It’s polls season again, so leaders will do anything to win that vote

The silly season is upon us. Premature campaigns for a General Election that has not even been called are already in full swing.

We can expect in the weeks and months ahead to see politicians engaging in all kinds of inane and infantile theatrics and feuds at the expense of ordinary Kenyans who have much more important things to occupy their minds — such as how to put food on the table, secure a roof over their heads, educate their children, access quality and affordable medical care, contribute to nation-building… and so on.

How petty it can get was illustrated perfectly this weekend. Prime Minister Raila Odinga was on Saturday on a vote-seeking mission in Machakos, where he reportedly said that he knew the election date, but would not divulge it.

Was that supposed to demonstrate how wired he was in such things? However, he indicated that he would prefer that the polls be held this year.

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka would not let the Prime Minister steal the thunder on the question of the election date.

Addressing a G7 political rally in Mombasa the following day — the latest in the series of support rallies for The Hague-bound quartet disguised as prayer meetings — the VP castigated the Premier for his statement.

He said the election date was not the preserve of an individual. Then he went ahead to exhort the crowd to endorse his own preferred date for the elections, December 17.

So the Prime Minister and the Vice-President are at least in agreement on the elections being called this year? Yes, but they must fight about it simply because they are on opposite ends of the political spectrum.

We can expect to see much more of such behaviour. We can also expect to see ministers taking to the political soapbox to come out with fighting remarks against government decisions they must have been party to, if indeed we do have a government that functions.

And even if they were not privy to certain decisions, surely they would raise their objections in the proper forums rather than in ways suggesting that they are disowning their own government, are just out to score cheap political points, or incite wananchi.

It was Mr Odinga, again, who came out to publicly order a halt to the controversial demolitions in the Nairobi Mukuru slums.

The Prime Minister may have been right to try and halt a brutal exercise affecting thousands of slum dwellers up against one of those faceless individuals we generally refer to as “private developers”.

But then the police were effecting a court order in aiding the demolition, and Mr Odinga surely knows that this is not Sudan, where the Executive can ride roughshod over the courts.

The G7 bunch, including the VP and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, were also at it at the Coast rally, where speakers launched tirades against the Immigration Ministry for introducing a fee for national identity cards.

That they did not come out to clarify the issue or to defend a decision they must have been party to speaks volumes.

I have selected for this column just the really big fish, but a quick scan of just the weekend papers reveals scores of ministers publicly criticising the government, or asking it to do certain things as if they were not part of it.

I think we need some rules of engagement. Ministers who want to use the public rostrum as if they were mere backbenchers, political activists, or civil society types should do the decent thing and resign first.

Oh, and they must also cease using their official cars and air tickets bought by the government to attend political rallies. That is illegal.

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I am seriously thinking of vying for governor of Nairobi. There is a hitch, though, because I cannot think of anyone outside my immediate family who will give me their vote.

Even that is not guaranteed. I have a great idea: I will rush to the High Court and obtain an injunction barring the Electoral Commission from accepting any nomination other than that of Yours Truly.

mgaitho@ke.nationmedia.com