Stop the reckless rallies lest Covid-19 ravage us
What you need to know:
- Church functions, funerals and social events have been converted into political rallies, raising temperatures and distracting the public from critical issues of the day.
- Tied to this is the proposed constitutional amendments under the Building Bridges Initiative, which has elicited mixed reactions
Events of the past few weeks indicate a return to full-blown political campaigns. Politicians have commenced high-stakes rallies, contrary to Covid-19 regulations.
Church functions, funerals and social events have been converted into political rallies, raising temperatures and distracting the public from critical issues of the day.
Two issues are of concern. First, the rallies attract huge gatherings and create a conducive environment for spreading coronavirus.
The rallies abrogate the safety rules, expose many to infections and depict the political class as reckless and lawless. Secondly, the premature campaigns are toxic, muddle the political landscape and plant seeds of discord.
At the back of all this is political transition triggered by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s exit that is due in August next year after completing his two five-year terms.
Tied to this is the proposed constitutional amendments under the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), which has elicited mixed reactions.
Political truce
President Kenyatta and Opposition Leader Raila Odinga are pushing through this initiative on the backdrop of the 2018 “Handshake” that brought a political truce and ended serial violence after the last presidential election. Now the handshake itself is under threat due to feelings of betrayal and lack of clarity about its objective.
In the meantime, politicians seeking the presidency have resorted to vicious campaigns. In their typical character, they are trading insults, barbs and threats, laying fertile ground for violence. Civility has been through out of the window.
Ironically, this is what the Handshake and BBI had sought to cure: End the cyclic violence after every election that is a result of a governance structure which benefits the winners and condemns the losers to the periphery of political existence.
We want to call the politicians to order. The country is reeling under the shocks of the coronavirus and the citizens are struggling to pick up their lives.
The economy is tanking and poverty getting more pronounced. We do not want this venomous politics. Those rallies are irritating and should stop.
