Kibaki must step down!

Who knew: Mwai Kibaki, an old man, so much educated and touted to be patient like disputed president, would commit tomfoolery as it happened a few days ago? Who anticipated that the country famed for being East Africa’s economic power house would slip easily into carnage and economic pull-downs? It is an open secret now. Kenya is at crossroads. Once again, a blood bathed-cum thirsty cabal of dugongs and sharks are at war with the same power brokers who camouflaged themselves as reformers. In this seesaw, the sufferer is the common man.

Assess Kibaki the way you deem fit. The truth is: he is a shame and danger to Kenya, if he does not allow common sense to rule. Why shouldn’t he be if he can comfortably cling to power illegally as hundreds lose their lives? Why should he not be if what he did is an insult to the democracy that ushered him in?

On one hand we have Kibaki and his sycophants trying to hoodwink the world: he won presidency. On the other hand, mercurial Raila Odinga, who is regarded true winner in the just ended charade-like-political mockery referred to as elections.

Although the enmity between Kibaki and Raila somewhat went out of nation interests, Raila has something more to offer voters than Kibaki who in principal is unfit even hygienically to man the country in the 21st century.

If it were not for power hunger, greed, myopia and hangover, Kibaki had no legal reasons whatsoever to cling to power. But who knows what goes on behind the curtain especially where corruption is the in thing? Please stop making jibes onto our democracy and countries.

I still remember Kibaki’s words: "I humbly and thankfully stand before you to thank you for giving me another term to serve you…" Hither is whither politicians act like prostitutes. They swear by and in the name of God to serve the people but end up using the same people to serve their dubious interests and those of their cronies.

It needs a mad man’s heart to allege one loves his "people and his nation" as Kibaki put it whilst the same person is the cause of the miseries of the same people he alleges to love. How many Kenyans are losing their lives, future, tranquility and property just because Kibaki rigged elections so as to die in power?

It needs a tongue of a serpent -in whatever parlance- to utter such love words to the melee whose lives have been turned upside down just because one demi-god wants to stay put plundering the state from the state house. It needs a blind eye to see a promising future in the country which is heading for genocide. To prove this hypocrisy, Kibaki is stonewalled amidst calls to invite the international community to mediate the whole fracas-cum massacres!

The tax payer’s money is burnt to enhance this power theft-cum robbery be blessed by international community full of double-faced creatures.

What creates shocks and suspicions is the fact that some of those behind the jiggery-pokery of "bringing back the calm’ are themselves tainted. Take a person like Jakaya Kikwete, the president of Tanzania. His Zanzibar hard nut is still not cracked as he is gasping: he jumps into the other even harder and bigger one! If he thinks; he is a magic bullet, why then did he fail to solve his backyard symmetrical shame in Zanzibar? Shall we trust such a failure? Ugandan Dictator, Yoweri Museveni has already weighed in, soon it will be Rwandan Paulo Kagame! If anything, this is white washing and hoodwinking of Kenyans who should not accept to be taken for a ride.

Indeed, we badly need calm and stability in Kenya. But again, right- not light answers and approach -by right people- should be the way forward. The solution for Kibaki and his pals is nothing but for Kibaki to see the light as he accepts the recount of the votes even reconvening of the elections.

Those who seriously and judiciously want to help Kenya should tell Kibaki the truth which is in Kenyans slogan of Kibaki Must Go!

Let Kibaki go and let the democracy and tranquility come. Why should the nation take a dip in chaos just because one self seeker wants to safeguard his felonious interests and acts! If we face it head on, Kibaki is but a shame to his country in particular and Africa in general.


By Nkwazi Mhango
Mhango is a Tanzanian living in Canada. He is a Journalist,Poet, Teacher, Human Rights activist and member of the Writers' Alliance of New Foundland and Labrador (WANL)


Source: African Executive Magazine Issue 142

And: My broken and sunken heart I pour out for our brethren in Kenya.