Some have called Mt Kenya the ‘political bride’ for the 2022 elections.
Its role in the succession battle after President Uhuru Kenyatta’s second and final term has been seen to have an outsized place in the “political consciousness”.
With no obvious Kikuyu leader ready vie in three years, those who are seen as contenders and their opposition have been building their constituencies ahead of the election.
Surrogates and groups such as Tangatanga and Kieleweke have been spending lots of time and promising many resources to the vote-rich region.
More sinister perhaps is how some have misrepresented the situation and tried to raise the spectre of tribalism to try and put this region in their pocket.
The recent press conference by 40 legislators from the region is a case in point. While many have genuine grievances that need to be addressed, some suspect that the people of Mt Kenya are mere pawns in this vicious power play in the lead up to the elections.
These political surrogates’ main bone of contention appears to be the reforms expected when the Building Bridges Initiative report is released. While we don’t know exactly what is in it, there are expected to be a rash of important reforms that will make our national and regional politics more fair, unified and peaceful.
The reforms were suggested by the people during their public hearings across the country, and they will be agreed to — or otherwise –by the people in the expected referendum.
The press conference and the statements issued were largely disingenuous because the problems enunciated are exactly the type of challenges we expect the BBI report to deal with.
They claimed that their region is underrepresented based on the population — a high number of voters but a relatively low number of constituencies.
One senator said, “We want the principle of one man one vote respected.”
They say they will reject the report even before it is released.
The BBI report is expected to endorse a new political system called proportional representation, which is exactly as it sounds.
Simply put, PR means that the exact number of votes will be reflected in the exact number of mandates and seats in Parliament. The answer is not to cut the number of MPs. No county will lose any seat or power. The opposite is true. Counties, where MPs are not proportionate to the population, will receive extra seats.
This pertinent fact should be enough to allay fears about underrepresentation.
Nonetheless, it is clear that these press conferences, petitions, and statements dismissing BBI are not about what is good for the people or the nation as a whole.
They are about personal ambition and the petty squabbles in the lead up to 2022 polls, which are hampering President Uhuru Kenyatta’s reforms.
Mt Kenya should not be seen as a prize. There should be no arranged marriages or backroom deals in Kenyan politics and Uhuru is doing is working towards the end of tribal politics where our votes are bought for a dowry.
Our votes should be sacrosanct and personal. They shouldn’t be thought of as ‘in the bag’ by any politician or presidential contender.
Our ears should prick up every time a politician attacks a reform that seeks to give greater power to the people, formulate a system that is more representative, and seeks to end tribalism for peace and unity.
Mt Kenya, like all parts of Kenya, is not for sale. It is not a bride waiting for Prince Charming to come and swoop it off its feet for the right price.
The people of Mt Kenya are intelligent and hardworking and will make the right decision on who to support when the time is right based on what is good for themselves and the country.
Our politicians would do better to support reforms that will create a more equitable country, rather than bash an honest attempt to rid us of our violent, corrupt and tribal past.
Using contemptuous terms such as ‘bride’ and assuming an entire region will vote a certain way because of a particular background has to end.
Such empty slogans only seek to keep us chained to tribalism and disunity.
