Kenya regaining its senses?
Jan 19, 2008
IT has to start somewhere, and perhaps the election of the Speaker to the new Kenyan parliament is the first step. (Even before that, come to think of it, the fact that the parliament sat at all!). <br>True, politics putting blinkers over our eyes, the Two Leaders gave a wonderful semblance of not
By John Nagenda
IT has to start somewhere, and perhaps the election of the Speaker to the new Kenyan parliament is the first step. (Even before that, come to think of it, the fact that the parliament sat at all!).
True, politics putting blinkers over our eyes, the Two Leaders gave a wonderful semblance of not recognising that the other was in the chamber.
But that is much better, is it not, than if they had gone for each other’s throat: the world sighed in relief! Then after three stormy and bitter rounds of voting the opposition Orange Democratic Movement’s Kenneth Marende triumphed 105 to 101 over the Government candidate, outgoing and well-known Francis ole Kaparo.
In the 222-seat parliament, ODM has 99, while President Kibaki’s PNU has 43, the remaining 80 belong to smaller parties and independents. Several patterns arise: the PNU gained 58 seats from the 80 (assuming all its members voted for it, and no ODMs voted for it!) and the ODM only six (assuming all its members voted for it, and no PNUs did so!) In all, 16 abstained.
From that, many other variations might follow, but the obvious fact is that PNU will have to try much harder than ODM to ever win the vote in this parliament. Charm on that scale might prove illusive, especially from the ODM, which clearly doesn’t seem overmuch in love with the PNU. What about those 80?
First time round, if the arguments above are accurate, 58 of them were won over; might the future increase the trend? If we affect a cynicism, might the patronage of Government not prove rosier as usual than that of the Opposition? Better still, what about the allure of a government of national unity? In the present murderous confusion, which none can deny, is that not the simplest, most elegant way for Kenya to regain its senses?
The engagement, however bleakly, has started; in the name of humanity, and sanity, let the rest follow! The indiscriminate killings must, needless to say, stop. They must for sure be publicly denounced by responsible leaders from all sides: it is by this that leaders will be judged in the long term, and by which the Kenyan electorate will decide who are electable and who not.
Government must act on the accusation by ODM leader Odinga that Kenya has turned into a killing field of the innocent by government and police.
He alleged that seven had been killed in Nairobi recently and that altogether over 1,000 had been killed since the elections. At the same time the fact that he had been largely quiet on who had done this in, say, Kisumu, Eldoret and the rest in the west, should not of course deter the authorities in finding out who had done this. Surely Raila Odinga would never suggest that, heinous as both cases are, 1,000 killings are worse than seven! If this is not what he is implying, what is he implying? At the same time is Government dealing with sufficient severity in cases where its agents terrorise the public? Justice demands it!
**************
The same is true of the Land Issue right here in a Uganda that is today more generally at peace than in the last two decades. Those years have been engaged in fighting cranks, oddballs and other murderous misfits who have brought untold suffering to everyday citizens whose only crime was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And all in the name of religions plucked out of the air on the hoof. The latest of these, the pestilent Kony, is now, with his followers (fewer by the day) holding on with his fingertips in the Garamba National Park.
Both Uganda and Congo are stalking him day and night. It can only end one way, and only Kony’s hardcore supporters, amazingly enough permeating all walks of Ugandan life, will regret this. Tough! As for the Land Amendment Bill, it is striking how things can so quickly turn round, and wonderful if Right wins over Wrong.
A month or so ago, centre stage was held in Mengo media hands. Not any more. They were peddling lies either out of ignorance of what the Bill held, or from their own agenda. But their tone was venomous. Government swung into action, led by a stern Presidential statement. The Bill has been gazetted and widely explained. It has been debated, as it should be, using facts.
The unhealthy steam has been taken out of the process. It will be debated in parliament, and all interested parties will be invited to the parliamentary committees.
Already tenants, and landlords, know who is their friend, and who the enemy. It was in this atmosphere that the Buganda parliamentary caucus voted overwhelmingly in its latest meeting that the Bill should immediately be presented in parliament.
************
From those suitably lofty heights I end on other heights, this time in the field of Sport. I love cricket more highly than any other game, and have been lucky to play it at one of its pinnacles: the First World Cricket Cup back in the mists of time, 1975, in England. I last captained Uganda in my fiftieth year, 20 years ago. Now that Uganda seemed poised for new heights, it has sunk suddenly to unimagined depths.
The reason is because of completely inept and disjointed leadership at the top. On February 2, new leadership will be voted into place. The chance must not be spilled!
IT has to start somewhere, and perhaps the election of the Speaker to the new Kenyan parliament is the first step. (Even before that, come to think of it, the fact that the parliament sat at all!).
True, politics putting blinkers over our eyes, the Two Leaders gave a wonderful semblance of not recognising that the other was in the chamber.
But that is much better, is it not, than if they had gone for each other’s throat: the world sighed in relief! Then after three stormy and bitter rounds of voting the opposition Orange Democratic Movement’s Kenneth Marende triumphed 105 to 101 over the Government candidate, outgoing and well-known Francis ole Kaparo.
In the 222-seat parliament, ODM has 99, while President Kibaki’s PNU has 43, the remaining 80 belong to smaller parties and independents. Several patterns arise: the PNU gained 58 seats from the 80 (assuming all its members voted for it, and no ODMs voted for it!) and the ODM only six (assuming all its members voted for it, and no PNUs did so!) In all, 16 abstained.
From that, many other variations might follow, but the obvious fact is that PNU will have to try much harder than ODM to ever win the vote in this parliament. Charm on that scale might prove illusive, especially from the ODM, which clearly doesn’t seem overmuch in love with the PNU. What about those 80?
First time round, if the arguments above are accurate, 58 of them were won over; might the future increase the trend? If we affect a cynicism, might the patronage of Government not prove rosier as usual than that of the Opposition? Better still, what about the allure of a government of national unity? In the present murderous confusion, which none can deny, is that not the simplest, most elegant way for Kenya to regain its senses?
The engagement, however bleakly, has started; in the name of humanity, and sanity, let the rest follow! The indiscriminate killings must, needless to say, stop. They must for sure be publicly denounced by responsible leaders from all sides: it is by this that leaders will be judged in the long term, and by which the Kenyan electorate will decide who are electable and who not.
Government must act on the accusation by ODM leader Odinga that Kenya has turned into a killing field of the innocent by government and police.
He alleged that seven had been killed in Nairobi recently and that altogether over 1,000 had been killed since the elections. At the same time the fact that he had been largely quiet on who had done this in, say, Kisumu, Eldoret and the rest in the west, should not of course deter the authorities in finding out who had done this. Surely Raila Odinga would never suggest that, heinous as both cases are, 1,000 killings are worse than seven! If this is not what he is implying, what is he implying? At the same time is Government dealing with sufficient severity in cases where its agents terrorise the public? Justice demands it!
**************
The same is true of the Land Issue right here in a Uganda that is today more generally at peace than in the last two decades. Those years have been engaged in fighting cranks, oddballs and other murderous misfits who have brought untold suffering to everyday citizens whose only crime was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And all in the name of religions plucked out of the air on the hoof. The latest of these, the pestilent Kony, is now, with his followers (fewer by the day) holding on with his fingertips in the Garamba National Park.
Both Uganda and Congo are stalking him day and night. It can only end one way, and only Kony’s hardcore supporters, amazingly enough permeating all walks of Ugandan life, will regret this. Tough! As for the Land Amendment Bill, it is striking how things can so quickly turn round, and wonderful if Right wins over Wrong.
A month or so ago, centre stage was held in Mengo media hands. Not any more. They were peddling lies either out of ignorance of what the Bill held, or from their own agenda. But their tone was venomous. Government swung into action, led by a stern Presidential statement. The Bill has been gazetted and widely explained. It has been debated, as it should be, using facts.
The unhealthy steam has been taken out of the process. It will be debated in parliament, and all interested parties will be invited to the parliamentary committees.
Already tenants, and landlords, know who is their friend, and who the enemy. It was in this atmosphere that the Buganda parliamentary caucus voted overwhelmingly in its latest meeting that the Bill should immediately be presented in parliament.
************
From those suitably lofty heights I end on other heights, this time in the field of Sport. I love cricket more highly than any other game, and have been lucky to play it at one of its pinnacles: the First World Cricket Cup back in the mists of time, 1975, in England. I last captained Uganda in my fiftieth year, 20 years ago. Now that Uganda seemed poised for new heights, it has sunk suddenly to unimagined depths.
The reason is because of completely inept and disjointed leadership at the top. On February 2, new leadership will be voted into place. The chance must not be spilled!