Last week the Deputy President was in the United States for a 10-day tour. During one of his addresses, DP William Ruto alleged attempts to deny Kenyans the right to elect leaders of their choice. He also alleged blackmail, threats and intimidation in the run-up to the August 9 general election.
His words were an echo of what has always been said every general election. ODM leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has always called the country’s attention to these very concerns but his plea always fell on deaf ears.
Those at the helm of power, including the current 'champion of democracy' and electoral justice Ruto, did nothing about it. His allegations can be termed hypocritical for a number of reasons.
Firstly, after the Supreme Court annulled the 2017 presidential election, Ruto and his boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta, went for a rally at Burma market where they dismissed the court and any western influence on Kenya’s democracy.
They even vouched for constitutional amendment to electoral laws to fill the gaps identified by the Supreme Court when it annulled the election. All these were affirmations that the DP believed in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to deliver fair elections.
Secondly, in nullifying the presidential election, the David Maraga-led Supreme Court ruled that the IEBC conducted the general election in disregard of electoral rules. The court ruled the presidential election null and void and ordered the IEBC to open its servers.
Years later, the commission is yet to obey that order and the current champion of Kenya's democracy has never said a word about it. Instead, he is on record during his campaigns declaring that he cannot be rigged out.
Thirdly, key among the principles of democracy is the right to life. In the lead-up to the 2017 election, IEBC ICT manager Christopher Msando was tortured and murdered. The perpetrators of this heinous act are yet to be brought to book and little has been said about it. A cry for democracy by the DP demands that these past evils that are a clear compromise of the democratic process be addressed lest one builds on a baseless foundation.
In conclusion, democracy has become such a mockery that even the harshest dictators call themselves democratic. But what is democracy? The words of Abraham Lincoln in tribute to the soldiers that sacrificed their lives and fortunes in order that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth, are often used as the definition of democracy, especially in schools.
On literal application, especially in an African setting, the people cease to be the general public but the few who benefit from the system.
Communication student at Multimedia University of Kenya
