Former President Mwai Kibaki didn't so much involve himself with whom Kenyans were to elect in 2013, at least from what is publicly known.
The only known attempt he made was to try to talk the now President Uhuru Kenyatta out of the presidential race based on what was rumoured to be his concern about concentrating the power around one or two tribes and the then raging issue of the ICC cases against Uhuru and William Ruto.
Though it didn't work out, he didn't force his wish, largely allowing the electorate to make its own choice. President Kenyatta now seems to be doing the opposite of that. Like the late President Moi, Uhuru seems so much bothered by who should take over from him. In majority of transition cases, this is where the problem starts.
Leveraging on state machinery, the President may want to advantage a few he supports to the chagrin of the rest. If the Building Bridges Initiative is about dealing with electoral injustices that breed trouble after every poll, then such interference may work against his much vaunted unity efforts.
We live in a country where charlatans are straddling political space acting as though they are purveyors of peace and tranquility. The entry of the immediate UNCTAD secretary-general Mukhisa Kituyi to the presidential race is not accidental. It has been in the works for a year or so. Only that it's being made to appear as coming from his own motion.
While others are being told to halt their ambitions till next year, the forces always intent at controlling every move by Kenyans are on an overdrive scheming how power should be managed. It's this realisation that may make the 2022 General Election noisier if not uncertain given the proclivity by a clique to act as Kenyans' chaperons on matters leadership.
Odhiambo Jamwa is an economic and political analyst
