KENYA: The Quest for an Alternative Political Leadership Continues

Neither of the two factions of the current Kenyan comprador bourgeoisie is the answer to the country’s quest for an alternative political leadership. The opportunistic and unpatriotic argument among intellectuals who support both factions is that one is a ‘lesser evil’ for the broad Kenyan Left to work with. The Gen Z uprising of last year has exposed this concession as an opportunistic and unpatriotic political lie. As one of the Millennial activists who worked with the Gen Z in the uprising posted on the social media platform X, the two factions are ‘ideological and political birds of the same feather’; and they need to be overthrown together for any political change to take place in Kenya. The progressive forces in Kenya have no doubt as to who the country’s enemies, external and internal, are - the comprador bourgeoisie, enslaved by the foreign interests of the imperialist bourgeoisie.

Raila Odinga has been engaged in five political handshakes that have always reinforced the dictatorship of whichever faction of the 61 years old KANU-JOMO KENYATTA-MOI-KIBAKI-KENYATTA-and RUTO dictatorship. The latest pact between Odinga and Ruto, reflected in the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) is yet another betrayal of the rights of the people of Kenya. President Kibaki once opined that it takes intelligence to lie. The Odinga-Ruto pact shows the absolute lack of intelligence needed to lie to the Kenyan people. The 10 ingredients of this lie are: 

• The Implementation of the NADCO report to ensure ‘inclusivity, good governance, and protection of devolution’;

• The Creation of the Office of the Official Opposition Leader that ‘aims to enhance political accountability and provides a structured role for the opposition’;

• The Reinstatement of the Prime Minister’s Position that ensures ‘balanced governance and effective administration’;

• Promotion of inclusivity that ensures ‘equal participation in leadership and decision-making, particularly for marginalized groups’;

• Strengthening devolution by ‘addressing financial challenges faced by the county governments and ensuring equitable resource allocation’;

• Combating corruption by ‘strengthening accountability mechanisms to fight corruption and ensure ethical leadership’;

• Safeguarding the right to assemble by ‘protecting the right to peaceful assembly and demonstration, as guaranteed under the constitution’;

• Addressing public debt and taxation by ‘promoting transparency in public finance management and reducing the national debt burden’;

• Youth employment and opportunities by ‘investing in job creation and opportunities for the youth’; and

• Upholding human rights by ‘ensuring the protection of human rights and addressing issues such as enforced disappearances.’

This unthinking pact insults the intelligence of the Kenyan people. The second and third promises are classic Odinga demands that are well known to the Kenyan people. How does a structured role for the opposition survive when it becomes the Government’s poodle? Did the Office of the Prime Minister, when Odinga was the office holder (2008-2013) give Kenya balanced governance and effective administration? No. The components of this pact are therefore more than words. They are unmitigated lies.

The rest of the promises beg the question why the Constitution, which decrees those rights, has never been implemented. The truth of the matter can be reflected in the following metaphor: Kenyans gave birth to a beautiful baby, the Constitution of Kenya 2010, but we handed over its upbringing to a political ruling class of child traffickers. We have never had the political will and commitment from either the government or the opposition to implement our progressive Constitution. Indeed, the Constitution has been found inconvenient by both factions of the ruling class.

How does a ruling class that has excelled in corruption, outright theft, and monumental waste of public resources promise to combat corruption, strengthen devolution, and reduce the national debt and taxation? How does this class talk about addressing youth employment and opportunities when its actions are to send our youth to enslavement in the Arab world? How does a class that has abducted, disappeared, extrajudicially killed, falsely arrested, and maliciously prosecuted the youth, talk of the right to assemble and demonstrate, and upholding human rights? This is utter hypocrisy and idiocy. And Kenyan people can see through this blatant deception. Indeed, Gen Z has done so as evidenced by the June 2024 uprisings against the finance bill (See Mutunga in Pambazuka News 892).[1]

What lies in this pact show is the criminal complicity of the political parties involved and Odinga’s evil genius in reinforcing dictatorships he has materially benefitted from. No wonder his political ‘handshakes’ have been dubbed ‘hand cheques’. Those of us on the Kenyan Left who still think that Odinga is blameless should put him into a political trajectory that allows us to glorify his political actions of the past as well as vilify his five political handshakes.

As we wait for the first anniversary of the Gen Z revolution in June 2025, the question of a political opportunity to birth an alternative political leadership is no longer on the horizon. The birth of this alternative political leadership has already taken place, and it will continue to grow in strength. The politics of division, the evil genius of the comprador bourgeoisie, is coming to an end, and the hope and consciousness of liberating our Motherland continues and is unstoppable.

Hasta la Victoria Siempre! /Until Victory, Always

Patria O Muerte! /Homeland or Death

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