Raila paid dearly for it and what his supporters now hope for is the third and final liberation of the country. At the core of the second and the pending third liberation is freedom of speech and association, which in turn are the bedrock of any democracy.
Where these freedoms prevail, democracy thrives. Where either or both are non-existent, there is no democracy.
Freedom of speech and freedom of association make it possible for the people to truly enjoy their sovereignty. When none of these existed in the years before the Second Liberation, the country was run no different than any garden-variety dictatorship, where the man at the top ruled by whim.
And the men and women below him feared and never, ever dared challenge any of his whims. Add that with his ability to buy any votes he wanted in Parliament, then you had a recipe for what we experienced for more than 24 years.
These are the fears in nearly half of the country now that we are yet in another election limbo. Raila has filed a petition challenging the declaration of UDA presidential candidate William Ruto as president-elect. The Supreme Court now has 14 days from the date of filing the petition to render its verdict.
It is not prudent to speculate on how the court will rule but if you ask Raila supporters what the outcome will be, they are confident the declaration of a president-elect will be nullified and the appropriate orders given. If you ask Ruto supporters, they are already celebrating that their man is the president-elect.
The court will render its verdict but we already know whichever way it rules, there are going to be millions upset in the least.
However, one thing that is as clear as it can be, both Raila and Ruto will take the country in different directions should either one be sworn as president.
One will keep the country on the path of democracy and promised economic prosperity, while the other one will hit the reverse gear and in no time erase all the democratic gains.
In the latter case, Kenya will find itself worse than it was before 2002 and that is based on the tale tell signs we have seen.
There are many countries in Africa whose leaders believe democracy is not ideal for the continent and maintain only having a strongman is the solution to their version of governance. Everyone other than their admirers disagree.
There cannot be a substitute to democracy where those entrusted with the will of the people are held to account for the power they wield. Those who salivate for enormous and unchecked power don’t use it for the good of the country but what is good for themselves and their cronies, leaving everyone else to languish.
It defies logic why anyone would desire or not care having that kind of leader wielding the instruments of power in Kenya. What is also interesting about such leaders is they are very smooth in their machinations and often have very nice smiles, even as they’re clenching fists and grinding teeth to avenge.
On the flip side, we have people who, having seen Raila yet again being rigged out as he states in his petition, have become disillusioned, dejected, and downright demoralised to the point of even urging him to concede.
They obviously do not appreciate democracy, and if throwing in the towel instead of fighting for democracy and rule of law is their solution, then let’s hope there will not come a day when neither of them will bear with, “I told you.”
The country is yet again at a crossroads and even though we are fortunate in that peace is prevailing, notwithstanding the disputed elections, we are praying that the Supreme Court renders a decision consistent with the facts and the law.
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