I must, we must all, be optimistic about this new agreement. It is a chance for transparency in the short term but unless we put in place stringent accountability measures, the evils brought on by mistrust, corruption and tribalism will return and rise to new heights.
This coalition agreement represents for me the culmination of a political journey. Initially I supported Kibaki's government. It is true that he has put in place a macroeconomic policy framework that has the potential to greatly improve Kenya's fortunes. Later on, I found myself drawn to and rooting for Raila Odinga for his apparent strong stance against corruption. This was especially because no matter how many brilliant economic policies you put forward, in the presence of corruption economic gains are frittered away, as enjoyment of the benefits is greatly restricted to those who are well-connected. A nation cannot celebrate even a 10% economic growth rate when 50% of its population subsists below poverty line. The destruction of corruption networks and the promotion of clean accountable government must be our main obsession moving forward, everything else hinges on how successful we are in this struggle. It does not matter too much who is president. All politicians, by my reckoning should be considered guilty, from an oversight perspective, until proven innocent. If we maintain transparency mechanisms, if we expose the business of government to broad daylight, to the scrutiny of the media and the electorate, we will have succeeded in establishing the foundations for greater economic and social progress. It is not just for the sake of the taxpayer, I say this for our sake - that we know the thieves and dismiss them from public service; and for the politicians' sake - that they may not suffer from political witch-hunts and the blanket slurs against parties which come from the fact that the public perceives graft, but cannot point at specifics. But even more important than the benefits this will bring politicians and political parties, is the effect it will have on relaxing ethnic tensions and the suspicions that certain regions are preferred over others. We cannot afford to have fears guide our political choices, we cannot afford to have the public believe that there exist in public life untouchables, people who despite their involvement in the theft and misuse of public resources persist with impunity in public office. By pointing out individuals and holding them specifically to account, we protect their communities from having to carry the guilt of these individuals. It is not that I am condoning such characterisation, but until the average Kenyan on the ground sees themselves as Kenyan and not 'whatever-tribe,' the tribal card will be played time and time again by the politicians. Efforts at creating a more transparent public service will deny such politicians the ammunition with which to attack entire ethnicities for the sins of a few. So let's just assume that the whole bunch [of politicians] is corrupt and that they are just itching for their next chance to steal, perhaps even taking advantage of their new found unity to effect a salary raise in the next few months! There are immense powers and opportunities for graft available in public office, so much so that we should not even trust that people like Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela are not perfect. It is systems, and not morals that will stand in our defence At the end of the day - every politician must say " Were not my pants on fire
My words, to the world, would inspire
It is thus the fault of these pants
A burden of delight in which I must prance
Oh electorate, restitute my suffering
Just five years, for a better pair of pants"
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Apparently one of the sticky points in the negotiation effort, was an attempt by the ODM to insist on immunity from prosecution for Raila. Many have speculated that it is this single factor more than any other that explains the desperation of the ODM, and the resolution of our indefatigable Martha. Link here.