EUPHORIA POLITICS THE KENYAN WAY

The much talked about party, on whose ticket Deputy Prime Minister, Uhuru Kenyatta will vie for the presidency in the coming elections, The National Alliance, TNA was yesterday launched. At a colourful ceremony graced by many dignitaries at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, KICC, the deputy premier and Gatundu North legislator laid bare his desires to transform this country. He spoke of eradicating the many bottlenecks that have hampered the development that as a people yearn for. From past historical injustices that have hindered reconciliation and perpetuated tribal and ethnic animosity, to the dreams of this country at independence, but that have remained a mirage to many. Speaker after the other, reiterated this and yes indeed, the speeches were inspiring, at least on paper. Walking this talk however has not been as easy. Once the voters elect them to the posts, nobody is equally energetic to walk this talk.

Welcome to the Kenyan politics where euphoria is in charge and wins over the voters. A country where since the dawn of multi-party democracy has been characterised by euphoria politics; the country’s Achilles heel. Parties are no longer anchored upon any concrete ideologies, if the party hopping is anything to go by. In the run-up to the general elections, politicians will always coalesce around the party whose presidential candidate seems most likely to win.  This party becomes the party of choice dubbed `the vehicle’. Politicians leave their parties and join the euphoria bandwagon, on whose tickets they hope to be re-elected to Parliament. All manner of excuses to justify their party hopping, from lack of internal democracy to development- oriented parties, among many others, are floated.

Euphoria has proved to rule our political landscape. At any given electioneering year, there has been the party that has proved to be the vehicle for these politicians. In 2002, The National Rain bow Coalition, NARC, then headed by Mwai Kibaki with Raila Odinga as its most vocal voice, did it, outgunning the Moi regime. The NARC euphoria had managed to turn the tide against Moi’s 24-year rule. Subsequently, the fortunes of the Kenya African National Union, KANU began to nosedive, with emergence of NARC. Fast forward to 2007, in the hotly contested polls that ended in the infamous 07-08 bloodbath. The Orange Democratic Movement, ODM headed by Raila Odinga, with the unwavering support of the now defunct Pentagon, formed a formidable threat to the Kibaki government. It succeeded in rallying the country together and almost ascended to power. What followed was an election whose winner, we might never clearly come to know as a country. The disputed results led to the formation of the current coalition government.

 These two clearly demonstrates how euphoria has become the dominant force in our politics. Politicians notwithstanding their dark past, corruption issues and questions about their integrity have always found their way back to the house, thanks to euphoria.

The coming general elections; the first under the new constitutional dispensation will be no different. Euphoria will once again play an integral part. This has been demonstrated by the political realignments that have begun taking the centre stage. Politicians are at it again; hopping from one party to another and forming new parties, popularly referred to as `vehicles to state house’. Orange Democratic Party headed by Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, Uhuru Kenyatta’s  The National Alliance party, United Democratic Forum, UDF, where Deputy Prime Minister, Musalia Mudavadi has decamped to and William Ruto’s United Republican Party, URP are some of the key parties that politicians will be scrabbling for. The big names in these parties are what will determine who gets elected, thanks to euphoria.