Push to recycle presidents is an insult to Kenyan citizens

There is a wind of political foolishness sweeping through the Kenyan air. This pervasive lack of good judgment is surging down the streets of Nairobi into City Hall, heading down towards Parliament, and slowly blowing towards other areas of government. Recently, a ludicrous political joke emerged and is beginning to take root in the mind of bureaucrats and the Kenyan public: the proposal to ‘recycle’ president Uhuru Kenyatta as Prime Minister in the next elections. This has got to be the worst idea since the Kiambu Mafia’, ‘Change the Constitution Movement’ in the 1970s.

For the sake of this country, I hope that this is just idle opinion mongering. However, Francis Atwoli, the everlasting head of Cotu, trumpeted the same idea a few weeks ago. Which means that not only is this thought being entertained in some powerful quarters: they have dreamed, schemed and plotted on its execution. Those thinking in this direction should perish the thought, and for at least three reasons.

Firstly, in case it is not clear enough: this is not Russia. ‘Presidential recycling’ is an insult to our collective intelligence. It violates the spirit of the Constitution. Kenya is not an autocratic state; it is a democratic state. At least it is intended to be. ‘Tandemocracy’ here will fail, and it will fail miserably. Russia, (from which the term tandemocracy originates) was born into orthodoxy and autocracy. This has been its history for the last 1,000 years and will continue to be its history until ‘kingdom come’. The Kenyan case is different, and will continue to positively evolve in the coming years. The exit of Moi in 2002 marked the death of autocracy. Ever since, a new regime modeled along the lines of democracy has taken hold. The essence of democracy demands a SERIES, not a CYCLE of political leaders.

Distinguish himself

Secondly, if we were to entertain the notion for a minute; the arrangement will be a demotion for President Kenyatta anyway. To use the example of a High School Administration, this idea suggests demoting the Head master to become Head Boy; a demotion from head of state and government to chief minister. Thus, the president becomes a prefect.

In an autocratic state such as Russia, this position can be fashioned to carry political clout. But in Kenya, where the intention is to create a weak Prime Minister, the president is better of running a dairy farm in Gatundu thereafter, than becoming the ‘prefect of the country’.

Speaking of which, becoming PM after presidency is bad for Kenyatta’s legacy. He will be Kenya’s youngest retiring president at around age 60, with potentially 40 more years of life to live. This is the time to distinguish himself as a Statesman, not a perennial politician.

To those wondering what he will do for forty years, let me explain the difference between a job and work. A job is a temporary occupation that prepares you for your work, your mission or calling in life. The presidency is just a job, but Uhuru Kenyatta also has his work, his life’s calling and mission here on earth. And when his job comes to an end, he will revert to his work. His life will have meaning post 2022; maybe even greater meaning.

Third, it is incestuous. Can you imagine if President Moi was recycled to become Vice President in 2003, in the Kibaki regime? We would have never experienced a regime change. We would have stagnated, we would have retained old and decayed systems of administration and politics.

And yet  regime changes are indespesible, particularly for developing countries. A regime change goes beyond changes in the personalities in leadership, it is a pattern of actions and norms. It is the implicit and explicit standards, rules and intentions that inform decision-making. And if these never evolve, we will be like mice on a ferris wheel, spinning round and round and round.

- The writer is a PhD candidate in Political Economy at SMC University. [email protected]