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[li]Mr Kibaki’s family is in mourning and they could have been spared the venom, at least until after the burial today.[/li][li]Judging from the praise he has received throughout the week, President Kibaki was one of Kenya’s most capable leaders.[/li][/ul]
On January 30, 2018, Canada-based barrister Miguna Miguna became an instant hero to a huge number of Kenyans for doing what nobody else was brave enough to do: He swore in Mr Raila Odinga as the “People’s President”. This he did at a time when tensions were extremely high following the declaration of Jubilee Party as the winner of the election held in August 2017. The situation was extremely volatile after the opposition coalition, the
coalition, the National Super Alliance (Nasa), rejected the results as well as business and government activities for months on end.
The culmination of that unrest was the swearing-in ceremony, which was allowed to proceed, a very wise decision by the administration to avoid bloodshed, which would have been inevitable had police intervened. Nothing happened to Mr Odinga after what was termed an act of treason, but plenty of bad things have since happened to Dr Miguna, the only man who was courageous enough to cock a snook at Jubilee. For this, Dr Miguna was forcibly deported to Canada to winterize, his adopted country, and for one reason or the other, he has never managed to come back home.
I have no intention of arguing about the merits and demerits of the obviously contrived excuses for wanting to keep Dr Miguna as far away as possible, but two things stand out here. The first one is that even before the ceremony, the man had done something that even the most tolerant of regimes would have found completely disagreeable: He had announced the formation of a National Resistance Movement, complete with an army of which he was the self-appointed general.
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Well, when you form an army, even if only of keyboard warriors, any government is bound to take a very dim view of such a development. After all, when they believe they have been robbed of victory, the masses can easily be incited into violence and plunge the whole country into a bloody mess. It happened in 2007 and this country has never really recovered from the self-inflicted catastrophe.
[SIZE=6]Deep craving for attention[/SIZE]
Dr Miguna is a very temperamental gentleman, the kind of person described as mercurial. But he has one major failing; he has a tendency of hitting hard at anyone who disagrees with his views, and he is never very diplomatic about it. True, he is a highly intelligent man who does not suffer fools gladly, but if only he restrained himself from calling his foes all sorts of names, his arguments would be a lot more persuasive.
Branding people “despot con man and cows” may have some impact, but repeating the slurs endlessly must obviously dull that impact.
I am aware that by rushing merrily where angels fear to tread, I may be setting myself up for “deconstruction” but that does not worry me one little bit, and this for two reasons. First, my opinions cannot possibly have much clout nationally, so it is unlikely that Dr Miguna will pay much attention to what is said here. Secondly, this deconstruction thing has become too commonplace, especially during this feverish campaign period, so one more effort won’t have as much sting.
Dr Miguna has been described by his critics as a narcissist, a man with a deep craving for attention and admiration, which is why he is always on the keyboard seeking relevance. But he has also been described as a nationalist who seeks to put things right in this country. It is not easy to reconcile these two personality traits. What is most irritating about him is that he seems to have problems with timing and propriety, and relishes saying the most outrageous things about other people who cannot hit back.
[SIZE=6]Let him rest in peace[/SIZE]
This, for instance, is what he is purported to have written about former President Mwai Kibaki the day after his death:
“I eulogize TRUE African heroes. FREEDOM FIGHTERS. Those who had transformative visions and did everything to leave a genuine legacy of liberation. Pio Gama Pinto. Amilca (sic) Cabral. Thomas Sankara. Chris Hani. Kwame Nkrumah. Ruth First. Not renegades like Kenyatta, Kibaki or Raila.”
If indeed the good general wrote this, then it means he operates
under a different set of rules where empathy for the bereaved is concerned. Mr Kibaki’s family is in mourning and they could have been spared the venom, at least until after the burial today.
Judging from the praise he has received throughout the week, President Kibaki was one of Kenya’s most capable leaders. There is something to be said against attempts to turn him into some kind of icon for he had his faults like everyone else. He was president during Kenya’s darkest hour, the 2007-2008 turbulence, but he also oversaw a most buoyant economy and gave it direction. He has also been a leading light in the country’s politics for five decades, which is no mean feat.
So how does Miguna’s virulent assessment of Mr Kibaki’s worth really matter? Let him rest in peace, Dr Miguna.
The man is no more but we who will continue living in this country are also patriots, though not all of us can be as garrulous or as spiteful about it.