By Jerry Okungu
Nairobi, Kenya
January 9, 2013
In December 2002, greedy
party functionaries sold nomination tickets to losers and moneyed individuals
at the expense of popular candidates. A case in point was the bombardment of
the NARC head offices in Nairobi with stones by angry losers. Realizing that
they were under siege, the profiteers handed in nomination certificates to the
protesters through the office windows.
In Kisumu, it was the same
story but a little more bizarre. It was alleged that nomination managers holed
themselves in a top star hotel and started dishing out nomination certificates
to the highest bidders.
The situation was no
different in 2007 when a top retired high court judge who was hired to lead the
party’s Election Board messed up the nomination beyond recognition. In the aftermath,
he was fired by an angry party leadership. In that year, there were a number of
party candidates who got direct nominations at the expense of the electorate’s
preference. Some of them like Joe Nyagah of Embu still went ahead to lose
anyway.
Some popular candidates in Rift Valley who
felt shortchanged switched to smaller parties and won against major candidates.
In some constituencies country-wide, moneyed aspirants bought their way into
parliament.
This year, there are
already grumbles that the same merchants of injustice are at it again. Loud
noises are in the air about some top luminaries in Kisumu, Nyeri, Siaya,
Nairobi and Mombasa angling for direct nomination.
These grumbles in Jubilee Alliance,
Cord and Amani must be taken seriously and nipped in the bud. If there are
small fish operatives planning to cash in on desperate aspirants, party leaders
must weed them from the party. They are the stuff that can bring this country
to its knees.
This is because party
leaders must remember that there are many aspirants who have spent a fortune
traversing their counties for the last two years campaigning for the same posts.
If they are knocked out unfairly, it will not auger well for the country. Such
little failings are the stuff that sent Museveni to the bush. Kenyans don’t want
to go that route.
This preferential
treatment perceived to be the preserve of those close to political parties’
leadership must be disabused. If the characters feel the urge to plunge into
politics, they must be prepared to travel the narrow path. They must be
reminded that there is no shortcut to fame and neither is the road to stardom
smooth.
This year’s elections are
too important for Kenya to be handled carelessly and casually. Those trusted
with this heavy responsibility must appreciate the magnitude of their duties.
We are holding the first
election that is different in all aspects since independence. We are electing
more officials than we have done before.
Never before have we invoked
integrity and ethics clauses in our electoral system. It has always been a free
for all affair. Our liberalism has been a breeding ground for thieves,
swindlers, thugs, land grabbers and public coffer looters to be elected our
leaders. Only this time we are trying to put a break to this madness.
To succeed in this, let us
remove friendship, our closeness to political operatives and party donors to
deny the electorate their choice. If as party leaders and election boards we
get blinded by the wealth of some of our aspirants, if we turn a blind eye to
their excesses, crimes, court cases and their recorded public image, we shall
forever ruin the chance to make Kenya and truly democratic state.
We know that there are constitutional
offices charged with the responsibility to vet aspirants- thousands of them from
all over the country. However, to make their work simpler and meaningful, county
political offices must be in the thick of things. Those officials that were
elected by parties to be branch officials know the aspirants better and must
gather the courage to execute their responsibilities with the strength of
character.
Their sense of morality,
ethics and integrity should guide them to aspire to be Caesar’s wife in their
enclaves so that by the time the names of the aspirants from locations and
counties reach the national office, 80% of the vetting process is complete.
This is the reason our new
constitution barred elected politicians from running political offices. If you
are elected a branch chairman, Secretary or treasurer, be satisfied with that
position and excel as a fair and competent manager.
I know this is a tall
order, this country being Kenya but we must start somewhere. The clock is
ticking against us. We must build political dykes to weather the floods of general
elections. We have to be an example to the rest of East Africa and the
continent like we almost did in 2002.
We cannot afford to repeat
the mistakes that sent our brothers to The Hague. We must be ready to learn
from our mistakes.
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