Kenyans are consummate political animals and a large swathe of our people have switched into complete political mood. Talk of elections is everywhere you turn. From radio stations, social media platforms of every tone and taste, and newspapers and TV stations, election talk dominates the airwaves.
The mood is upbeat, but also tempered by the fear of potential violence, especially during the polls. The fear is well founded on account of the politically inspired acts of violence for which the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and his team have done nothing.
Kanja has decided to sit on his hands while Kenyans peer into a future in which the killings and maiming of 2007 look like a definite possibility.
Kanja and team have been forthcoming when warning politicians and youths about how to conduct themselves peacefully in rallies and meetings.
But he seems to have no interest in reassuring a country that is increasingly getting wary about the prospect of political violence.
He is long on warnings and short on action, and that cannot reassure the public, tourists and even investors that Kenya is a safe place to do business.
The police have so far failed the Ol Kalou by-election test. Hooded criminals attack and confiscate cameras from journalists and Kanja does not as much as acknowledge that a crime has been committed.
Quote of the day: “If there is one clear lesson of our century, it is this: where aggression is tolerated, it multiplies.” —American politician and presidential candidate in 1996 Bob Dole was born on July 22, 1923
