Beware! BBC’s Ferdinand Omondi warns Kenyans as parties join Kenya Kwanza
BBC’s Ferdinand Omondi has given his two cents on the move by political parties to join Kenya Kwanza days after the elections.
After Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate Deputy President William Ruto was declared President-elect, independent elected leaders and elected leaders under the UDM party joined Ruto’s team.
“As a coalition, Kenya Kwanza can celebrate. It is now the dominant force in parliament and the senate. Now Kenya Kwanza can drive ANY LEGISLATION through, easy.
As a Kenyan citizen, you might want to hold your celebrations for the same reason; that now Kenya Kwanza can drive ANY LEGISLATION through, easy,” Omondi wrote on his social media.
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While a section of Kenyans celebrated the move, Omondi has asked them to be more careful with the move as it might have repercussions.
The positive side of being the dominant government is it can push through its reform agenda and implement its manifesto through parliament by passing the necessary legislation needed to get the wheels of change moving.
The negative side is the dominant government can become a rabid dictator that passes laws to clamp down liberties or reverse the freedoms this country has achieved so far if it deems those liberties inconvenient.
“Remember Uhuruto’s dominant parliament passed laws which gagged the media, controlled the internet and threatened free speech. A lot of you would be in jail today if the courts didn’t quash some of those laws,” he added.
The move, according to Omondi, has weakened the opposition, which is meant to stand against a potentially oppressive administration.
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When he was declared President-elect, Ruto said he believed in democracy and would work with the opposition to the extent that they provide oversight over his administration and that he never believed in handshakes.
“Three days later, William Ruto saluted the United Democratic Movement (UDM) leadership, an opposition party, for abandoning Azimio La Umoja and joining Kenya Kwanza. He’s shaken hands with a part of the team expected to oversight his administration,” Omondi added.
The former NTV and KTN reporter says the ‘handshake’ being witnessed now will be similar to the 2018 handshake between Uhuru and Raila, which dissolved the opposition and created a rubber stamp parliament remotely controlled by the executive.
“The latest trends, happening even before a new president has been sworn in, should get you asking whether this is the change you voted for, or whether the same monkeys have just moved to a different forest. Start holding your leaders accountable now. Or wait until you are woken up from your euphoria with a reality smack down,” he said.
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