Kibaki, Odinga and the Old Kikuyu-Luo Rivalry

Five years ago President Mwai Kibaki was the darling of nearly every Kenyan as the opposition National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) swept power off the feet of the ruling party, Kenyan African National Union (Kanu). Sweet victory, as it were, many saw it as the dawn of a new era for a country that had been plagued by a litany of problems, including the cancerous corruption that has eaten deep into the heart of much of Africa. Also, it was a chance to try out new sets of policies to move the country forward and finally severe the cord that had been firmly entrenched by the then incumbent President Daniel arap Moi. More importantly, the attempt by Mr Moi to ‘install’ Uhuru Kenyatta, son of the country’s first president, as his successor had been effectively defeated as Kenyans loudly said they wanted no more of Kanu, which had ruled for nearly 40 years - Mr arap Moi, himself, had 24 of those. Indeed the elections were free and fair, and for Kenyans Mwai Kibaki’s victory marked the fresh beginning they had long waited for.
With the above pedigree, in addition to the fact that he had twice contested and lost elections when President Moi’s sit-tight drunkenness was at its peak, Mr Kibaki’s inception of office enjoyed the goodwill of all and sundry. And in turn he came with loads of promises, chief among which were to see the end of widespread corruption and revamp the country’s ailing economy. But like his big brother in Africa’s sleeping giant Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, his fight against corruption which took off well was soon accused of being one-sided and John Githiongo, the chief anti-graft officer of the regime was frustrated into quitting his job.
In an interview with the East African Standard over the controversy that trailed his resignation and conduct in office Mr Githiongo said: “If I am a traitor for fighting corruption so be it. I cannot apologise for that. A thief is not a lesser thief because he comes from your own tribe.” Turning to his Kikuyu kinsmen he warned that a few old men, courtesy of their arrogance and corruption, were fast turning them, Kikuyus, into a sort of pariah tribe in the country. Although many might have taken his words not as seriously as they should, his prophesy is fast becoming the reality.
One of the early signs that things were falling apart for Mr Kibaki’s government was the misunderstanding between him and some of his ministers and key figures in the coalition that helped defeat Daniel arap Moi. Particularly, Raila Odinga and some loyalists accused the president of betrayal following what they said was his failure to honour a pre-elections memorandum of understanding in respect of power-sharing. This tore through the coalition pitting the Odinga-led group against the president and his men. In what was to become a final straw in 2005, Mr Odinga, then a minister in President Kibaki’s government, took the battle too far when he, supported by his comrades, openly campaigned against and massively defeated his boss during the constitutional referendum in the country. And as if further daring him the rebels formed the Orange Democratic Movement – a new platform for waging opposition battles. Vexed by their action President Kibaki vindictively relieved the men of their positions. Thus, the rivalry took a new dimension at this point.
Whereas the ordinary onlooker sees this, possibly, as a normal rivalry between politicians seeking to win the mandate of electorate, the keen observer is, however, forced to look beyond the surface. Some analysts are of the opinion that the vicious opposition between President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga is a revisitation of the old rivalry between the Kikuyu and Luo tribes in the early 1960s. Then President Jomo Kenyatta, in spite of his charisma, yielded to tribal politics and fatally dealt with Odinga Odinga, a former ally, and even threw him in jail. He also declared the country a one-party state and outlawed opposition. It was his legacy, and by extension Kikuyu’s, that was carried on by Mr arap Moi until 2002 when, by some twist of faith, he was constitutionally barred from contesting the elections. Although his exit marked the end of Kanu’s sit-tight leadership, it also ushered in another Kikuyu politician, Mwai Kibaki.
Like Odinda Odinga in the first Kikuyu-Luo alliance that hastened the withering of colonial authority in Kenya, Raila Odinga’s contribution in the Narc alliance crucially helped in ending Kanu’s dynasty. And like the first alliance, the second also collapsed because politicians’ personal interests were elevated over and above those of the country and millions of its citizens.
Sadly, whereas in the days of the Kenyatta-Odinga bitter rivalry no blood was so heartlessly shed, this case is sharply different. The violence rages unabated. By conservative estimates nearly 1000 lives have been lost and more than half a million people displaced from their homes.
However, the multi-million question is will Kenya go the way of the Sudan, Uganda, Somalia, Congo etc? Will Africa ever get it right, especially if the Kenya that was once referred to as Africa’s most stable democracy collapses in this manner? Certainly Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, regardless of their past contributions, would never be absolved by history if they let this happen at their behest.