We came up with a really great and progressive new constitution, but it came with one fatal omission: We forgot to outlaw prostitution, adultery, rape and incest.
Actually these crimes attract stiff penalties in ordinary circumstances, but they seem to be a mark of honour on the political circuit.I can find no other terms to describe the flurry of betrothal, betrayals and shameless promiscuity we have witnessed in the past week.
But even after the deadline passed for concluding unholy unions and depositing the pre-nup agreements with the Registrar of Political Parties, we are still seeing key leaders jumping from one bed to another.
We are seeing legally betrothed men and women standing in dark corners of K-Street displaying their wares and blandishments for the attentions of any floating suitors.Maybe it's all for the better. The frenzy of rushed unions has served to dramatically reduce the number of presidential aspirants from an unwieldy dozen-plus to a more manageable number.
We've never gone into a General Election with just two serious contenders and one significant third force - the rest just making up the numbers - so what we are witnessing is just the process of natural attrition knocking out no-hoppers or forcing their absorption by bigger groups.It is unlikely, however, that our democracy is evolving into an orderly multi-party system. In Kenya we don't have political parties; we have political vehicles and a bewildering collection of acronyms.
Some of the outfits are so shameless that they can even start peddling their own steering wheel even before the nuts and bolts are in place, as we have witnessed with Kiraitu's Murungi's "mbus" outfit.
A cursory look at the newspaper today will show a host of puny little parties advertising for sale nomination slots for all-comers who might want to run for president, governor, MP, Senator and anything else. Today the ruling party, if such concept exists in Kenya, is PNU, but it is dead and rotting even before President Kibaki completes his term. Prior to that president Kibaki came to power at the head of something called Narc which today is just some inconsequential adornment in Mrs Charity Ngilu's handbag.
The former all-powerful ruling party Kanu, whose 40-year monopoly of power was ended by Narc, has been reduced to some toy cockerel in Gideon Moi's playpen. Gideon's father, retired President Moi, first bequeathed the party to one Uhuru Kenyatta, who then dumped the party used by his own father to lead Kenya into Independence.
The younger Kenyatta realised that the tattered and frayed cuckoo was a hard sell and decided to craft an outfit of his own making. What he came up with was TNA, which cannot be defined as a political party, just a personal vessel for the pursuit of power.
Ditto ODM, Wiper, URP, KNC, POA, Narc Kenya, Ford Kenya and any number of other outfits that are unlikely to survive whoever owns them for the forthcoming elections. Even the Jubilee, Cord, Pambazuko and other alliances presently being crafted stand for absolutely nothing. They are quickie unions of convenience bringing together largely incompatible partners for instant gratification. We have spent nearly five years decrying the shortcomings of the shotgun marriage that is the present coalition.
The paralysis and pulling in different direction at times of crisis was infuriating and created instability that probably opened windows for terrorists, bandits and gangsters to operate as if there was no government. Now we are witnessing unholy unions that promise nothing other than the pursuit of State power and attendant benefits.
The voters must be thoroughly confused, but my advise would be to look beyond the principals of each alliance and into the garbage they tug along. The principle is that you are the company you keep. Would you vote for an outfit that gives former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga a place on its frontline?
And if a Nairobi resident, would you countenance a movement that offers you Ferdinand Waititu for Governor and Mike Sonko for Senator? The choice is yours. Meanwhile, go out and register as voter. That's the only weapon you have against these scoundrels.
mgaitho@ke.nationmedia.com
Actually these crimes attract stiff penalties in ordinary circumstances, but they seem to be a mark of honour on the political circuit.I can find no other terms to describe the flurry of betrothal, betrayals and shameless promiscuity we have witnessed in the past week.
But even after the deadline passed for concluding unholy unions and depositing the pre-nup agreements with the Registrar of Political Parties, we are still seeing key leaders jumping from one bed to another.
We are seeing legally betrothed men and women standing in dark corners of K-Street displaying their wares and blandishments for the attentions of any floating suitors.Maybe it's all for the better. The frenzy of rushed unions has served to dramatically reduce the number of presidential aspirants from an unwieldy dozen-plus to a more manageable number.
We've never gone into a General Election with just two serious contenders and one significant third force - the rest just making up the numbers - so what we are witnessing is just the process of natural attrition knocking out no-hoppers or forcing their absorption by bigger groups.It is unlikely, however, that our democracy is evolving into an orderly multi-party system. In Kenya we don't have political parties; we have political vehicles and a bewildering collection of acronyms.
Some of the outfits are so shameless that they can even start peddling their own steering wheel even before the nuts and bolts are in place, as we have witnessed with Kiraitu's Murungi's "mbus" outfit.
A cursory look at the newspaper today will show a host of puny little parties advertising for sale nomination slots for all-comers who might want to run for president, governor, MP, Senator and anything else. Today the ruling party, if such concept exists in Kenya, is PNU, but it is dead and rotting even before President Kibaki completes his term. Prior to that president Kibaki came to power at the head of something called Narc which today is just some inconsequential adornment in Mrs Charity Ngilu's handbag.
The former all-powerful ruling party Kanu, whose 40-year monopoly of power was ended by Narc, has been reduced to some toy cockerel in Gideon Moi's playpen. Gideon's father, retired President Moi, first bequeathed the party to one Uhuru Kenyatta, who then dumped the party used by his own father to lead Kenya into Independence.
The younger Kenyatta realised that the tattered and frayed cuckoo was a hard sell and decided to craft an outfit of his own making. What he came up with was TNA, which cannot be defined as a political party, just a personal vessel for the pursuit of power.
Ditto ODM, Wiper, URP, KNC, POA, Narc Kenya, Ford Kenya and any number of other outfits that are unlikely to survive whoever owns them for the forthcoming elections. Even the Jubilee, Cord, Pambazuko and other alliances presently being crafted stand for absolutely nothing. They are quickie unions of convenience bringing together largely incompatible partners for instant gratification. We have spent nearly five years decrying the shortcomings of the shotgun marriage that is the present coalition.
The paralysis and pulling in different direction at times of crisis was infuriating and created instability that probably opened windows for terrorists, bandits and gangsters to operate as if there was no government. Now we are witnessing unholy unions that promise nothing other than the pursuit of State power and attendant benefits.
The voters must be thoroughly confused, but my advise would be to look beyond the principals of each alliance and into the garbage they tug along. The principle is that you are the company you keep. Would you vote for an outfit that gives former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga a place on its frontline?
And if a Nairobi resident, would you countenance a movement that offers you Ferdinand Waititu for Governor and Mike Sonko for Senator? The choice is yours. Meanwhile, go out and register as voter. That's the only weapon you have against these scoundrels.
mgaitho@ke.nationmedia.com
