Timothy Kaberia, a Kenyan in the Diaspora, epitomizes the lot that will always find a reason to fault anything that the former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga does.
If the Prime Minister was to die today (God forbid), they would angrily ask, why did he die now? Why didn’t he tell us he was going to die?
This lot seems to forget that Raila Odinga is a mere mortal like you and me, who is bound to make mistakes in life just like every other person.
I read Kaberia’s article in the Star newspaper of April 10th and found it rather contradictory. He blames Raila for not attending the inauguration, while at the same time acknowledging that Raila’s “absence did not cause any hiccups, breach of protocol or even dampen the carnival mood at the stadium”.
I never read anywhere where the former Prime Minister claimed that his presence or lack of it was going to have any negative effect on the ceremony. The ceremony was bound to go on whether he was there or not! After all, what role was he going to play? Only attending for the purpose of being seen to be present?
Give the man a break!
There is therefore no reason why anyone should question why Raila was absent. While condemning Raila, Kaberia does not mention that Kibaki did not attend former president Moi’s swearing-in ceremony after the 1997 elections, neither does he mention that Uhuru Kenyatta did not attend the swearing ceremony of Kibaki in 2003.
My position is that attending a swearing-in ceremony is a personal decision and no one needs to question anyone not attending the ceremony. There are many Kenyans who did not attend (and do not attend national functions) and who are equally important. Why do we not question them? Kaberia says that not attending a national function shows lack of patriotism. Really? If this is true, then more than 95% of Kenyans are unpatriotic. This should be enough to tell him something about how Kenyans view national functions and their leaders.
I do not hold brief for Raila Odinga. In any case, he doesn’t know me and I don’t even think that our paths will ever cross. The much I know of him is what I hear of or read in the media.
Kaberia does not dispute the fact that Raila has played a major role in the democratization process in this country. However, I feel that Kenyans (both for or against him) tend to give him too much credit to the extent that they forget he is only a created being that will one day pass on, as it has been destined by God for man.
For now, let us remember that Kenya has a new president in Uhuru Kenyatta, who has the mandate of the people to lead the country. He is the one paid by the taxpayers to see that the country moves forward. He is the one we are looking up to to lead the country. The buck will stop with him and his team. Not any other unelected people, however powerful or important.
Raila Odinga has nothing to do with the direction that this country will take for the next five years. Yes he has played a pivotal role in this country’s development but let us not drag his name into every issue that comes up for discussion. We as taxpayers do not pay him and so he owes us nothing!
We have a president, Deputy-president, senators, governors and country representatives, who are paid by the taxpayers and it is these that we should keep on check from now on to deliver on their promises, not those who were not elected by the people.
Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka were not elected by the people and so let us keep them out of our conversations for now.
The name of Raila has been on the national radar and psyche for the last one decade. It is now time for Kenyans to move ahead and focus on real issues, not personalities!
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