Sunday Times
Omar Ahmed Ali__________
Call me pessimist number one but I can say with certainty that, the mediation efforts being spear headed by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the high profiled former heads of state team, to reconcile and or find a political solution in Kenya will not bear any fruit. I could easily say it is going to be it is a waste of time to say the very least.
Call me pessimist number one but I can say with certainty that, the mediation efforts being spear headed by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the high profiled former heads of state team, to reconcile and or find a political solution in Kenya will not bear any fruit. I could easily say it is going to be it is a waste of time to say the very least.
I say so because when Orange Democratic Movement leaders Raila asserts that the only options on the table for discussion were the resignation of President Mwai Kibaki and a re-run of the presidential elections, and possibly the formation of a transitional government to take charge pending new elections. I wonder how this goping tot be possble in the current Constitutional arrangement. On the other hand, President Kibaki is unlikely to relinquish the presidency and go for a re-run of the presidential election.
And is he ready for the formation of a transitional government because he has already stated that he is the duly elected president. Here lies the big problem: Raila on his part does not recognize Kibaki as the legitimate head of state and has stated that he is not prepared to become a prime minister under President Kibaki. Where then does one expect reconciliation or political solution when the two main political protagonists have taken such extreme positions.
My question comes, where is Anan heading considering this Kibaki and Raila hard-line stands? Having made it possible for Raila and Kibaki to meet face-to-face and do a photo op show does not mean anything. Innocent lives are being lost and more people will continue to die while those seating on the high chairs on both sides of the political divide, together with their families are not affected at all.
The fact of the matter is that Kenya has more problems than what many people are prepared to admit. I also find it odd that it has taken Raila more than three weeks and after the death of estimated 600 innocent souls to tell his ODM supporters to embrace peace, exercise restraint and shun violence and destruction of property. The press quoted the Langata MP noting: “Let us not fight each other. Our war is between a small clique of bloodthirsty politicians around Kibaki who want to maintain the status quo and the large masses who are agents of change. Do not burn a poor man’s property. He never stole the election at KICC.”
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Sunday Times- kenya
Updated on: Sunday, February 03, 2008 Story by: OMAR AHMED ALI
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