Kenya’s main opposition coalition Nasa crosses into 2019 badly splintered after President Uhuru Kenyatta dealt it a potentially fatal blow that may lead to its natural death.
Political analysts argue that the net effect is that the government can now easily pile more taxes on Kenyans with President Kenyatta, who is likely to have an easy ride in his second term.
Kenyans are on their own, burdened by skyrocketing commodity prices and a high cost of living. the new year 2019 is likely to bring about more hardships with Nasa deflated and defanged.
The appointment of ODM leader and Nasa chief Raila Odinga as AU Special Envoy for Infrastructure Development and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka as South Sudan peace envoy was a political masterstroke by the President.
Both out of the way, sort of.
However, for many Kenyans, the appointments drove the last nail into Nasa’s wobbling coffin.
Raila and Kalonzo had been the Jubilee administration’s fiercest critics during Uhuru’s first term but the post-handshake events between the rivals, the Building Bridges initiative, and the recent continental appointments have drastically altered the terrain.
While Raila’s appointment had already spelled trouble for the opposition, Kalonzo sealed it when he accepted Uhuru’s appointment as the new head of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) on peace in South Sudan.
The duo’s appointments have thrown the opposition movement into disarray and shifted the political landscape ahead of the 2022 General Election.
Nasa — which consists of Raila Odinga’s ODM party, Kalonzo’s Wiper, Moses Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya and Amani National Congress of Musalia Mudavadi — formed the main opposition movement.
With Raila’s and Kalonzo’s continental activities requiring frequent travels, the two will be missing from the ‘early campaigns’ already being witnessed in the country.
As the face of opposition politics for decades, Raila had been the heartbeat of the opposition, constantly and consistently keeping the ruling party on its toes through vigilance, criticism of its policies and programmes as well as frequent street action.
The former Prime Minister in President Mwai Kibaki’s 2008-2013 Grand Coalition government has been the cornerstone of the opposition and his vibrancy and acumen have provided its inspiration.
Raila had hammered home the Eurobond questions, the NYS scandal, land grabbing sagas and has exposed mega corruption in the Jubilee administration.
Thus, the one-time ‘People’s President’ has until recently always been considered the ‘People’s Watchdog’.
Raila was charged with treason and imprisoned without trial for six years; he was arrested several times for opposition despotism under the one-party rule.
Since he agreed to cohabit with the government, many Kenyans have raised concerns that the man known as the opposition ‘enigma’ no longer speaks out about the ills in government, including the imposition of the VAT levy on petroleum products and the maize and fertiliser scandals.
The huge vacuum caused by Raila and Kalonzo’s absence has been viewed as a dangerous loophole in the development of Kenya’s fledgling democracy.
A strong opposition Parliament had given Jubilee sleepless nights. The Nasa alliance had a combined strength of at least 127 MPs – well above the one-third threshold required to table impeachment motions against Cabinet Secretaries
Raila has vehemently dismissed suggestions that his handshake and appointment mean that he has joined the government.