New Era of Political Intolerance in Kenya

A New Era of Intolerance with ODM?
By Mwenda Njoka
Watching ODM Secretary-General Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o on TV on Thursday evening news threatening fire, brimstone and other highly combustible elements of torment in political hell to his cabinet colleague William Ruto and others for failing to toe the party line, I had a feeling of déjà vu.
I scratched my head and wondered. I closed my eyes and meditated. Where had I heard such words uttered with that better-than-thou air of political arrogance: “Spare the rod and spoil the child”?
For the whole night I tossed and turned in bed. I couldn’t sleep. My mind could not rest until I got to know the answer to the issue that was troubling me. Then at that unholy hour of the night when witches are said to stroll around naked and spirits roam the realms of the earth, it struck me. Alas? The answer to what was tormenting me had been starring at me all along.
JJ Kamotho. Circa: 1990. Kenyans are tired of the single-party rule of President Daniel arap Moi and KANU. Joseph Kamotho is the party’s all-powerful Secretary-General. He sees no evil, hears no evil, talks no evil and brooks absolutely no one talking evil of the party that is the ‘mother and father’ of the nation.
James Orengo, Paul Muite, Gitobu Imanyara, Kenneth Matiba, Charles Rubia, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the ubiquitous Raila Odinga and of course one Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o are the fore-front fighting against KANU’s political intolerance and lack of democratic space in the country.
KANU’s Secretary-General Joseph Kamotho at the time justifies the heavy-handed manner the Moi Government deals with the crusaders for multiparty democracy with the saying: “Spare the rod and spoil the child.”
Of course at this time Kamotho and the multiparty crusaders do not belong to the same political party. But Kamotho argues that as Kenyans, everyone is a member of KANU by virtue of the fact that “Kenya is a single-party state de jure.”
As such, Kamotho’s logic goes, since the KANU leadership has decreed Kenya a single-party state, anyone who holds—or tries to propagate— a contrary political view is guilty of serious political sins bordering on high treason.
Those in the then ruling party suspected to be sympathisers of the multiparty crusaders are harassed and harangued out of their political positions. The reasoning? “Spare the rod and spoilt the child.”
Among those on the outside who faced the full wrath of KANU’s intolerance at the time was one Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o. Ironically, Nyong’o’s colleague in ODM leadership, party Chairman Henry Kosgey (as well as William Ruto) was on the side of the tormentors at the time. But that is a story for another day.
Fast forward. Year 2010. Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o is the new Secretary-General in town. JJ Kamotho belongs to the annals of history. But wait a minute, his spirit lives on.
Of course twenty years is a long time in politics, the tables have turned. Nyong’o and those who were on the receiving end of KANU’s intolerance are the rulers of today. Now that the shoe is firmly in the other foot, Nyong’o and colleagues have forgotten the pain and wrath of political intolerance.
Granted, party discipline is a paramount virtue. But this certainly should not be instilled at the expense of larger good. In this case, a spirit of magnanimity towards William Ruto and other ODM members who were in the ‘NO’ camp would do more good to ODM as a party and Kenya as a nation.
I have many issues of disagreement with William Ruto but this does not negate the fact that he was exercising his inalienable democratic right when he led the ‘NO’ campaign. Taking disciplinary action against him—or anyone else— for this would be tantamount to President Kibaki waking up one morning and declaring that the three million Kenyans who voted for ‘NO’ are no longer Kenyans!
As the French say, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same). Unless Prof. Nyong’o and his ilk change their political thinking, perhaps Kenyans have a new reason to be afraid, very afraid.
Ends.
(The writer works with Royal Media Services and is a founder member of the non-profit media development organisation— Africa Centre for Investigative Journalism-ACIJ)