Don’t be leaders unto darkness and death, think of the people

Now this is worrying. And it is sad that I have to wish you a Merry Christmas on this grim note. Just three months after amendments to the election laws in the wake of a series of opposition street protests that threatened to turn violent, Jubilee and Cord are again going for each other’s throats.

The National Assembly reconvenes today in a special session as Jubilee tries to force through changes to the Election Laws amendments that were the result of a negotiated settlement.

The Cord coalition is vowing to counter any attempts to amend the laws, threatening to disrupt House proceedings or resume the street protests.

Caught in the middle of this rumble between the hordes loyal to President Uhuru Kenyatta and those on the other side led by opposition chief Raila Odinga are innocent Kenyans who surely deserve some respite.

All that Kenyans need is a free and fair election come next August, one which will be run so efficiently and transparently that the outcome will be clear to see and there will be no cause for disputes.

When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Both protagonists are no doubt aware of this well-known Kenyan proverb. Mr Kenyatta and Mr Odinga know that they are the elephants trampling on and destroying the lives of millions of Kenyans they purport to lead.

We can aptly borrow from a notorious pre-independence colonial governor, Sir Patrick Renison, and liken the two as “leaders unto darkness and death”.

There is nothing Kenya needs more than a credible election. The outcome of any election that does not enjoy all-round confidence will not just be a president with a tainted mandate, but death and destruction on a scale that might make the 2007-2008 post-election violence seem like a dress rehearsal.

President Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto know this, as do Mr Odinga and his opposition partners, Kalonzo Musyoka, Moses Wetang’ula, and Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi.

All still bear a burden of unpunished guilt from that grim descent into darkness and death.

If Kenya suffers another violent meltdown, the political leaders will not be anywhere near the line of fire. They will be safe in fortified mansions enjoying police protection.

Their children and grandchildren will be nowhere near the frontline facing the danger of decapitation from panga-wielding mobs, but will likewise be enjoying the safety and comfort of privileged status at taxpayers’ expense.

It is the ordinary people, the voters, who will be slashed to death, raped, burnt alive, and run out of their homes.

The crazed mobs facing each other will not be the sons of Mr Kenyatta or Mr Odinga, but expendable cannon fodder misled into false belief that they are fighting to protect their communities.

No, they will be fighting to protect the power and privileges enjoyed by the individuals of power.

The current goings-on around the electoral laws should wake all up to the grim realities. All those fellows are fighting for themselves, not for Kenyans.

The new impasse should be easy to resolve with goodwill from all sides, but the leaders and their mouthpieces clearly are just spoiling for a fight.

It should be obvious that National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has no business summoning the House to change the laws on the direction of the garrulous Jubilee Majority Leader, Aden Duale.

A negotiated settlement cannot be unilaterally trashed. If this is a genuine attempt to iron out kinks in the amended electoral laws, the least one would expect is a bipartisan effort, not something rammed through by Jubilee.

By the same token, it would be good for Cord to concede if indeed there are flaws that need to be fixed.

Mr Odinga’s insistence that not a comma can be changed just reinforces his image as the perpetual Mr Nyet.

Negotiations are always a matter of give and take and it would be a display of leadership and maturity if Cord honestly examined the law and considered if it has bugs that need fixing.

Hardline stances on such a sensitive issue do not help, with the insults and wild accusations coming from both sides just adding to anxiety that Kenya is headed for another botched election.

[email protected]. @MachariaGaitho