Why does Jubilee Coalition foist its worst as the face of the party?

There is now no doubt that our progress as a nation continues to be undermined by a combination of challenges, some external, many self-imposed.

Externally generated challenges relate to a dynamic and complex international system that has never really been friendly to Africa.

But there is no doubt that a significant number of these externally generated challenges are reinforced by our own local sluggish behaviour.

Of course, this should not be surprising if one paid attention to the electoral processes leading to Jubilee Coalition’s assumption of power.

What is surprising is the unwillingness or failure to deal with the sources of inertia within Jubilee.

UNBECOMING BEHAVIOUR

The fact that the President has refused to prioritise reining in his Jubilee lieutenants who have masterminded or nurtured this sluggishness even when it threatens to clog up our governance system is indeed worrying.

Perhaps he does not understand that controlling their unbecoming public behaviour would open the system up to proper functioning.

But, alas, even that hope is also fast fading and one remains unsure where we are heading with this.

Nothing illustrates the current problems better than the widespread and repeated spewing of hatred.

Our system is now dominated by empty chest-thumping, the peddling of lies and the cheap threats politicians have resorted to, first between themselves irrespective of party lines but secondly across party lines.

While each of the parties has its share of problems, it is certainly the case that Jubilee politicians take the prize.

PUBLIC NOTORIETY

Two persons have defined the public notoriety of Jubilee and must bear great responsibility for derailing party agenda. These are the Speaker and the Majority Leader in the National Assembly.

Every time the Speaker speaks, I am reminded of how much I miss Kenneth Marende, the former Speaker who lost in the race for that coveted seat for reasons other than his ability.

In fact, the more one thinks of it, it is clear that the loss of Mr Marende is more a comment on the calibre of members of parliament we voted for than on his performance.

Mr Marende embodied poise. His demeanour reflected his learning and was befitting of his office. It took him only a few hours to grow into that office.

GUIDED BY PROCEDURE

When asked by ODM soon after his swearing in 2008 to rule in their favour, he decided to be guided by the standing orders.

When compared, Marende’s performance makes one wonder if the current Speaker knows that the exalted nature of his office expects him to serve the nation, not the partisan interests of those who secured his election.

But the Speaker certainly appears like a saint in the presence of the majority leader. While some people were criticising me for supporting the civic right of the Migori hecklers last week, all I needed in my defence were the outbursts of the majority leader in Narok.

There is no heckler in the country to outmatch him; indeed, heckling seems natural to him because he combines an acerbic tongue with a voice projection that comes through almost naturally as bellicose.

ENDLESS HECKLING

It is of course unfair to expect politicians to heckle endlessly while depriving ordinary Kenyans the opportunity to heckle, too. It is for this reason that I ask why Jubilee prefers to use its worst as the face of the party.

In my view, the faster Jubilee Coalition realises the cost of having this kind of politicians as their face to the public, the more difficult it will be to convince anyone that they have a serious agenda for Kenya.

That is, of course if you assume the coalition worries about public opinion. The impression one gets is that the Jubilee Coalition does not really care. It ignores valid public concerns about a whole range of things and with impunity.