Absurdity has long defined our politics but when it reaches a point where the meek are telling us that they are going to lead us out of our current political, social and political rigmarole, then we know we may never be out of the woods anytime soon. We lie to ourselves that by repeating the same old mistakes we are going to get better results.
A cursory analysis of what we have been fed to since the 2017 election reveals a patchwork of coalitions which, though couched as unity vehicles, are mere facades aimed at lionising political minions and propping up tribal kingpins for use at appropriate time.
The One Kenya Alliance of Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi, Gideon Moi and Moses Wetang’ula must be seen in this context. It's not just selfish but outright perpetuation of politics of exclusion.
While the quartet doesn't represent even a third of this country, their posturing shows a desperate team craving attention and relevance while leveraging on state largesse. Their statement that they are the face of Kenya is laughable for it is a no-brainer to imagine that a group struggling to unite their local communities can unite the country.
If the handshake was meant to help its architects deal with the coming succession politics, the so-called One Kenya Alliance is a unity of convenience meant to hit back at an old friend turned foe. The alliance is important for those who want the succession to go a certain way because dealing with village or tribal leaders isn't as complicated as handling national figures.
One by one, they will be boxed into their tribal cocoons and managed from there using their fellow tribal compatriots as checkmates. All these works are tagged at a price. Because they have latched on a pretentious notion that one only needs the support of the power-that-be to win a presidential race, playing them to support whom the state want won't be herculean. More tribal chiefs will be joining but the parting grace is that Kenyans seem to be having their own ideas.
Time will tell if gullibility will replace sound reflections and those bent on hoodwinking Kenyans will get their pound of flesh.
Odhiambo Jamwa is an economic and political analyst
