Thursday, March 19, 2009

Bull Fighter Missed the Bulls Eye…..The Kenyan Politics

By Billy Mutai

If you want to end corruption, Kimunya must go, if you want to …... Kimunya must go, Kimunya ooooh, Kimunya ooooh! Yeees….! He was then a hero, but the Ikollomani legislator Dr. Bonny Khalwale failed to learn from his high school physics that exceeding elasticity limit of matter breaks it altogether.

The ‘Bull fighter undoubtedly is a villain; overplaying the game always results into antidote of events. This was only witnessed when the Ikolomani MP opened a can of warms paving way for ‘to be censored’ Agriculture Minister William Ruto scoop about 80 pc of August house against a motion meant to send him packing after it was claimed he is behind the biting food shortage in the country.

According to Dr. Khalwale who was recently the darling of the house, 10,000 Kenyans suffer the fury of raging hunger due to Agriculture Minister’s failure besides corrupt allocation of maize to briefcase millers.

But in twist of events, political class as well as the citizens forgot 2007/08 post-election violence that occupied about five mouths of country’s planting season. Threshold was squarely felt in country’s agricultural land. And the question begs on whom to blame for the hunger.

In the wake of global climatical crisis and ozone depletion, Kenya is neither speared by the calamity. According to more than 140 environment minister converging at United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Gigiri , Kenya , ragging hunger is a wake up call to advancement of farming technologies instead of seeking scapegoats.

Escaping from country’s reality is now shaping political opinion instead of addressing core issues affecting Kenyans.

When rains fail, Kenyans always secure the religious intervention instead of venturing the technological advancements to adapt the changing environment.

Irrigation, improvement of farm products as well as agricultural market should be taking the house’s center stage, but unfortunately, the opposite is witnessed.

It is a shame when the government import foodstuff from the semi-desert Egypt yet they utilize the Nile’s water running down our own Lake Victoria .

That aside, if Ruto could have been sent home, Kenyans ask who could be the next victim to face the double-sword as Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi insisted.

Country’s wing; the legislator was on its way grabbing duties of the other government’s wing; the judiciary.

In what some put, parliament lost its taste and only spend more time betraying Kenyans.

Focusing on issues favouring their greed and turning a blind eye on taxpayers has been the house’s trend.

When they unanimously send the then Finance Minister Amos Kimunya abay, we all celebrated hoping a lasting solution of the alleged corrupt deals behind the then Grand Regency would be reached. But alas! Kimunya was off-the-hook.

The Cocker Commission of Inquiry went to bed and it has since not seen light of the day as the taxpayers are denied full details of Commission’s outcome.

The Kipipiri legislator is back in the cabinet but gears swapped.

Ruto could also stay aside; commission of inquiry formed and out of ‘could be’ mounting pressure, the Mr Ruto could in short time be in his usual shoe.

Sadly, the outcome of the commission of inquiry could be sad for the majority Kenyans who are the poor; those are the political gimmicks to mimic the taxpayer’s money.

By the time Ruto could be back to the cabinet ‘if he was censored’, the ‘bull fighter’ could have grown longer horns to censure another minister. Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi with the petroleum saga could be towing the line, Justice Minister Martha Karua could be the next in the order and then…….

The unprecedented events could be in order of the parliament list if it were not for Energy Minister to stop the already cultivated culture of ‘censuring’ ministers in pretence of fighting corruption instead of addressing the real issues affecting Kenyans.

The ‘McCarty of Kenya’ the brand name Ikolomani MP earned left every legislator’s mind prowl for an answer; either to address actual issues or satisfy the 2012 political ploys.

Despites Khalwale committing political suicide, all is not lost for the parliament. The 2012 political strategies are still far.

Despite warning by Kenya ’s Hero, Dr Kofi Annan on 2012 politicking, legislators including those who helped strike the coalition government deal have already embarked on their cocoons strategizing on the best position to win 2012 political posts.

Political intrigues and counter intrigues are already setting the mood as parliament’s privileges are exploited to seize others political careers

Our representatives already forgot the 2007/08 mayhem and even failed to set up a local tribunal to try those implicated.

As poverty gap widens away from the country’s moguls, status quo takes the day leaving the poor to die of hunger and water shortage.

Witnessed in the previous weeks, Kenyans risk their lives to collect whatever lands their way.

Trailer transporting relief maize to Turkana overturned and it was not surprising to watch both young and old scramble for scattered maize.

As the Fourth Estate castigates Kenyans of not learning from the deadly incident at

Sachang’wan, Kenyans continue to rush with containers to collect whatever fortune irrespective of the dangers.

When political class fail to address the ‘real issues’ affecting their constituents and instead rush to the media to explain their failures as well as seek ways of shaping their political future, Kenyans are left with only option of stooping to the power holders.

In what former Tanzanian President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere referred Kenya as ‘A Man Eats Man Society’; the 10th Parliament is undoubtedly confirming Nyerere’s sentiments when those with political muscle treble the weak.

It is time the political class change their approach of tackling wanting issues as this is only tunnel of hope. Being the mother of social and economical change, political change has come to age cut its tooth.


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