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| Uhuru Kenyatta |
Two events in the last few weeks have bothered me a lot – one in Kenya and the other in Malawi.
In modern times, how do you allow a leader of the opposition to hold a political rally in the middle of the city?
It is probably only in Kenya where such
nonsense is tolerated. I was in Nairobi recently and hell fell loose as
former Prime Minister Raila Odinga returned from the USA, where he had
been in a “self-imposed” exile.
And here was the Kenyan public and
Odinga’s supporters dancing and jubilating in the middle of the city,
with the police just looking. At Uhuru Park, in the centre of the city,
the police only checked identity cards and screened whoever wanted to
enter the park!
The Kenyan police is not serious. How
could they, well aware that the leader of opposition was coming to
address a rally, seem unbothered by the multitude of people that would
come to the event? It seems theyhave something that I am not used to
seeing. Please Kenyan police, you must learn to be like your neighbours
across the border.
When you are a police officer, your work
is not to keep law and order but to clobber the wananchi with such
venom that wherever they see a cop, they scamper for their dear lives. A
police officer is supposed to be feared and that fear is manifested in
the manner you discipline the public, whether they are in the wrong or
not.
Had you taken time and learnt what your
colleagues across the border do, you would not welcome the leader of
opposition in that way. You would instead block him from his house and
make sure he does not appear before the public. If he insisted, you
would tow away his car, spray him with some pepper, or handcuff him for
being a ‘public nuisance’.
It is as if the Kenyan government does
not know where tear gas is procured; otherwise, that should have been
the best weapon to carry when Raila was coming to town. You see, tear
gas is good; it helps in clearing eye glands and ensures that people
learn the tricks of avoiding its effects. For Ugandans, that is an art
we have all mastered.
Raila peacefully holds the rally and
even pokes jokes at the incompetence of the sitting government, and it
is broadcast live! Really, why not shut the channels that are
embarrassing the sitting government? I thought President Uhuru Kenyatta
is part of the East African coalition of the willing – where lessons and
the art of ruling a country are easily dispensed?
At a time when terrorism is becoming a
major security issue, Kenyatta just had to say:“We are cancelling any
events in the middle of Nairobi for the sake of public security since we
can’t guarantee that terrorists will not cause havoc”. And that would
be it. Please Kenyans, get serious, otherwise you will make us look bad.
Africa never fails to amuse. Down in
Malawi, there was an election in which the incumbent, Madam Joyce Banda,
lost the election to the opposition. She did not even come second; she
was a distant third. When the Malawi Electoral Commission began
tallying, Mama Banda began to feel the heat and wanted to annul the
elections.
Madam Banda, you do not have to wait
until the final day of counting to win the election; you have to plan
ahead of time. Now you see what you have done? You have ashamed all
African presidents. At least you should contest the election in court
and not just hand over power like that. Didn’t you, when you came to
power, have “friendly courts” that would annul such results?
How did you pick the Malawi Electoral
Commission and its head Justice Maxon Mbendera? Was he a cadre or you
simply picked him because he was trusted? Madam Banda, in preparing for
any election, you must know who will count the votes and these must be
people you trust, not integrity as a yardstick – which has now messed
you up.
And how did you allow Peter Mutharika, a
brother to your predecessor, Bingu Wa Mutharika, stand for president?
What are the prisons in Malawi for, if not for such characters?
And Mutharika’s party gets only 36.4 per
cent of the vote and is declared a winner! Why not adopt what we use;
someone must get above 50 per cent. That would have been the clever way
to annul the elections.
And next time, if you ever get one,
please don’t annoy the Malawian police chief. You forgot that the Malawi
police was the one that would protect the ballot boxes, yet you had
audacity to rubbish them as incompetent. You made mistakes, so feel the
pain.
nkundad13@yahoo.co.uk
The author is a human rights expert and specialist on refugee issues.
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