I TOO ASK, WHY NOT? By ndolo asasa Esq.

Can Post Election Violence (PEV) recur in the next General Elections? Why not, I ask? The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) the only permanent commission of Agenda IV has not set up any permanency of itself 3 years after being unveiled? It has not even sufficiently staffed itself; it has failed to define its niche in this fertile ground of violence, fear of violence and massive citizenry goodwill – apart from popularising the words ‘hatespeech’ which is not EVEN their core mandate!; The NCIC has not developed and shared a strategic framework for identifying, pre-empting, stalling, stopping and managing social disintegration while enhancing cohesion. It is quite telling after the unfortunate demise of its Vice-Chairperson over 2 months ago, NCIC Commissioners have failed to elect one of their own to fill in the seat as provided for by law. By the way, Kenyans no longer engage in hate speech, they have upgraded to hate feelings! The other commission that is supposed to feed NCIC with a historical and philosophical founding for its engagement, the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) is a sorry state of circus on how not to run any process of a grand scale! If only the Police Service had upped their footing in so far as managing organized crime; be it economic, social and political, maybe just may be PEV would be unthinkable come the next General Elections. I refuse to contemplate this wishful desire if the flamboyance of Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) in disrupting the trial election is any indicator of the police investigative capacity or the ease by which grenade throwing youngsters are hitting ‘soft targets’ in our major towns and Mungiki is regrouping like an obvious force of nature! Any pretence is then discarded by the political class that is war-mongering all over the country and in parliament in the name of campaigning and launching their political parties, and like god s and goddess they are pontificating about how their people, read themselves, are the ones that are variously destined to lead this country come the next General Election. Pray, what happens when this doesn’t come to pass as it will sure do? So can Post Election Violence recur in the next General Election? Like Hon. Eugine Ludovic Wamalwa, the Minister for Justice, Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs, I too ask; Why not? Can the next President of the country be determined by Kenyans’ dream of the ideal? In December 1963, Kenyans were wild with celebration upon independence yet they were walking into the unknown. In their minds, they were getting to Nirvana. On August 1st 1982, ululations and even celebrations were witnessed all over the country when Mr. Mambo Mbotela announced over the Voice of Kenya (VoK) Kiswahili Service that “… polisi wote ni raia!” (… all police officers and now civilians). More recently in 2002, at Uhuru Park in ecstasy and jubilance multitudes sang yote yawezeka (all is possible)! Were all these not expressions of Kenyans tinkering with the ideal? Can they still dare seek the ideal leadership come next General Elections? Do they have reason to seek an ideal President come the next General Election? Of course you know my take on this as I again ask; Why not? The unrivalled Michuki support that beat the matatu monsters into discipline and order no one ever thought was possible in Kenya and the massive endorsement the New Constitution (is it still new anyway, with the numerous raping it has undergone by the tenth Parliament under the watch of the affable Speaker Hon. Kenneth Otiato Marende) received unequivocally demonstrates that Kenyans have not given up on the ideal country that Kenya should be, including leadership. So, just who is this ideal person that Kenyans may elect the 4th and next President of the country? First, let me start by who definitely is not the ideal one! Anyone who is inspired and motivated to contest for the Presidency on the basis of tribal consideration. Doubt not this as it has been demonstrated by Muranga- in the heart of Agikuyu variously electing a Jaruo as the Mayor of Muranga Municipality; Migori Municipality in Luoland has also elected a Somali as their Mayor; Nakuru Town in the heart of Rift Valley has had both a Luo and a Luhya elected as Members of Parliament. Can this be replicated at the Presidential elections level? I ask, why not? Second. The ideal President will not be any scandalous person. Meaning a person known or suspected to be engaged in or have been engaged in theft, immoral behaviours and all that is considered criminal locally, internationally, privately or publicly. Does such a person really exist? Isn’t a good thing supposed to be obvious to many eyes? Who is this? The questions is are ‘we’ really looking? And who is the ‘we’? Can ‘We The People’ be able to see and seek the said President on our own without being ‘guided’ by gatekeepers, opinion leaders and their instruments? In my opinion, the ideal President then is going to be, in addition to not being as described above; i. A Kenyan committed to walking the Kenyan dream appropriately and sufficiently expressed and written in the Constitution of Kenya (2010). ii. A person who has the compassion, courage, the drive and will to acknowledge all the historical injustices committed to Kenyans variously as individuals, people groups and communities. A person who will truly and fearlessly seek justice for all those who have been downtrodden on by a skewed system, an immoral class of fellow citizens and their cahoots or just sinful individuals. iii. A friend of the people. A person who in the past and present is associated with engaging in Leadership and NOT Dealership! Hey! ndolo asasa Esq, get real, this is Kenya and not Utopia! Do you really believe that such a person is possible? Or … do you too ask, WHY NOT?