Can we help Mr.President?

I am not a politician; I am not even a political scientist although I have studied the subject abit. I am not a political analyst and I avoid all things political on principle until I am required to go and vote.

I am, however and without a doubt, a very, VERY worried supporter of President Mwai Kibaki. Why am I worried? I am concerned because less than two months to the general election he and his team do not seem to have a game plan. At least not one that is evident to the masses. While in the past we relied on the poor planning ability of political opponents, this time it seems his Excellency is the poor planner. His main opponent, Mr. Raila Odinga seems to have acquired more discipline than we have ever witnessed in a politician in the history of Kenyan politics. If you haven’t noticed by now Mr. Odinga has taken on the American style of campaigning. He is not just touring the country having more political rallies than we know what to do with. He is visiting hospitals and institutions. He is lobbying and negotiating with all the right groups and the result, if we do not step up our game, will be a new ODM government in office come January 2008.

In addition to his new campaign style, over the last few weeks Mr. Odinga has also stepped up his mud slinging. While he and his supporters claim that they will not be reduced to name calling and petty politics, they have made certain remarks that have warranted immediate and well thought responses which I am still waiting for. For example:

Mr. Odinga reported that he knew of a plot by the Government of the day to use political violence in an attempt to sway the outcome of this year’s general election. Now maybe you can help me understand how and why no one in President Kibaki’s large circle of friends and supporters felt the need to respond to this. What qualification or skill does any one person require to ask Mr. Odinga to give evidence of this alleged plan to incite violence or explain how he came by this evidence and possibly even share this evidence?

Ultimately, I would expect someone to, very casually of course; tell the masses that only someone who is planning to incite political violence would know about it. Why won’t anyone step up and challenge Mr. Odinga?

On another occasion Mr. Odinga, through one of his close allies, alleged that there was government sanctioned buying of voters cards in areas they consider their strong holds. Now as a member and/or supporter of the government of the day didn’t anyone find it odd that it was they themselves who were in possession of the ‘purchased’ cards? If it was indeed the government that had been buying these voter’s cards, how then did the ODM pentagon get their hands on them? Did the alleged government officials who were buying the voters cards call ODM and say ‘here, we managed to buy these’?

Yet another occasion that would have warranted a government response was the issue of appointing commissioners of the Electoral Commission. I’m no lawyer but what I do know is that the law gives the president power to appoint commissioners without having to consult any other arm of government or establishment. Now, how is it that Mr. Odinga thinks that he or anyone else should be consulted in the exercise? The law didn’t change last week. We all knew when the terms of the said commissioners would end eventually. It is quite clear in the law the tenure of each commissioner ends on the same day he/she is appointed. ODM claims that by replacing these commissioners the government will somehow gain the upper hand by allegedly using their replacements to rig the general election. That said why anyone didn’t remind Mr. Odinga that Mr. Mukele, whom he was fighting so hard to keep, assumed office in the exact same way and time that Mrs. Tutui has now assumed office and was just as inexperienced as she is but still managed to do his job rather well. If the opposition was so concerned about the president’s power to appoint commissioners without consultation, why didn’t any of them, who are sitting MPs, recommend that particular clause in the constitution be amended? Has Mr. Odinga considered that should he ever become the president of this great country, in five years he would be faced with the same decision that the current president is in the process of making? Can he tell us what he will do when he finds himself in the very same position in five years time?

While it may seem that my plight is with Mr. Odinga, my main issue is with the president and those around him. Have we no one capable of meeting Mr. Odinga word for word and make him justify his accusations, or at least show Kenyans that he is simply a propagandist? Is none of them aware of the damage Mr. Odinga’s allegations are wreaking on the president’s popularity? Don’t any of them understand that opinion polls, real or imagined, are a representation of the situation on the ground? Don’t we have a government spokesman and if he is not up to the job can we find someone who is?

If there isn’t anyone capable or brave enough to take on Mr. Odinga, believe it or not there are many of us out here who are more than willing to lend a hand. All you have to do Mr. President is ask!