Crying foul when parties merge does not make political sense

It is not easy to tell who is on the side of angels and who is not in politics. For instance, here are the leaders of the two main opposition parties crying foul because earlier in the week, 10 parties agreed to merge into one dominated by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA and Deputy President William Ruto’s URP.

One can be forgiven for asking the obvious: where is the beef? Why do the two leaders appear to be running scared if, as they aver, such a merger will be of no consequence and Jubilee’s goose is cooked, anyway? Why are they complaining that this mega-party wants to take the country back to the old dark days of single-party rule?

The merger, which is by no means a fait accompli at the moment, should have been the highlight of the week. It is rare that political parties voluntarily agree to dissolve themselves. In this sense, history is being made.

What is unclear is whether this will make any difference to the fortunes of Jubilee next year. The merger has been in the works for months and no one has lifted a finger. Why now? What is stopping other parties from merging?

RATTLED PEOPLE

The merger has rattled some people in a bad way. But they should hold their horses. The chances of the new party disintegrating during the nominations are very high. In fact, this may well happen at that stage when the leaders of one or several of the parties feel short-changed and bolt. History offers a clear example of this. Once upon a time, there was a party known as NDP.

Already, rumblings of discontent are starting to be heard by those who are interested in the Nairobi governor’s mansion. They claim that someone is trying to foist a candidate on them even though the person comes from western Kenya and not the city.

Now, I have heard that political parties have their owners. I have even heard tribal chauvinists talk about “our government”. But this is the first time that I have heard people talk about Nairobi being their sphere of influence where no outsider dare encroach. Balderdash.

There is a place for horse-trading when the occasion calls for it. That is what politicians mean by “consultations”. But this city belongs to all Kenyans and a situation like this, in which Jubilee may turn out to be the biggest loser, calls for sobriety, not ethnic bigotry. After all, the position of governor is not vacant at the moment, and in any case, the Constitution allows anyone to run for office anywhere. Why should such a notion be anathema to some?

What should consume the Opposition is really not what Jubilee is doing; they should be more worried about their own potential disintegration when they try to pick the presidential flag bearer. Incidentally, if Cord waits until the last minute to do so, its fate may be sealed.

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Murang’a Senator Kembi Gitura is busy stirring the hornet’s nest by suggesting that the lifestyle of governors be audited to determine how they acquired the immense wealth they flout. He won’t go very far in this quest, and so he should shelve it and conserve his energy for more productive pursuits.

I wouldn’t have any idea what magic governors employed to acquire sudden riches. But the fact that many commute by air these days may strongly indicate that the poor taxpayer has been financing such fabulous lifestyles.

But what gets my goat is that these fellows are always grumbling about the reluctance by the national government to provide more funds to the counties.

Do they really have any clue what they are supposed to do for those who elected them or do they just want more loot?

One day, there will be a reckoning. Our governors have been taking us to the cleaners with impunity, and they will do anything they can to be re-elected.

Mr Gitura should be advised to conserve his energies so that he can tackle the man he seeks to replace as governor if he still has a mind to it. We need a few good men heading counties.

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