After a long, exhausting campaign period and election, the outcome has been disputed by the Azimio-One Kenya coalition and seven others, citing massive fraud and tampering, which could have defiled the will of the people. With all the evidence having been placed before the Supreme Court, all that Kenyans can do is wait and see what the verdict will be.
The two leading political factions have all along presented themselves as the best choice for Kenya. Azimio-One Kenya stands for the progressive ideas of freedom of choice, transparent, legit democracy and empowerment for all.
The Azimio camp, led by the biggest champions of devolution and proponents of the deferred BBI dream, has always stood for fair and equitable distribution of resources to all parts of the republic so that every Kenyan can enjoy their benefits.
Kenya Kwanza is made up of politicians who largely stand for the old ways of controlled opinion and capitalism, which sees a few people enjoy success and abundance of resources, while the masses have limited access to the same, making them fully susceptible to the sway of the privileged few.
However, based on what many Kenyans have heard during campaigns, this statement sounds ridiculous. But there is a difference between optics and reality. While Kenya Kwanza has been playing classic lip service on mass empowerment, they know deep down that they are in power to have the ability to amass wealth.
But in perfect psychological play, they deflect the tag to their opponents, so that guilt within, if any is felt at all, is not visible from the outside. Capitalism in a fair environment is not bad because it rewards the most hardworking people. However, crony capitalism designs the systems to suppress the less privileged and allow a few people in control, to benefit.
This way, the few people in charge are able to exert dictatorial control over the less privileged, dependent masses. While Kenya Kwanza has accused Azimio of this, it is important to remember that even Jesus was accused of identity theft, and the real thief was the darling of the people.
Azimio-One Kenya comes across as the group that will always prioritise the interests of the general public over political expediency. Let me call your attention to the issue of subsidised maize flour and fertiliser. The moment President Kenyatta announced measures to reduce the cost of the two commodities, Kenya Kwanza came out guns blazing, protesting the idea, because they felt that the matter should not have been let to benefit Kenyans because it might have given political expediency to their opponents.
Their opposition to the subsidy may not have stopped at protest pressers because we saw maize flour hoarded and was only available to Kenyans in quinine quantities. Do not underestimate the ability of other forces to hold a country’s economy hostage. While President Uhuru Kenyatta genuinely wanted to save Kenyans from the high cost of the two commodities, Kenya Kwanza opposed it because it did not stand to give them any political credit.
The Raila and Karua-led faction is one that does not know how to give up on something that they love—that being the Republic of Kenya. In strong belief backed by water-tight evidence that the election was, compromised, the team has taken the tedious legal route to fight for Kenyans whose will they are sure was subverted through dubious backroom deals and actions that denied the rightful winner the deserved victory.
This is not a personal fight but a fight to make sure that the light of the will of the majority is respected and not thwarted by the selfish interests of a few people. That Azimio is in court defending the will of the people and the chance for the best leadership for the nation should be lauded for the selflessness that it depicts.
Many have wondered out loud whether it is okay for there to always be claims of election rigging. As an emancipated society, Kenyans should stand behind efforts to reform our institutions and shore up the dignity of our processes.
When dealing with a group of wrongdoers, the whistleblower is usually labelled a madman, just so that the masses can ignore the truth that he is telling. The evidence of election results manipulation presented by Azimio is overwhelming and as Kenyans wait for the Supreme Court to hear the presentations and present itself, Kenyans should resist any attempts to convince them to dismiss the petitioners as madmen and madwomen.
Kenyans should settle for nothing less than a free, fair, transparent, verifiable election process with a credible outcome.
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