Kenyans have many reasons to be angry at the political class, venal, corrupt, tyrannical and selfish, this parliament even in a country with as depraved a political culture as ours, has hit some real lows. There are many reasons to be upset with Mwai Kibaki's government too. It carries with it much of the blame for parliament's conduct, but also much else besides. Corruption, political and economic cronyism, insecurity and even with the growth of the economy, an unimaginative delivery system.

Still, I do not think that this assessment should automatically lead to the jettisoning of the Mwai Kibaki government, and this especially because the alternative is not likely to be any better. This for me is the most surprising thing about this election. Even as Kenyans insist they want change, and that they are tired, they seem not to react by running away from the political process altogether, but by turning to a party that seems determined to deliver a pre-2002 Kenya. It seems to me that you need to be more than upset to vote ODM. This reckless move demands that you are also a tribalist, very poor at numbers, and blind to the fact that the ODM is blessed, to an extent that is far greater than the PNU, with the most corrupt and backward public officials of our entire history.

Not just that, ODM is so determined to stick with the old times, that at its very head it has elected to promote the talents of exactly those Kenyans who have brought this country to its knees in previous years.

Let us start with Henry Kosgey who stars in this video here. He is not just an ODM MP, no he is also the pater familias, the ODM Chairman himself. He is also the deftness of hand that brought down one of the most cash flush public institutions, the Kenya National Assurance Company. He also stands out in national lore for the central role he played in the defrauding of the Kenyan people in the All Africa Games in 1987. He served the Moi government to its very end, in various capacities, standing opposed to the provision of greater democratic space for the Kenyan people, an eternally reliable ally of the oppressive state and the impoverishment of the people. Now, some suggest he comes bearing change. 

Then there is the other head of the family, the real boss, one Raila Amolo Odinga. He would like to tell us that he is against crony capitalism. He would like to suggest that he represents the salvation of Kenyans from slavery to State House, he is the man to bequeath us a land reform system and to lead us to a constitution that drastically cuts back on the powers of the executive. He is the agent crusading against tribalism, and the idea that the leadership of this country should be controlled by a few hands. But this same Raila has recently run into billions in a manner not too dissimilar from that which made the likes of Trans-Century infamous. Yes, he does run a couple of legitimate businesses, but one of those owes no little gratitude to the generosity of the Kenyan state, and the poor people whose land it properly should have been.

The Kisumu Molasses Plant may not be illegal, indeed all the land allocations throughout our history may not be illegal, our laws do allow the President, like medieval European Kings to parcel out our nation to those good boys they favour. Raila Odinga, our present saviour was once such a good boy, and boy did he sing a happy song after the King smiled on him. But we love him, and hate Trans-Century, they are Kikuyus you see. Raila has not been done any disfavour by being appointed to public office. His misfortune is currently estimated by the ODM friendly Standard Newspaper at 4 billion Kenyan shillings. How green your eyes, and what silky robes, oh Robin Hood. 

Musalia Mudavadi

And on to Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi. He is congenial enough, nice and bumbling. His father was once Moi's right hand man and they did not do too badly by it. He owes no small part of his political stature to the fact that his father used his public office to install members of his tribe in positions of public service across the country, most often to the disadvantage of other Kenyans. Importantly also, he was, along with the PNU's rather shy George Saitoti, one of the Ministers who starred in the Goldenberg scandal that defrauded this country of billions in taxpayer money. As recently as 2002, he was burnishing his change credentials by serving as Vice President in the Moi government. Needless to say, just like Raila he too has not done badly at all from serving as a government minister. He is said to be worth hundreds of millions. 

William Ruto

Another capo in this family is the fiery William Samoei Ruto. Ruto of course is famous for among other things being the only man brave enough in the history of Kenya to show President Moi the middle finger, and this on more than one occasion. In the cojones department, this warrior has more than enough to spare. The question, however, is what it was all about, was it a crusade of pride and prejudice or was it waged in the interests of the Kenyan people? Even a cursory look at his portfolio and the repeated court call ups persuades even the most obstinate mind to see that he was playing Tumbo politics all along. The NSSF property scandal is just one of the many scandals dogging the ODM's proposed Prime Minister, and like with the others underlines the fact that even as they preach change, the ODM's leaders have an integral stake in the past corrupt systems. 

Then the party's election board ,which was the centre of focus in the much maligned nominations is headed by Richard Kwach, formerly a justice of the Court of Appeal, one of those who were ejected in the post-2002 clean-up. We are not privy to what evidence was held against him but needless to say, he himself found it so overwhelming that he did not seek to challenge it as other accused judges have done. 

I list these five people here because they represent what the ODM views as its best for Kenya; they are the leaders of the leaders, ODM's vanguard. They represent the soul of ODM, the reason for its formation, and what sets it apart from the rest of the Kenyan political class when the propaganda and the sound bites are filtered out. But they are not the end of the story; it would be unfair to round off without calling out all the other gems in the ODM's start studded phalanx of heroes, even as they ride out to save Wanjiku from the blood-thirsty demons in the PNU next Thursday. 

There is Sammy Mwaita a long serving commissioner of lands under the Moi government and especially the period with the most regular land grabs. He is perhaps the Minister for Lands under the ODM government. The ODM candidate was signatory to many a land allocation by the state and is now the go to man, the cleanser for validation of any corruption tainted land deal. If Sammy Mwaita says the allocation was legitimate, then it is presumed to be so.

Also in the mix is Zakayo Cheruiyot who served as Permanent Secretary for Internal Security at the time of the conception of the Anglo-Leasing scandal. He was also famously accused by the American government of harbouring Rwandese fugitive Felicien Kabuga.

There is Fred Gumo, there is William Ole Ntimama, Sally Kosgei, Kipkalya Kones and the indefatiguable talents of Otieno Kajwang'. Whichever way you look, you seem to be looking backwards. It is true that the PNU may not be any different, but they at least are not pretending to be saving Kenyans. On Thursday next week, I will vote against hypocrisy. I will vote against the ODM and its charlatans.