In his New Year message, NASA leader and presidential candidate in this year’s General Election Raila Odinga calls on his supporters to remain steadfast as he prepares to issue more directions in a week’s time.
NASA is set to unveil a civil disobedience programme in a weeks’ time if the Jubilee government persists in rebuffing calls for dialogue on the country’s political future.
In a New Year message to Kenyans, Raila put Kenyans on notice of a fresh wave of protests to force Jubilee on the negotiating table. The programme includes non-cooperation measures, resistance to the Jubilee government and its support base and the constitution of People’s Assemblies to decide the next course of action.
Top of the items NASA is proposing for talks is how to fix Kenya’s electoral system, executive and security sector reforms, protection of the Judiciary and strengthening of devolution.
“We are ready for dialogue as long as these issues are on the table. Alternatively, we take the issues to the people and let them decide without the involvement of the State,” he said in the message published in full in this paper.
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Reciting the events of the year -- mainly the twists and turns of the electoral process -- Raila said until electoral justice is achieved, NASA will not recognise the Jubilee regime and “the so-called election of Uhuru Kenyatta as President.”
The year 2017 was perhaps the most grueling year for the Opposition grouping he leads. Despite mounting a better-managed election campaign than the 2013 one, NASA lost to Jubilee.
In one moment of glory, the Supreme Court restored Opposition hopes through a historic cancellation of the presidential poll. In another moment of shame, NASA pulled out of the repeat race and allowed Jubilee to cruise to a dubious victory.
“We made history with the nullification of August elections. The annulment of the August 8 presidential election by the Supreme Court was only the fourth such event in world history. Then we proceeded to make history by being the only country where the repeat election was again challenged in court for being a sham,” Raila says.
Although the NASA leader did not mention his “swearing-in” in his New Year message, coalition insiders say it’s very much on the cards. His running mate and co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka reaffirmed the plans when he jetted back in the country this week.
NASA is also crossing the year with a full in-tray. Besides its main contest with Jubilee, NASA has to discuss the health of the coalition and the grievances of the affiliate parties which feel shortchanged in sharing of the electoral spoils.
There are also hard decisions to be made on Parliamentary leadership posts; it has the unsettled dust over East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) selection fiasco to deal with and the grievances of some regions to handle.
A planned coalition retreat towards the end of January is expected to thrash out these issues and give direction to the Opposition grouping.
“We are going to have a retreat to iron out all the concerns by members. The principals will meet and announce the date and place,” National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi says.
NASA must also brace itself with potential buyout of its lieutenants by Jubilee as it attempts to stabilise itself amidst legitimacy questions surrounding its October 26 win.
“The source of all these problems is in the Executive; the presidency to be precise. This has to be restructured to conform to the changing dynamics in our country. The imperial presidency that we sought to contain is rearing its head again, interfering with and intimidating other institutions. We cannot stand by and watch as the monster rises again. Soon, it will be too late,” Raila says.
Across the side, Jubilee has a full in-tray awaiting it in the New Year: A new Cabinet to form, a dwindling economy to save, a country to unite and legitimacy issues to solve. The polarising electoral cycle of the year 2017 brought to the fore a divided nation - one half disgruntled and another one jubilant.
Having taken the oath of office to serve all Kenyans, President Kenyatta must live up to his promise. How he constitutes his new Cabinet will set the unity tempo for his last term.
Kenyatta has also to deal with early presumptions of lame-duck presidency within his Jubilee support base. Jubilee legislators defiance of his preferred choices for committee leadership positions brought to the fore this presumption.
