Time for EALA and Kenyan politicians to turn a new page

As Christmas draws nearer many are in a haste to clear their desks and switch to the holiday mood. The annual exodus many urban dwellers embark on so they can spend the festive days in their ancestral homes has already begun and in some places transport prices have been hiked in respect to the demand. Not to be left out are the politicians. They have been very busy in the past week in a bid to tie up loose ends before breaking off for the long holiday season. Here in Rwanda it was annual national dialogue, Umushyikirano that brings together all leaders as they take stoke of the year and set targets for the next year. The dialogue chaired by President Paul Kagame also ropes in the general public and even those in the Diaspora who can follow via the live TV and radio feed or follow online on various social media platforms. I have noticed that many people from the region also attend the dialogue and maybe it is one thing others can also adopt in future. In Uganda the ruling party, National Resistance Movement held a delegates conference to amend their party constitution. The amendments that included giving the chairman of the party powers to appoint party office bearers were adopted without much trouble and the process was generally peaceful. At the regional level the people we sent to Arusha finally decided to kick out their speaker. Hon Margaret Nantongo Zziwa was suspended in November by the members of the East African Legislative Assembly over abuse of office and a list of other charges. She then challenged the suspension in court but also lost that round and the last nail in the coffin was her impeachment on Wednesday. On Friday the EALA members voted Hon. Dan Kidega as the new Speaker to replace Margaret Zziwa. The youthful Dan Kidega clearly has his work cut out to redeem the image of EALA. EALA has only made news for the wrong reasons in the recent past. Much as the EALA members have been disgraceful throughout the year, the politicians in Kenya seem to be bent on institutionalising hooliganism. It the past week the level of political hooliganism reached new heights with the chaos that characterised the parliamentary debate on Thursday during the special sitting to debate the new Security Amendments Bill 2014. The MPs tore and threw papers all over the place, engaged in fist fights that saw one member’s finger bitten while one senator had his trousers torn. The speaker was not spared as one member threw one of those big law books at him. When the deputy speaker too charge later, a lady MP poured water on her as others continued with the fighting and heckling. The shameful behaviour of the politicians is indeed very worrying because I am noticing a disturbing trend that points to the institutionalisation of hooliganism. The nominations in Homa Bay to replace the Late Senator Otieno Kajwang ended in violence almost the same way the party elections for the main opposition party. Let us not forget that soon after elections the Governor of Nairobi County was caught on camera slapping a Women’s Representative for Nairobi. We have also seen disgraceful behaviour from the politicians who went to the Hague to support their leader. It is increasingly becoming harder to tell the politicians from the Gor Mahia football hooligans. What happened on Thursday overshadowed the debate of a very crucial bill and although it was eventually passed and signed into law by President Kenyatta I was left wondering what those politicians told their children when they reached home. How can your children respect you when they see you on TV punching the person you are paid to discuss with? The other day we were talking about the goons who were undressing women on the streets but after seeing the politicians it is hard to ignore the common saying that we get the politicians we deserve. If indeed those shameless politicians are a reflection of the Kenyan society then there is need for some deep reflection. Like the members of EALA, Kenyan politicians should quickly find ways to redeem their shattered public image. We need to develop a culture of tolerance where we listen to each other instead of tearing each other apart. If you do not agree with something the alternative should not be to cause embarrassment yourself.

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Time for EALA and Kenyan politicians to turn a new page