Squeaky-bum time in Kenya

As I sat down to write this, so much was happening. To start with, Uganda’s leader lost his dear 96-year-old father, Mzee Amos Kaguta. Death is always painful to all of us and I send my condolences to the bereaved family.Having lived to a ripe age of 96 and given us a son who has been in charge of the country for a quarter of a century, he surely deserves to rest in peace. Condolences have been coming in from all corners of the world to the Kaguta family.From sombre moments in Kampala to Kigali where the long-awaited FESPAD official opening was welcomed by a storm. The Pan African Dance festival lasts for a whole week this time under the theme “Spirit of Expression” will feature prominent musicians such as Jamaican dancehall star, Beenie Man, Ice Prince from Nigeria, Uganda’s Keko and of course Kidum, who I think is an East African music icon.It was also nice to read that the European Union has agreed to contribute 5 million Euros as part of its contribution to the reconstruction of Bujumbura’s central market, which was totally razed by a huge fire on January 27. It is a good gesture to help our Burundian brothers and sisters get back to their feet.In Tanzania it was the Kenyan president who was being feted with a road being named after him. President Mwai Kibaki will not be contesting in the March 4 elections so he has been doing the rounds launching new roads, railways and new universities.It was therefore a good farewell gesture from the Tanzanians to rename Old Bagamayo road Mwai Kibaki Road.But I was disturbed by the shocking news about the mass failure of students in Tanzania that was put at about 60 per cent. This says a lot about the education system in East Africa’s biggest country but I will return to this issue some other time.With exactly a week to the Kenya general elections, things are quickly taking a worrying turn. The football fans call this the squeaky-bum time. This refers to that tension-filled moment when mistakes are made due to the intensive pressure before the final whistle.The campaign cycle has now reached this point and the signs are quite clear. The polls indicate that it is indeed what Raila Odinga had long prophesied – a two-horse race, the other horse being Uhuru Kenyatta.Many are praying that the elections do not become a repeat of 2007 but the ethnic rivalry that is largely blamed for the post-election violence in 2007 seems to be at another high once again. Already, there are reports of leaflets being dropped in some areas ordering ‘aliens’ to leave. Such leaflets have been spotted in Kisumu and Mombasa.There is also a lot of hate speech going on via social media. On Twitter it is easy to see that most tweets are laced with tribal sentiments. I have also seen a Facebook page with more than 2000 likes dedicated to “Not another Kikuyu president.”The Chief Justice, Dr. Willy Mutunga also cried out saying he has received death threats from people claiming to be Mungiki veterans. As if that was not enough, he also said that the head of the public service had instructed immigration officials to bar him from travelling out of the country.The tribal nature of Kenyan politics is peaking again with some presidential candidates even being pelted with stones once they visit areas that are considered ‘not theirs.’ Others are actually just avoiding some of the places where they know things cannot be easy.Uhuru Kenyatta, who seems to be carrying the baggage of his family’s real estate property, prefers to send William Ruto to the campaigns in Taita Taveta, where his family is said to own more than 60 per cent of the land.It also looks like it is that silent reason behind reports that Uhuru Kenyatta will not be part of the second presidential debate to be held on Monday. The second debate will focus on land issues and foreign policy – both areas where Uhuru is disadvantaged.The family’s land interests remain a thorn in the thigh for Uhuru while his foreign policy has been the defiant but questionable “We don’t need the West” line thanks to the ICC issue. All said and done, we pray for peace because 2007 was bad enough. We should be moving forward and I hope Kenyans can remember to keep peace throughout the process.