I have previously written about the importance of the 2002 elections to Kenya. In the current climate of justified disappointment in and anger towards our political leaders it is sometimes hard to remember what a watershed the election of 2002 was to the Kenyan political system.
Remember mid 2002 when the Professor of Politics was playing everybody like a fiddle, when Uhuru had the full state machinery behind him, when Mudavadi’s defection back to KANU threatened to strangle the Rainbow Revolution in the crib, when rallies were banned, money was being printed and poured and the situation looked hopeless? Moi would win again and rule via proxy through Uhuru. Remember members of the political elite were spotted in London getting fitted for clothes for Uhuru’s inauguration. That is how confident the status quo was; business as usual. After all, they thought, governments in Kenya do not lose elections. Do not even come close to losing elections.
2002 changed all that. Many people went to the polls with the opinion, “It probably won’t make a difference but I’m going to vote against them anyway.” Those voters soon found out that 80% of the country was thinking the same way. In 2002 the vote came alive. The power of the ballot was born. All of a sudden people realised, “Hey this kura of mine can change things.” We should remember just what a leap that was.
Of course, as the scientists amongst us will be quick to point out, one result does not a study make. All eyes were on 2007. What would happen then? Would we slip back into our old bad habits or would we exercise the power of the ballot again? Luckily for the impatient amongst us, me included, Kibaki in his wisdom decided to test Kenyans’ commitment to the ballot two years early in the national constitutional referendum of 2005. And yet again the wanainchi stood up, took on the state machinery and won. The true heirs of the spirit of 2002 were not Banana or Orange, but the voters, whichever way the voted.
I notice a change in the Kenyan wanainchi political mindset between the 2002 election and the 2005 referendum however. In 2002 we rejected completely and totally. We didn’t want to know. In 2005 we were a little bit more subtle; the wanainchi started playing the political game against our political elite and starting winning the political game. Let me give you two examples:
In Butere-Mumias 80% of the voters rejected the referendum, a thrashing in every sense of the word. But you walk around the place and everybody seems to be wearing some sort of “VOTE YES” paraphernalia. T-shirts, caps, bags, pens, posters, diaries, you name it they got it. People will tell you openly, the came to bribe us we told them we would vote for them but we went to the voting booth and voted no. You start to understand why statehouse was so confident it would win the referendum; everyone was telling them exactly what they wanted to hear. But then the wanainchi went out and did the exact opposite by voting no. The local agents of the Yes campaign are still walking around in shock. Their own t-shirts and caps mocking them everywhere they go.
For a second example turn to the good people of Kisii, who on the eve of the referendum met Simon Nyachae’s helicopter with the kind of adulation that people reserve for the hero of all heroes. The man was carried shoulder high by his constituents while they sang song after song of praise in his honour. They had never voted against him and surely this one was in the bag as well. Less than 24 hours after all that singing and praising while carrying him like a conquering hero those same constituents slapped him in the face, telling him where he can go and stick his proposed constitution. You could substitute Nyachae with a whole bunch of “names” who suffered the same fate, Ali Mwakwere, Morris Dzoro, Dannson Mungatana, Norman Nyagah, Moody Awori, George Saitoti, Amos Kimunya, Charity Ngilu etc etc etc.
Politicians in Kenya today should be worried as it looks like the whole country has learnt the art of the poker face and fake smile. We’ve learnt how to do politics. We may tell you one thing and go out and do something completely different. Clever politicians have to keep on their toes as we the public have finally understood our role in this whole democracy thing, you work for us. The sooner you understand that, the better.
About half way through the video of the BBC report with Githongo the TV crew meet a man who tells them, “My vote is my weapon I know what I will do in the next general election. I will throw them out.” Amen. No need for guns and militia for us, I’ve got all the power I need in this voter’s card.
Now all we need to do is come up with some suitable alternatives to vote for. We also need to sort out the whole voter registration mess. But that is another post in itself.
) If only Kenya had fans like these (who also happened to be female), we might go far! 
Recent Comments