It is time for a national reset

We can make loud noises about opposition leader Raila Odinga’s betrayal in accepting Cabinet positions for his surrogates as part of the effort save Ruto from the citizen revolt. But we can also be grateful for the learning moment. The people now know that they are on their own, that they cannot depend on support from the political classes in the continuing quest for social and economic justice.

Many will be dismayed that the Ruto-Raila partnership is set to roll back the gains of the Gen Z protests. President Ruto said he had withdrawn the Finance Bill in its entirety, but we are now seeing the Kenya Kwanza-ODM majority in Parliament mobilised to reinstate the same contentious tax and spending proposals that ignited the Gen Z fire.

He also sacked his entire Cabinet and promised to replace it with a broad-based team responsive to the people’s needs. He pledged that a new Cabinet would not include anyone tainted with graft, incompetence, the arrogance of power, conspicuous consumption and primitive accumulation typical of the disgraced lot.

Discarded team

He broke his promise. The reconstituted Cabinet retained many of the characters who are poster boys for everything that was wrong with the discarded team. Even some of the new nominees have pending graft issues hanging over their heads.

Therefore, this is the time for the Gen Z, with support of all people of goodwill, to re-strategise.

Street protests served their purpose. They forced the regime against the wall, extracted major concession, and woke up Kenyans of all social and economic classes, age groups, regions and political affiliations from deep slumber.

Now those behind the new struggle for freedom and justice must plot protests founded on clear aims and objectives beyond #RejectFinanceBill, #RutoMustGo, and other chants.

The time is ripe for long-term thinking geared towards building on the successful “tribeless, leaderless, partyless” model. The young people who have traditionally eschewed political engagement have not only pricked the conscience of the nation; they have shown what is possible when campaigns driven by idealism take on an ancient regime controlled by base ethnic affiliations.

These are the new paradigms that will change society, and set the stage for a revolutionary bloodbath at the next elections.

The regime is running scared. It will fight back with increasing desperation. The police abduction and murder squads remain in place despite everything.

The government propaganda mill trying to blame the Gen Z revolt on a coup attempt driven by either foreign interests or some ethnic political agenda is in full swing, with the State security machinery using pawns in the media to spin the false narratives.

We can be sure that on reconstitution of his Cabinet, President Ruto will next convene a fake national dialogue composed largely of hand-picked stooges.

2010 constitution

A conversation of Ruto, Raila, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and their respective sycophants will be incestuous, not national.

There has also been idle talk of going back to the Bomas talks and revisiting the 2010 constitution. All these are diversionary tactics. The immediate problem is not the constitution, but refusal of those in power to faithfully obey it.

However, Gen Z must not keep saying no to dialogue. What they must do is own it, convene a conversation in which all other Kenyans of goodwill can participate, and together design ‘The Kenya We Want’.

Meanwhile panic mode is seen by the Registrar of Political Parties rejecting applications containing Gen Z in their names. I doubt the applicants are even associated with the youth movement, but the registrar saying the name is “not inclusive” is obviously turning logic on its head. If she sticks to her guns, she must then deregister all political parties whose identities lock out those not of similar persuasions.

First to go must be the Kenya African National Union for obvious reasons. Next should be Orange Democratic Movement for it locks those who prefer lemons. The Labour Party of Kenya seems to have links to trade unionism and must also go. The Farmers Party limits itself to those of agricultural pursuits. The National Vision Party does not take care of the visually-challenged. The slate must be wiped clean.

[email protected]; @MachariaGaitho