If there has been a moment in which Kenya has received new impetus to re-define herself after the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution of the Republic of Kenya, that moment is NOW.
For we struggled to get a new Constitution from 1991 and during the Moi regime, not as some would later say to my utter shock, because of Moi. No. What John Michuki said was not true to many of us. We were looking for justice for so many oppressed Kenyans. Is that not true?
I was looking for justice in that struggle. I was not supporting any side of the constitution ever, because of tribe. I was wounded when someone I trusted said that she had been looking at having our new constitution simply as a matter of supporting one region against the other.
In this, I never wavered. I say and write what I think I see. I say what I do without doubt. Any doubts I have are cleared before through deep thought, reading or consultations. I will take correction.
Therefore, I will not waste time. I am oppressed if we cannot follow the Constitution of August 2010 regarding Kenya’s General Election as closely as we possibly can. The Election is slated for August 14 2012. Let us not start doing things to suit ourselves. We must act according to the law. The judgment that leaves this election open is weak.
It is even more urgent now that we have the Election at that time. Following much listening and reading, I can see many Kenyans expressing the view that actually we need the election now. Kenya has not vigorously tried to be on the side of justice. This is what I mean. We need to be careful.
This country is fighting for resources, for their turn to eat so badly that people will kill so that one of their own is the president. We saw that in 2007.
At a time when devolution was being demonised again, I saw 325 comments on an article in a Kenyan daily on the behaviour of the Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza. There was no serious discussion on devolution. Some people are carefully trying to make it sound or look like majimbo. Counties are being denied opportunities to raise money and be accountable.
This will take away the big ‘cake’ we eat. We can be absolute about not devolving corruption but the power to handle resources is a must. It has to be done the way one invests in a business. With risks. With possibilities of failure or high success. It has been done before and resulted in peace and success.
Kerubo is a picture of devolved power. Something has come back. She is an image of the matatu passengers arresting corrupt officers and drivers on the roads in 2002 after Kibaki won an election. She is the hope of every watchman and house assistant. Kenya is learning painfully. I want police brutality brought to an end. It is a million times worse.
The ICC decision was the confirmation of charges against four people: Francis Muthaura, Joshua Sang, William Ruto and Uhuru Kenyatta. The ICC is still studying the situation of the Commissioner of Police, Hussein Ali.
In fact, more names may soon come up. This time Kibaki needs to know I cannot take injustice in exchange for our quest for justice. I am not watiting. We know they are not guilty until proven so but we also know that there is enough injury just from being named as people who planned and supported the violence in Naivasha and Nakuru.
Now the point is that Francis Muthaura, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto who also seek the position of becoming Kenya’s president each in their own way should not have waited this long after being mentioned negatively by the ICC. The wisest thing to do was to have resigned and gone into serious consideration of what their deeds were with regard to the Post Election Violence.
The ICC is only looking for justice. You know what happened instead. Now that they are charged, President Kibaki who suspended Nancy Baraza for a crime against one citizen ( and this is very important) should have sacked as he had been told long ago, his Minister for Finance, Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto and also Francis Muthaura.
To let this go any further is to let out bad air onto our faces. That is the way it is. And this is not just bad air that human systems can deal with. It is poisonous. It is radioactive. It will kill us all. It is time to clean up. Those who do not clean are soon cleaned up. Kibaki has been oppossed for the decision he took to set up a commission to study the judgement of the ICC. It is so wrong but the AG Githu Muigai is not one to advice Government clearly. He is doing what he is told to do.
This is unacceptable. The fabric of our nation is weak. The dead ( 1,333) and the internally displaced people are asking for justice, the raped women the same, the maimed too. All of us are injured and we need healing. Kibaki must leave Kenya as one as we gave it to him.
It is better to do at his own expense now than to wait and challenge the ICC. Serious allegations on Mungiki having received money and having been in State House are signals that things could go very wrong for Kibaki himself.
The ICC does not just speak. It has evidence. It is time to put Kenya in order. It is a hard task because we should have settled the IDPs immediately but again it became a power game.
Kenyans must look at the country of the future where those who are children today will be able to dream about an even better future Kenya. The time to act is NOW. We have the implementation of the Constitution to address. We have devolution of power and resources to look into.
This ultimately is the only way out of politics of insane competition where no one is willing to take defeat. The continuation of such politics is inherent in Uhuru Kenyatta’s and William Ruto’s insistence to stand before the people and ask to lead Kenyans. The time for dividing Kenyans along ethnic blocks is gone.
The writer comments on topical issues
