The politics of Barack Obama vs Kenyan politics of psychophants and turncoats!

By: Jerry Okungu
[

][Post to BookMarks @ AfroArticles.com]

[ Posted On: 2006-09-04 ]

The Kenya Government Spokesman has finally spoken. He has been followed in quick succession by our ambassador designate to the USA in quick succession.

Both gentlemen have finally said their piece in exercise of their inherent democratic rights and their right to free speech.

Peter Rateng' Oginga Ogego is no fool and neither is Dr. Alfred Mutua. In speaking out to voice their displeasure with Senator Obama's recent speech in Nairobi, they are not doing it for us or their country. They are doing it for the government of the day and for themselves.

And that is as it should be. The piper must sing the master's tune.

However, the two gentlemen had better remember one thing; that the United States of America is a powerful and arrogant nation. It may have problems with its citizens of divergent views but never make the mistake that the American government would take kindly to disparaging remarks against its rising star and a possible future president. America has the habit of rallying its troops behind one of its own in the event of a foreign onslaught. That is why its intelligence service is there to serve American interests.

It is not my intention to incite the American government against Obama's critics but believe me, that land of opportunity is fond of finding any excuse to punish those it doesn't like for one reason or another. One thing it detests is being told who among its citizens is bad and who is good by good-for-nothing Third World foreigners. I will therefore not be surprised if in the near future, Washington declines to accept Rateng' Ogego's accreditation as Kenya's ambassador and Alfred Mutua's visa to the US is cancelled for unexplained reasons. If they doubt me, let them ask Nicholas Biwott and Chris Murungaru among other prominent Kenyans suffering quarantine in Kenya today.

Barack Obama's visit to Africa, that included Kenya, brought out glaring parallels between governments in Africa and governments in established democracies. It was even more revealing in Kenya.

When he left the U.S.A for Africa, Barack Obama's security and all travel arrangements together with his family became the responsibility of the American government.

As the Senator of the State of Illinois, it did not matter that he was a Democrat and the Bush Administration was Republican. He was entitled to all state security and support that is the right of every American in public service at that level. That was the reason his press corps, Marines and an American Military jet was accorded him for his travel to the continent.

How many of Kenya's opposition MPs enjoy such government patronage when they go on trips abroad? I can tell you that there are instances when some of our ambassadors abroad have taken to their heels on bumping into opposition politicians in functions.

Unlike in America, being in opposition in Kenya is equivalent to being an enemy of the state; not to be associated with in public and if possible in private.

What is baffling about these late attacks on Obama from his country of origin is that for seven whole days as he planted trees, visited slums and consoled widows and Aids orphans in different parts of the country, no government official said a word. If anything, he made it clear from the onset that he was not coming to Kenya to get entangled in partisan politics. And to prove that point, he stayed clear of ODM rallies and politics. He paid homage to President Kibaki, Minister Tuju and Uhuru Kenyatta in their official capacities.

He visited Kibera without Raila Odinga and went to the University of Nairobi Taifa Hall without being accompanied by a single politician.

What did Barack Obama say that was so outrageously discourteous to the servants of this government? How come President Kibaki and his ministers never found anything intrinsically displeasing in Obama's ill-informed utterances that called for forgiveness from Alfred Mutua?

Unfortunately for Mutua, Obama had been fully briefed by Rateng' Ogego's office in Washington, so the question of being ill-informed did not arise! So, what went wrong? Did Obama refuse to read from Rateng's script? If so why? Did he detect some falsehoods after cross checking with other American intelligence sources including the American Embassy in Nairobi?

If I remember correctly, even though I was among the few Luos who never followed Obama to Kisumu, since he landed in Kenya, every time he met any government official, including President Kibaki, he talked about the need for this country to avoid negative ethnicity, corruption and to proactively deal with provision of healthcare, including dealing with HIV/ Aids and Malaria. He visited the downtrodden in their slums, widows and orphans in their villages and danced with them. He gave hope to the hopeless. He sought out young people at our universities and encouraged them to aspire to national leadership devoid of parochial ethnic politics.

If he visited Freedom Corner in Uhuru Park, to plant trees with Nobel Peace ambassador, Professor Wangari Maathai, and paid homage to the Standard Group following a vicious attack on them by John Michuki's rattle snakes, was that wrong?

The fact is; Senator Obama did not say a single thing that had not been said before on corruption, Aids and tribalism. If he acknowledged that corruption was a worldwide phenomenon but had reached crisis levels in Kenya, we all knew that since John Githongo's now famous BBC Hard Talk revelations early this year. If it were not so, Narc would not have sacked many judges and magistrates, set up the Golden Berg Commission of Inquiry and the Kenya Anti- Corruption Authority. If it were not so, Kibaki would not have sacked his personal assistant Alfred Gitonga, and his trusted ministers Kiraitu Murungi, David Mwiraria, Chris Murungaru and George Saitoti in the first three years of his administration.

I may be wrong but all those thousands of all Kenyans from all walks of life that thronged Senator Obama's functions in Nairobi, Kisumu and Siaya; could they all have been wrong?

Why did he appeal to so many Kenyans? Was there something good that Obama brought to Kenya?

Obama may have come from the land of the mighty dollar but I never heard him dish it out wherever he went the Kenyan style. He never flaunted his wealth if he had it in the first place.

The only time I read about Obama giving cash was at a widows and orphans home in Ugenya in Siaya District and it was not more than $30,000. What he brought was a strong message of love for Kenya and his desire to see nation grow in stature in the eyes of the international community. He wished us well and prayed that we ourselves would eradicate corruption, nepotism, tribalism and poor governance management practices. Was he wrong to do so? I don't think so.

Between Obama, Ogego and Mutua, I would rather have Obama any day to tell me if I'm naked rather than have Ogego and Mutua bury their heads in the sand and cheat me that I'm in my clothes while the rest are laughing at me.

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

Jerry Okungu is a freelance political analyst based in Nairobi, Kenya. Jerry also serves as a Board Director at The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. Jerry has written extensively on issues affecting Kenya and the rest of Africa over the years. Other articles written by Jerry Okungu are available at this location

| View Profile & All Articles By: Jerry Okungu |

		Post Comment
		Blog This Article!
		Discuss Article in Forum(s)
		Publication \| Reprint Terms

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Africa Articles Via RSS!

| Category Feeds | All-in-one Feed | Other Feed & Syndication Options |

Additional Articles From - Home | Politics | Africa

	Print This Article
	Post Comment
	Add To Favorites
	Email To Friends
	Ezine Ready \| Syndication
	Make PDF Article
	Post To del.icio.us
	Post To Furl
	Add To Google Bookmarks
	Submit To Netscape
	Add To Yahoo! My Web
	Add Main Feed To Outlook
	Post to BookMarks @ AfroArticles.com

	Post To BookMarkAfrica.com

Site Home

Article Categories

More Search Options

Site Map

Submit Articles

Top Authors

Most Recent Articles