Minister should persuade the House to prevent mischief over election date

A healthy debate is building up over the election dates.

After that rather vague High Court ruling of not too long ago, everyone is looking to President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga to determine that elections will be held this year by dissolving the coalition government.

The two might well decide to obey the will of Kenyans for polls this year.

But there are a great many imponderables because they are also both hostage to selfish and short-sighted politicians within their respective entourages.

The litigious society and an activist Judiciary laden with “weird” rulings, as described by Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo, also leaves open the risk that someone will go to court and successfully challenge the ruling that elections must be called if the coalition government is dissolved.

Some are already pushing the view that dissolving the coalition government does not dissolve Parliament, which thus remains intact to serve out its term.

The argument then goes that dissolving the coalition government merely means that the President and his team remain in office, while the complement that came in with the Prime Minister with the power-sharing agreement retreats to the opposition benches.

Clearly there is great opportunity for mischief. Looming hanky-panky can be countered if Mr Kilonzo can persuade Parliament to pass the constitutional amendment, setting an election date for December.

He would do that best if he ceased his own confounding, weird, and contradictory soapbox pronouncements on so many pressing critical issues and focused on shepherding the necessary legislation from the right stage.    

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What a great sporting Sunday it was!

Zambia defied the odds to humble the fabled superstars of the mighty Cote d’Ivoire and clinch the African Cup of Nations.

I watched the pulsating finale from my local “stadium” and the roars that went out with every display of grit and determination from the underdogs confirmed that Kenyans fully supported their former compatriots in the Gossage Cup.

As we toasted the victory of our cousins from down south, we must also have been wistfully wondering whether Kenyan soccer would ever rise to such heights.

But in between the soccer in Gabon, the small screen switched to the other side of the world where the Kenya Sevens rugby team was performing heroics in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Winning the “Plate” competition and those enthralling matches against the likes of Samoa, the eventual Cap winners, England, Wales, and Argentina proved that the team has its groove back.

The return of stalwarts Humphrey Kayange, Collins Injera, and Lavin Asego has clearly revived a team that was on a downward trajectory since last season.

And that is where the worry is, because we still do not have enough young people coming in to fill the boots of the ageing stars.