• There seems to be an elaborate and extricate campaign to attack, discredit and edge out the secretary general of the ruling party.
• These attacks have been systematic and calls for his dismissal are becoming louder by the day. Interestingly, those noises are coming from the same corner inside the Jubilee House.
A mountain was once greatly agitated. Loud groans and noises were heard, and crowds of people came from all parts to see what was the matter.
While they were assembled in anxious expectation of some terrible calamity, out came a mouse. I am sure that most people are familiar with such situations where we end up asking why people were creating a mountain out of a molehill.
Today, we are seeing a mountain being created out of a molehill in our political circles and specifically the ruling Jubilee Party.
It is also clear that there is much ado about nothing being created by those who have from the start opposed the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
There seems to be an elaborate and extricate campaign to attack, discredit and edge out the secretary general of the ruling party. And his only crime is associating with Raila who became a friend of Jubilee on March 9, 2018 when they shook hands with Uhuru.
These attacks have been systematic and calls for his dismissal are becoming louder by the day. And interestingly, those noises are coming from the same corner inside the Jubilee House.
Yet, we all know that those who support the handshake between Uhuru and Raila appreciate its fruits and thus know that Jubilee secretary general Raphael Tuju is doing nothing wrong.
The secretary general works at the pleasure of the President, who is the Jubilee Party leader. If Uhuru were dissatisfied, it would be clear, he would have already dealt with his secretary general
Tuju is on record saying that since the handshake, he has comfortably visited his rural home in Nyanza as he is no longer seen as an enemy. In his words, Tuju said that his mother could also safely go to the market without shoes being thrown at her.
It is, therefore, in Tuju's interest that Uhuru and Raila succeed in their endeavor of uniting all Kenyans through the handshake initiative. As the secretary general of the ruling party, Tuju would be working in cross purpose with the Jubilee Party leader, Uhuru, if he was to treat Raila how some in the party want him to.
It is also unfortunate that dirty laundry is being washed out in public; as such issues should be dealt with in-house. It is not hard for Jubilee Party leaders to raise issues relating to the party through the established structures.
After all, the secretary general works at the pleasure of the president, who is the Jubilee party leader and I am sure if Uhuru were dissatisfied, it would be clear. The President would have already dealt with his secretary general if there was a need to.
Therefore, the attacks and talks to remove Tuju from his position are premature and far-fetched. They are similar to the noises made by the mountain in the fable above only for a mouse to emerge.
Instead of trying to undermine the authority of the party leader by attacking Tuju, Jubilee members should focus on development as Uhuru has reiterated over and over again. As a nation, we cannot constantly be in an election mood.
Jubilee members and all Kenyans of goodwill should condemn these attacks. All Kenyans that have seen the fruits of Uhuru and Raila working together should also take the frontline and defend Tuju against these unwarranted attacks.
In fact, I would propose that we remind ourselves of the poem ‘First they came’ by Martin Niemöller that seems to be coming true. To extrapolate it to the situation in Kenya today, it would read something like:
First, they came for Tuju and I did not speak out because I was not a Jubilee member. Then they came after Parliament and I did not speak out because I was not an MP. Then they came for the President and I did not speak out because I was not a part of him. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.
If we care about this country, we will not allow the attacks on Tuju.