Caption: Retired President Mwai Kibaki With President Uhuru Kenyatta. Photo: www.nation.co.ke
President Uhuru Kenyatta should ape the wisdom with which his predecessor Mwai Kibaki ruled our great nation. I know that wisdom is a God given gift that most of us lack but certain positions in society force you to bulldoze it into your system. If you notice some wisdom deficiency syndrome then act fast or risk global embarrassment.
The former President Mwai Kibaki had a common abusive phrase/joke that he used against his distractions. The “Mafi ya kuku” (chickenshit) statement was so common that many termed it Kibaki’s trademark joke. This utterance rarely annoyed his opponents and the media never popularized it. However, President Kenyatta needs to revise how he counters his political foes and critiques.
Picking up verbal fights with lesser politicians was not Mwai’s priority. If Kibaki went to commission a project at the coast or Turkana and a local leader behaves disorderly, Kibaki dismissed him/her maturely and went on with the business of the day. Trying to instill what the “government” sees as sense in the likes of Joho and Nanok is a waste of time by the Head of State.They are the people’s watchdogs and they do not deserve intimidation and threats. The more you concentrate on them, the more powerful they become.
Politics also demands sober choice of enemies something that Kibaki had perfected. Raila Odinga is not a friendly topic to stick on your lips daily if you dream of political dominance.
It used to be the ICC and now the song has Raila Odinga as its chorus. This has made even political amateurs to know the extent to which Uhuru fears Raila.
Despite the fact that Uhuru’s friends including DP Ruto and Parliament Majority leader Aden Duale have failed him in muting the opposition guru, he has to drop the Odinga topic in his speeches.
There are many areas where the old but golden Kibaki outscores Uhuru however, public display of anger and economic collapse are the most evident measures. Uhuru should pay Kibaki a visit and beg for advice on economic prosperity, PR and anger management among other things.