THE SANCTITY OF THE NEW CONSTITUTION HAS NOTHING IN COMMON WITH POPULARITY CONTESTS.

I must confess that I was disappointed by honorable Uhuru Kenyatta`s reaction when the House Speaker ruled that president Kibaki`s nominations were unconstitutional. Uhuru was far from the vibrant, colorful and respectable gentleman that I have known and respected for so many years. In fact, I tried hard to convince myself that the man before the cameras was but his caricature.

Staring into the cameras in so threatening a manner, he threw his hands in the air, waxing lyrical about the speaker and the PM berating the president. His speech was punctuated with heavy heaving that was in itself an indication that he felt more than half-disposed to revenge. The scene was akin to that of contending professional boxers who consumed by anger, they wish to immediately beat senseless their opponents during the weigh-in and press briefing session prior to the bout. It is no wonder that my four year old daughter cringed every time Uhuru clenched his fist and hit the table so hard.

It is incomprehensible that a man who grew up in the most decent and sophisticated places in the world, tutored by the best instructors on public discourses and anger management could so shamelessly allow himself to be consumed with anger to the extent of becoming incoherent. This is why he does not see the difference between the sanctity of the new constitution and popularity contests. I dare say that it is incomprehensible for Uhuru who even in the face of the most trying moments of his life has always managed to get his act together to allow himself to be so ruffled by the speaker`s ruling.

But then, what exactly did Uhuru mean when he mumbled something about the new constitution giving the president a carte blanche to nominate those he deems fit? If what he alluded meant the president, thinking within the box rather than outside the box then I must confess that Uhuru got the intent and objectives of the new constitution wrong.

This is because thinking within the box is less challenging and is expedient to one's own short-term interest or political survival, but Uhuru ought to know that this is the very culture that Kenyans have decried. It is this culture that took this nation to the dogs. Unfortunately, Uhuru and many of his ilk were tutored in the same culture. This is why it is unsurprising that they still have the perception that even with the new constitution political leaders can always play the Russian roulette with the lives of Kenyans. To such politicians nothing will change for the better in our country, except for the lives of the few wily politicians, more so, those born with silver spoons in their mouths and those who are always privileged enough to enjoy the trappings of power. These are politicians who have the tendency of thinking that they own the country.

Fortunately, none other than president Kibaki himself went to the streets to fight against this culture during the second liberation of this country. I therefore have no doubt whatsoever that the president took the speaker`s ruling with a stride.

The unfortunate culture aside, I am still left wondering why Uhuru was behaving like the proverbial mourner who sheds more tears than the bereaved. Given that it is not his nominees that were rejected, I am still looking for a clue on why he seemed so rattled by the speaker`s ruling that he became incapable of conducting himself with decorum. May be I am stretching my imagination a bit far, but bear with me for entertaining the thought that perhaps Uhuru had a hand in picking those who successfully made it to the disgraced list of nominees.

Perhaps, this had everything to do with a pre-determined ruling in favour of the Ocampo six were the UN Security Council to grant us the plea for a deferral and later a referral based on the understanding that Kenya had established a “credible Judicial mechanism.”