinga-Uhuru-Kalonzo formation. He would later preside over a successful constitution-making process albeit with the ghosts of 2007 post-election violence scowling in the background.

Who can forget his famous constitution promulgation picture?

Kibaki after the new constitution is promulgated in 2010.

D for Democratic Party

He founded DP to headline his ambitions for the presidency, but when it suited him consigned it to political Siberia. During the period he was President, DP struggled for relevance in the scheme of things. So much so that at one time, Vice Chairman Joseph Munyao pleaded: “I have died for Kibaki many times to lead this party. I am ready to die yet again.” He never looked back to DP, he simply moved on.

E for Excellence

His life was marked by a pursuit of excellence, right from primary school, secondary, high school, university, to government postings. In leadership, he pursued excellence and never got into situations which soiled his name. Here was a perfect example for young students to emulate.

F for Free Primary Education

When he stepped into the State House, he set out to fulfil his promise of free primary education. It did not matter that challenges that abound. He put his foot down and tasked his officers to perfect the structures over time. This opened immense opportunities for many who were tied down by poverty from accessing basic learning.

G for Grand Coalition

In the wake of post-election violence, Kibaki reluctantly agreed to form a grand coalition government between himself, and his rivals Kalonzo Musyoka and Raila Odinga. Through it, we were introduced to terms like portfolio balance, consultation and unprecedented levels of insider-criticism. The fights opened up the government and media access to its workings.

H for House on the Hill

The moment he stepped into the State House, the rules changed. He did not entertain a lot of idle talk there or unnecessary visits and feasts. People said he was mean with the bahasha, and even food. As a journalist, the much I ever ate in State House were samosas and sausages, half of which were grabbed by birds which hovered over the place. 

 

Some members of the Grand Coalition Government: Musalia Mudavadi (partly hidden, far-left}, Prof Sam Ongeri, Kalonzo Musyoka, Mwai Kibaki, and Raila Odinga.

I for infrastructure

When he settled down to work, Kibaki folded his sleeves and set about implementing grand infrastructure projects. Through the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), the country’s grand dreams were conceptualised, and implementation began in earnest. During his reign, LAPSSET, Konza, fibre optic cable and many roads were rolled out.

J for Justice

It was during Kibaki's era that the country set about to confront its shameful past through a deliberate transitional justice programme. The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission was a good starting point, but one which was undermined from within his government, and eventually died with the regime that took over. During his reign, the Judiciary began to rediscover its place and pride.

K for Kazi iendelee

His rallying call for his re-election campaign of 2007, Kazi Iendelee, was preceded by a heavy buildup of a toxic political environment pitting the president’s side and his arch rivals led by Raila Odinga. When this did not work, his team took up “Kibaki tena” but they were no match for an angry, determined and energetic ODM brigade of Raila, William Ruto and Company.

 

Kenyan troops in Somalia.

L for Linda Nchi

Perhaps the only Kenyan President who took his country to war in Somali, Kibaki opened a new chapter in Kenya's military history. The repercussions of the Linda Nchi Operation will live with the country for long. 

He, nevertheless, underscored Kenya’s pride as a sovereign nation, strong enough to protect its people and proud of its heritage to allow terrorists to mess up with it.

M for Muthaiga

Kibaki made it clear to all and sundry that he was at home in Nairobi's upmarket Muthaiga as much as he was in Othaya. When his henchmen built him a retirement home in arid Mweiga, Kieni, during his last years in power, he never bothered to stop them. It was of no use to him. He was at home in Muthaiga, near his favourite club, Muthaiga Golf Club.

N for No Raila No Peace

The thorn in his flesh all through his reign was Raila Odinga. He started his reign by ignoring their secret MOU, giving Raila the short end of the stick. Since then, Raila's shadow loomed large over his government, leading to the 2005 fallout and the post-election violence. Even with the grand coalition, there was never peace in the government.

O for One Wife

When we were summoned to State House for a briefing, we kept guessing what it was all about. That was until the late Lucy Kibaki walked in, almost frog matching the President. From the heavy vibrations about the place, and the opening line, it was clear things were quite thick. “I am in a very foul mood…” he declared, and proceeded to announce he had only one wife, the one who was standing by him.

P for Post-Election Violence

The worst of the Kibaki era, the post-election violence of 2007 and 2008 that soiled his initial gains. Many lives were lost and property destroyed. Kibaki himself did not appear particularly concerned, and went about his business as usual in State House and Office of the Presidnt.

His willingness to cede ground however, saved the day but questions remain to this day how and the country got itself in such a foreseeable mess in the first place. 

Q for quality

In his haste to implement reforms, quality suffered the most. His reforms in the education sector, basic and higher, suffered this. Universities were established in every corner of the country, churning out half-baked graduates. His cabinet had both mixes of quality members and absolute jokers. Still, Kibaki himself remained a quality soul, even a philosopher-king throughout his term.

R for radical surgery

Early in his reign, Kibaki through his justice minister Kiraitu Murungi implemented a radical surgery on the judiciary targetting corrupt and incompetent judges. It is often said that this surgery was unique in that both the surgeon and doctor died on the operating table. A knee-jerk reaction to a deeper, underlying issue, better structured judicial reforms were effected when the new constitution was passed in 2010. 

S for stepping aside

During his reign, a new form of "taking responsibility without actually taking responsibility was born." Weighed down by scams in their ministries, ministers began to “step aside” on half salaries for as long as investigations which obviously cleared them ensued. They were eventually reinstated when public anger cooled, and long after the country had moved on.

T for tolerance

The most tolerant President in our history; media, civil society and opposition thrived in his reign. When his henchmen decided to act tough, they acted tough. The Standard Group raid, the Nation Media group raid by the First Lady, and the killing of civil society activists and hoards of Mungiki adherents were cases in point when he swung to the other side.

U for Universities

He expanded access to university education by granting lots of charters to new institutions. He had done the same in the banking industry, crushing restrictive regulations that left banking services to be an exclusive service of the few. I opened my first bank account courtesy of these reforms which left mainstream banks with an egg on their faces.

Thika Super Highway was a Vision 2030 project.

V for Vision 2030

His brainchild, Vision 2030 anchored our country’s development plan and became the rallying point for companies, institutions and even families to plan ahead of the present realities. He was far ahead of himself, and the country. The administration that came after him did not appear quite enthusiastic about the vision.

W for wheelchair

President Kibaki was one of the few Presidents world over who took the helm of power from a wheelchair. With his leg in a cast, he swore to fix everything that had gone wrong over the years, and restore Kenyan’s lost hopes. He did this to some measure but got bogged down in politics. 

X for x-rating of small talk

As an elite, Kibaki kept off small talk all through his presidency. Sycophants had no place in his inner sanctum which was dominated by fellow elites. He surrounded himself with well-educated people and quality administrators who understood his impatience for small talk and political gossip. 

Y for Yote yawezekana

Through him, with him and in him, Kenyans found back their lost voice and vanquished KANU which had been in power since independence. He symbolised the aspiration and hopes of many who sang Yote Yawezekana [Everything is possible] a new spirit of the nation that soon dissipated in the first few years of his administration.

Z for the Zzzzzzzz facade he put up

Tales abound of how Kibaki did not have a clue or take interest in presentations, or power schemes. He even earned himself the moniker "fence-sitter" or "General Kiguoya". Those who know him however attest to a steely character beneath this veneer who was always on top of his game, and who had everything at his fingertips.