Kenya’s Political Cross-roads

Kenya heads into a historic presidential re-run, at the back of a cloud of uncertainty that has gripped the nation since the Supreme Court nullified Presidential Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election.

There are doubts if Raila Odinga reverse his decision to opt out of the 26^th October re-run, while has Kenyatta added to the tensions with pronouncements targeted at his rival and the international community.

“I want to tell the international community that there is no problem in Kenya. The only problem we have is one man called Raila Odinga (NASA leader),” Daily Nation quoted Kenyatta on his campaign trail in Nyeri County.

Kenyatta’s words only fuel an already charged political environment, pitting his supporters and those behind Odinga.

The two leaders hold the power to cool down the temperatures through acts of statesmanship that Kenya desperately needs now.

Their die-hard lieutenants continue to let loose tongue all over the country while police officers have met demonstrations by opposition with brutal force, leading to dozens of deaths and destruction of property.

Brutality by security forces has so far claimed at least 33 lives since Supreme Court annulled Kenyatta’s re-election in August, according to a joint report by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Intolerance from the government and the opposition supporters is fever-high and threatens to plunge Kenya into a bloodbath like it happened 2007-08.

The 37-page report titled, Kill those Criminals: Security Forces’ Violations in Kenya’s August 2017 Elections, has placed the country’s security forces at the center of human rights violations in the opposition strongholds.

While the government’s security forces clobber the opposition supporters, Odinga has sought attention from the international community, in a move that indicts Kenyatta’s leadership call.

The lack of political magnanimity by Kenya’s leading political chiefs has fast spread across the nation, and calls for secession are getting louder.

Seeds of discord amongst the opposition supporters are growing fast and the feeling of disenfranchisement is getting stronger.

One part of the country feels included in the government while another feels left out, the demonstrations and ethnic bile pouring out on social media say it all.

Kenya is in a precarious political situation and any wrong move could sent our country to the dogs.

Jubilee’s use of majority numbers in both houses to pass laws that have been vehemently opposed by the National Super Alliance (NASA) has worsened an already fragile environment.

At the heart of Odinga’s threat to opt out of the re-run is the refusal by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) top officials to quit office despite the integrity questions hanging over their heads.

Jubilee’s open support for Ezra Chiloba, the commission’s Chief Executive officer has further led to scrutiny on the independence of the electoral body.

Kenya’s stability rests on statesmanship from Kenyatta and Odinga, tolerance amongst all citizens despite the fierce political differences, goodwill from the beleaguered IEBC commissioners led by Chiloba and restraint from the security forces as they quell the NASA-led demonstrations.

The days ahead represent a stern test for Kenya. The nation may come out more united than ever or bleeding, depending on the political directions from Kenyatta and Odinga.