SPEAKER GIVES KIBAKI OPPORTUNITY TO UNDO THE "EMILIOGATE" SCANDAL

With the High court having declared the President`s act unconstitutional, all eyes turned on the House speaker to see whether his ruling could leave another egg on the President`s face. He stopped short of doing that but not without chiding the President for the manner in which he is determined to ride roughshod over the constitutional rights of the public regarding equity, fairness and justice for all. Thanks to the speaker the president has a window of opportunity to reflect and perhaps unmake the Emiliogate Scandal.

The Emiliogate Scandal as it has come to be popularly known was born out of the dizzying shuttle diplomacy that culminated in the suspect nominations into the constitutional offices. Kibaki`s adamant and intransigent stance to stick with his scandalized nominations lend credence to the theory that he is not only hell bent on riding roughshod over the country`s democratic ethos but that he has no intention whatsoever of pursuing justice for the 2008 PEV victims. The reason why he is hiding behind the obscure term “consultation” is such that his vile intentions cannot be ferreted out.

Kibaki`s move was not unexpected as his actions show that he has consistently pursued personal agenda at the expense of the Kenyan people. However, this time round Kibaki bit more than he could chew. His presidency has fallen into the worst faux pas since his being sworn into office in the ungodly hours of the day.
The Emiliogate Scandal has broken the people`s silence. It has given rise to flashfloods of people's resentment and protests. These protests are growing bigger by the day; the whirlwinds of anger are getting fiercer by the hour. These whirlwinds will sweep away all the litter and dirt along their vigorous paths as it increasingly becomes crystal clear to everyone that the Kibaki presidency has become unresponsive to their quest for justice, fairness and equity.

Apparently, his is a presidency that is increasingly serving the selfish interests of his protégés. By his logic Kibaki would rather condemn the Kenyan people to more years of illegitimate, fraudulent, unfeeling and corrupt governance, rather than heed the people's call for justice, fairness and equity! People are bound to break their silence and speak against his actions.

In the classic song "The Sound of Silence," Simon and Garfunkel remind us that "silence is like a cancer that grows." Taken to mean from a sociological viewpoint, that the "silent majority" may be silent for some time but not for long. Yes, rage can be silent, but as the saying goes, "Silent waters run deep." Silent waters can transform into raging waters. We have seen it in the Maghreb states. The signs are ominous in Kenya too.

In the wisdom of Kenneth Marende, it is not yet too late, the President can remedy the situation. And I want to agree with Marende that Kibaki truly has a choice. At the very least, he can nullify the nominations. This is so because no amount of cosmetics can mask the ugly countenance of his actions. If he heeds the Marende`s advice I am sure that the Kenyan people will respect him. His legacy will remain intact. After all, a good name (in history) is priceless. I only hope that Kibaki understands the great value of the opportunity that now lies before him.

I wish to remind the President as well as the legislators who are palsy walsy about his decision that true democracy demands consistency of struggle, not the cheap expediency of tactical alliances. Wheeling-dealing is not for true democrats.

Finally, I pray that God saves this country and its citizenry from reckless lawmakers who do not care about the harmful effects of their grandstanding on our people who are the hapless victims of their verbal tussles.