Kibaki, Raila are harmless and boring politicians

In the last few days we have had a flood of newspaper articles and TV commentaries on the 2nd anniversary of the Grand Coalition Government, that was formed after the election mayhem and madness that followed the disputed December 2007 elections.

At the centre of most of these commentaries, has been the issue of the relationship between the two principals, President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

It has been a troubled marriage, full of mistrust and suspicion some said. No, no, others opined, it has been a normal marriage with typical ups and downs.

So, just how bad or good has the Grand Coalition been for Kenya? To answer that question, we need to step outside Kenya and go a few years back.

Almost everywhere in the world, the president and vice president, or president and prime minister, or prime minister and deputy prime minister, rarely get along.

In Britain, not too long ago, we witnessed the sour relationship between Prime Minister Tony Blair, and his deputy (now prime minister) Gordon Brown.

Blair felt that Brown and his allies were hounding him out of office, and Brown’s camp thought Blair was clinging on to power.

But you can always trust us Africans to play out this game dramatically. In December 1995, the colourful Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings was still president of Ghana, as we all know.

But if you asked many non-Ghanaians who was his vice president, you will draw a blank. Well, he was a stubborn politician called Kow Arkaah.

If you think President Kibaki and PM don’t get along, then you have not heard about the relationship between Rawlings and Arkaah. It was very bad. It came to a head on December 28, 1995, during a cabinet meeting.

The two men were involved in an old-fashioned punch up. Chairs were turned over, and shirts torn.

If you compare Kibaki and Raila to Rawlings and Arkaah, the Kenyan duo are, contrary to common opinion, one of the world’s most boring coalition partners. They have not shouted at each other in public, we have seen no wagging of fingers, no drama.

Also, if you focus on Kibaki and Raila, you miss a more interesting picture — the state of Kenyan political space since President Kibaki first came to power in January 2003 at the head of the long-dead National Rainbow Coalition (Narc).

IN THE SPACE OF LESS THAN 10 YEA-rs, the country has witnessed the collapse of an independence monolith, the Kenya African National Union (Kanu) when Kibaki defeated its presidential candidate Mr Uhuru Kenyatta in December 2002.

That was the only time in East African history when the opposition defeated a ruling party, and the ruling party in turn handed over power peacefully.