Michael Mundia Kamau
                    P.O. Box 58972
                    00200 City Square
                    Nairobi
                    Kenya

                    29th March 2004

     NARC

The sharp differences in Kenya’s ruling party NARC as captured on the
Kenya Television Network’s “News Shot”, of Friday, 26th March 2004, are
a sign of a deeply troubling situation. The minister incharge of
internal security Dr. Chris Murungaru appears on camera describing the
squabbling as comical, but forgets to give a full description by adding
lethal comedy. Among leading Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament
captured on camera spewing venom are Dr. Murungaru himself, Roads and
Public Works Minister Raila Odinga, Health Minister Charity Ngilu, Water
Minister Martha Karua, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka,
Bondo MP Dr. Oburu Odinga and Kabete MP Paul Muite. The bitter
wrangling comes nothing close to President Kibaki’s description of Kenya today
as a working Nation. What is further troubling is the fact that no
effort, cosmetic or real, is being made to shield the acrimony from the
public. NARC is going at each other in a crude unnecessary manner that d
efies all logic.

No reason whatsoever can justify the manner in which NARC is behaving.
The moment that government ministers openly clash in public and
private, a Nation either grinds to a halt, or  gives way to an opposition in
waiting. The Kenyan opposition is in a mess equally as big as NARC’s
which effectively means that this country has ground to a halt. Something
really drastic requires to be done to reverse this situation.

The picture is clearly that of power hungry individuals who are
prepared to go to any lengths to accomplish their ends. None of the warring
factions is even bothered about presenting a justifiable agenda to the
public to show cause for the infighting. This is terrible for a
government that has been in power for only 15 months. The presidential
candidature of Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka is already being
endorsed by a section of voters, 45 months ahead of the next scheduled
Kenyan general election.

There is no focus in the present government, meaning that it has never
been there in the first place. The individuals in government today are
self seekers with personal agendas which is why they are in sharp
disagreement. It is clear that the only problem they had with former
President Daniel arap Moi, is that he stood in their way.

NARC by now should have created 625,000 new jobs in the Kenyan economy.
NARC by now should have put up 187,500 new housing units across the
country. NARC by now should have  had a new constitution in place, even
though a new constitution has never been a priority in independent Kenya.
NARC by now should have put in place basic reforms that would have
spurred direct and indirect foreign investment in Kenya on large scale.
NARC by now should have revamped the ailing Kenya tourism sector. NARC by
now should have revived sport in Kenya. What appeared so easy 15 months
ago has become become impossible.

It is hard to tell what course this country will take but it’s
certainly not a good one in the near future. There is a stalemate in government
and the country as a whole. One way to break this stalemate is for this
country to evolve issue oriented politics as quickly as possible, and
discard with speculative politics. The prospect of this is however grim
as desperation bites deep in Kenya. Those in the National Alliance of
Parties of Kenya (NAK) organ of NARC are no better than those in the
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) organ of NARC, and vice versa. What’s for
sure is that this country is in a frighteningly terrible mess.

Transworld Sports described Muhammed Ali’s 1974 defeat of George
Foreman to regain the heavyweight boxing title of the world as Ali’s trip to
hell and back. Transworld Sports further described Ali’s successful
1976 defence against Joe Frazier as not just Ali’s trip to hell and back,
but Ali opening the gates of hell and having a good look inside.
Comparisons can be drawn between Ali’s 1976 and Rwanda’s 1994. Comparisons
can also begin to be drawn between Ali’s 1974 and Kenya’s 2004.



Michael Mundia Kamau