Commentaries
KIBAKI, - LIVE AND LEARN (kina okage mbinde)
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- Published on Tuesday, 12 June 2007 09:40
For those born within the Nyayo era bracket the Kenyan presidency has been synonymous to Moi. Before the inception of the multiparty system it never crossed my mind that Moi could be replaced, while still alive. I mean, the Presidency and a breathing Mr. Moi were one and inseparable.
You must be wondering why I'm being nostalgic about a former president, who allegedly: stalled the economy, encouraged corruption, practiced nepotism and did little to combat the unemployment crisis among other administrative ills.
Granted, Mr. Moi wasn't exactly a perfect president. He had his faults but, so did he have his achievements. The scale of the two is debatable, but one thing for sure, he wasn't a monster as many would like to portray and treat him.
I wasn't enthused by the behavior of my fellow Kenyans at Uhuru Park, during the handing over ceremony. Hurling mud cakes at Mr. Moi's convoy and Heckling Prominent Heads of States for praising the out going President, was sheer stupidity and out right barbarism.
It was a shame that the incoming President, Mr. Kibaki, chose to stoop to the uncivil depths of undiplomatic hecklers, even after Mr. Moi had said wonderful things about him. President Kibaki minced no words in castigating Moi, in front of other heads of State, who have abundant respect for the former president. President Kibaki didn't even so much as thank Moi for the smooth handing over of the presidency.
While still in office, Mr. Moi visited President Kibaki, when he was hospitalized in London and he did so both in good faith and diplomacy. President Kibaki clearly demonstrated a deficiency in diplomacy at his inauguration and for that, I suggest he takes immediate lessons for he is going to need the knowledge for future murky situations during his presidency.
Even the Great United States Of America has had it's dark ages. George Washington the first American President started owning slaves as early as when he was age eleven. He bought several slaves through his adult hood up to a number that neared one hundred. It wasn't until the revolutionary war 1775-1787 that he resolved to never buy or sell another slave. He kept the slaves he already owned and let their population to grow naturally, he went farther to ensure, families at his Mount Vernon estate remained together. By 1786, he owned 216 slaves. In July 1799 he drafted a bill to free his slaves. He died in December 1799, before seeing his slaves freed. They were later on freed in 1801, but slave ownership remained prevalent with other slave owners.
The questions that come to the fore are: Why didn't George Washington Stop slavery when he was a president? Does his Participation and doing little about the slavery situation, in his presidency make him a monster, who deserves contempt from the people he served as President?
It took George Washington his whole lifetime to free his own slaves. Clearly he didn't like the idea of slave ownership, but because the practice was too entrenched, the most he could do was saw the seed. It took more than fifty years for the seed to find someone to irrigate and nurture it to grow. Abram Lincoln saw to it that the seed germinated and grew into a fruitful tree. The growth wasn't smooth as it involved bitter political struggles between the Yankees and the Southerners that later snowballed into the bloody Civil War, 1860-1865.
The social and administrative evils afflicting Kenya today can not solely be blamed on Former President Moi. And it doesn't help, to use him as a scapegoat to cover our personal failures and our general inability to move forward as a nation.
Moi has done his part, he has sawn the seed of democracy and for that we are grateful. It's President Kibaki's turn to preserve Moi's achievements and to correct where he failed. Let's hope he can deliver.
