Baba, knowing that he stood no chance to ascending to the presidency after being rebuffed by Moi threw his lot with Kibaki who had been dropped as a vice president and eventually quit. Then came the now famous‘ Kibaki Tosha’ declaration by Baba.
Baba’ s endorsement seemed to create a tidal support for Kibaki and he sailed into the presidency. Kenyans were later to learn that there was an undisclosed MOU that apparently stated that Kibaki would hand over reigns after his term to Baba.
The acrimonious fallout with Kibaki led to one of the bloodiest periods in Kenya as the post-election violence that ensued after Baba claiming his election was stolen, engulfed the country and forever removed‘ Kenya Hakuna Matata’ as a byline for Kenya.
The political and civil turmoil that ensued created the infamous‘ Nusu-Mkate’ government and was the genesis of crafting an unwieldy government structure, that created positions to recognize political affiliation rather than to run an efficient government machinery.
A non-existent position of a prime minister was created to accommodate Baba but it was not enshrined in the constitution which again set a bad precedent that ad-hoc positions could be created in the government to pacify political egos.
The reason why the constitution gives Kenyans a five-year election cycle is to ostensibly allow a short democratic correction period where voters can progressively elect better candidates into office. The reality on the ground is far from the ideal.
Kenyans have grown to fear election years because of its inevitable violent campaigns and elections which are always disputed. It is the economy that suffers most since Kenya hits the reset button every five years and fitfully restarts from chaos. This is not growth.
In all this drama Baba was and still is a central figure since it is his stabs at the presidency that sparks the chaos. The blueprint is always the same, Baba is the frontrunner in every election and his elections are stolen but there is never adequate proof to back his claims.
So, Baba takes to the streets and in 2018 he was at it again, in an attempt to deescalate the intense political tensions that the 2017 elections had created and to stabilize a country that was careering
As a special gesture of gratitude for services rendered, the Kenyan government supported and financed Baba’ s attempt to chair the African Union, a move sabotaged by the government’ s very own ineptness in handling diplomacy at regional and global stages.
into anarchy Uhuru conceded to a‘ Hand- Shake.’
The handshake was supposed to address issues of ethnic division, corruption and electoral reforms but as soon as the rapprochement was achieved no meaningful dialogue or action was ever taken raising concern whether Baba is pursuing a personal agenda or public good.
Could the constant calls for national unity and an inclusive government be an indicator that our constitution does not capture the essence of a democratic process in a multi-ethnic community where some groups are perpetually marginalized.
Then came the high-octane 2022 elections where Baba was actually backed by the administration of the day and it appeared that Baba’ s day had eventually arrived. His opponent was the renegade vice president who against all expectations was backed by the mountain.
This was Railaphobia at its best and his opponent pulled off a stunning victory which Baba disputed but was dismissed by the supreme court. He then started to harass the government when the current administration policies began to adversely affect Kenyans.
This time, however, his moment of personal glory was created when the Gen-Z rebellion against punitive taxes and widespread corruption and incompetence seemed poised to run the government out of town.
In a shocking reversal of his public political persona, Baba decided to support the current government to the utter disgust and dismay of the young protesters who had been killed, teargassed and abducted in the government’ s effort to quell the nationwide unrest. Baba’ s intervention turned the tide and as a reward for his support, Baba was again in a cooperative arrangement, this time
duped the‘ Broad Based’ government. Baba had gone against the wishes of Kenyan’ s just like when he previously supported the tyrant Moi.
As per the usual behavior of his constituency that was rabidly antigovernment but have now followed his lead and are proudly in government, they are actually harassing anyone critical to an increasingly unpopular Kasongo, the El Chapo aka Zakayo.
As a special gesture of gratitude for services rendered, the Kenyan government supported and financed Baba’ s attempt to chair the African Union, a move sabotaged by the government’ s very own ineptness in handling diplomacy at regional and global stages.
Whether Baba can extricate himself from this awkward Judas situation where he is now seen as a traitor who is trying to position himself as a savior to a frustrated and angry public will be defined by his political overtures after the AU debacle.
The last word may eventually be determined by Gen-Zs who will decide whether this political butterfly is actually a political moth, since their numerical numbers can no longer be ignored in an election and he may have inadvertently inspired them to actively vote.
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