Last Tuesday was supposed to be no ordinary day in Kenyan politics. NASA leader Raila Odinga had declared it as the turning point that would mark the start of countrywide demonstrations to force out some IEBC officials.
But this was not to be; the said demos suffered an embarrassing false start. Only a handful of demonstrators turned up in Nairobi, with the rest of the protests restricted to the Luo Nyanza counties of Kisumu, Homa Bay and Migori. Interestingly, even the NASA political class kept away, with Raila giving the excuse that as the general, he did not have to lead from the front as his foot soldiers would adequately represent him. But they let him down.
While similar calls have been successful in the past, questions noThey have decided to follow the way of peace. It is a fact that the demos are costly, usually characterised by violence, vandalism, injuries and even death. Injured protesters are normally left on their own; just ask the young man who was knocked down by a vehicle while protesting outside Anniversary Towers. Did a single leader pay him a visit in hospital? Did anyone offer to foot his medical bill?
Your guess is as good as mine. That is the moment reality dawns on the so-called volunteers abound as to what has become of the passion that characterises Raila’s supporters. It would be safe to assume that they, like millions of other Kenyans, are fatigued by the ongoing politics, and are wary of making a bad situation worse.
But this was not to be; the said demos suffered an embarrassing false start. Only a handful of demonstrators turned up in Nairobi, with the rest of the protests restricted to the Luo Nyanza counties of Kisumu, Homa Bay and Migori. Interestingly, even the NASA political class kept away, with Raila giving the excuse that as the general, he did not have to lead from the front as his foot soldiers would adequately represent him. But they let him down.
While similar calls have been successful in the past, questions noThey have decided to follow the way of peace. It is a fact that the demos are costly, usually characterised by violence, vandalism, injuries and even death. Injured protesters are normally left on their own; just ask the young man who was knocked down by a vehicle while protesting outside Anniversary Towers. Did a single leader pay him a visit in hospital? Did anyone offer to foot his medical bill?
Your guess is as good as mine. That is the moment reality dawns on the so-called volunteers abound as to what has become of the passion that characterises Raila’s supporters. It would be safe to assume that they, like millions of other Kenyans, are fatigued by the ongoing politics, and are wary of making a bad situation worse.
