The troubling aspect of Gideon Moi’s demands for Luhyia unity
What you need to know:
- What is troubling is the dissonance between the social status of some of these people and the primitive politics they espouse.
- Those so consumed by tribal calculations are themselves urbane and indeed ‘de-tribalised’ in some sense.
I got over the illusory assumption that there ought to be one or two ethnic bossmen for every community who speak on behalf those who ‘belong’ to that community. The faster we eradicate this obnoxious politics and its ideologues, the sooner we will start a discussion of the national question.
Now the hope for us focusing on the national question looks distant; at least not when Senator Gideon Moi is still lecturing the Luhyia to unite behind an ethnic bossman.
Last weekend did not help matters when in addition to Senator Moi, highly recognisable names like Uhuru Kenyatta, Musalia Mudavadi, George Khaniri, Amos Wako and Ayub Savula congregated at Mululu in Vihiga. What is troubling is the dissonance between the social status of some of these people and the primitive politics they espouse.
President Kenyatta, Senator Moi and Mr Mudavadi went to rather exalted schools in and outside this country. Furthermore, they all have had more of an urbane upbringing. In terms of name recognition, they rank a notch higher than the others present.
NO TRACTION
No one should begrudge their parentage. After all, some of them have done everything to transcend the legacy of their parents. I might quibble about how the last General Election was conducted, but I’m alive to the fact that it takes a lot more than a privileged background to form a party, mobilise people and run a campaign that has impact. This is what President Kenyatta and Moi did last year.
There is not much I can write home about Mr Mudavadi in this case because he ran a campaign that had no traction and made choices that continue to surprise all of us. Of course, less known in this mix is George Khaniri, himself the son of Nicodemus Khaniri, a former assistant minister. George has held his own since his father.
Mr Wako is an accomplished lawyer and one whose international stature was only dealt a blow when he agreed to take the position of A-G. Otherwise, his station in life would be the equivalent or better than where Dr Mukhisa Kituyi is at the moment.
Ayub Savula is new and so far notable for begging for jobs on behalf of Luhyia professionals. I am not sure who sent him and how he came up with a list of 22 that State House should consider. His endeavour received a ‘fitting’ response that the likes of Senator Moi are wedded to.
What is worrying is the political mindset that persistently rotates around tribal calculations. Our leaders cannot fathom anything beyond machinations that mobilise tribes. It does not matter that those so consumed by this are themselves urbane and indeed ‘de-tribalised’ in some sense.
"NEVER BAKED THE CAKE"
All Kenyans must know that tribes are only of instrumental value to the elite; as a means of negotiating with others from other tribes for the national cake. Ironically, what they get from this cake does not go to their tribes. Worse, these very negotiators have never baked the cake in the first place.
Therefore, the idiocy of Gideon Moi’s repeated demands for Luhyia unity under someone so other tribal bosses can come begging for votes should by now be apparent.
The issue of Luhyias uniting around a single ethnic spokesman is now a foregone conclusion. The sheep mentality that comes with this kind of politics will not be generated in that land.
Issues will continue to rule. If the aspiring Luhyia leaders cannot place issues on the table, they are doomed to scavenge at Gideon Moi’s table. Otherwise, the Luhyia are poised to lead Kenya into different politics because there is no way Moi’s tribalised thinking will rule Kenya for long.
