The disjointed legacy of Mwai Kibaki.

Time erodes fast, its hard to believe its 9 years since Kibaki took office as Kenya’s third President. I am astounded at how much time has passed; it’s barely believable that Kibaki took office when I was a Primary school pupil!! As this presidency winds up it is imperative that we confront the question of its appraisal. We must ask ourselves critical questions and hold the outgoing regime accountable to Judgment and review at least for the sake of depositing a verdict to the annals of history. What is the Hallmark of The Kibaki Presidency? What is the most defining element of this presidency? What has Kibaki left in his account of Legacy? How does the Kibaki Presidency fare compared to his predecessors?

To me Kibaki is possibly the only person in history who I admire deeply and am appalled with all the same time. I admire Kibaki’s Calm wit but I despise his sardonic indifference. Kibaki to me seems tactful on one hand and elitist on the other hand. Kibaki to me appears to be a an unctuous and rather pretentious fellow, Kibaki cuts the image of an isolationist elite, the kind who play golf and meet for characteristically esoteric social discourses in somber clubhouses

Kibaki became president under circumstances few presidents have ever had to. Kibaki had been involved in a near fatal accident just weeks before the polls. Few have ever conceded this but I have always felt that the man who became President was not the man people voted for. I am not alleging a conspiracy that gave us a “fake” head of state, but the truth of the matter is that Kibaki was never the same after the Accident. The Accident impaired Kibaki in a way that we have not yet dared to consider. Kibaki was a very prolifically eloquent speaker before the Accident; Kibaki had an intellectual candour and refinement that was unprecedented in the politics of this country and that of Africa as well. After all Kibaki was an especially gifted scholar of some of the most esteemed institutions in the world like the Prestigious London of School of Economics. Up until the time of the accident Kibaki was a very distinguished speaker with an expressive vigour that was opulently elegant. Unfortunately as Head of state Kibaki has cut the image of being aloof and dissociated from events and occurrences and his public addresses most of the time sound gibberish and ill composed, his impaired speeches have inspired a lot of Ridicule.

Kibaki is possible the most slippery character you could ever have. Kibaki is the Kind of person who is cordial with all but holds none dear. This blanket and hollow conviviality is best illustrated by the Githongo dossiers. Githongo was very close with the President and he largely felt that Kibaki was strongly behind his war in graft but Githongo came to learn that the enthusiasm was apparent. He learnt that Kibaki was just being polite. Predictably, I would like to mention that it is very hard to know where Kibaki stands on most issues. Kibaki has a rather evasive approach to issues and likes to play his cards only in the shadows and in the depths, This of course is best illustrated by his conspicuous silence on vying for a second term until the very last minute.

Some have considered Kibaki a coward, in fact Matiba a former ally in the KANU regime is remembered to have called him keguoya-a kikuyu term for Coward. Some have apportioned Kibaki infamy for his rather unconvincing response to the death of JM Kariuki. It is hard to deny that Kibaki has always been very careful in his actions. Kibaki as a person always places a premium on survival, he is the kind of person who never ruffles feathers, and his has always been a strategy of passive aggression though of course this might sound like an insult to some. To me Kibaki is a sagaciously shrewd politician with an adept aptitude for strategy. Unlike many, Kibaki treats issues rather unemotionally and he tackles issues very cognitively. As a conclusion to the allegations of his cowardice, I would say Kibaki is a gentle river; it carves gorges out of Massive rocks without ever making a farce about it.

As a President Kibaki shall always elicit mixed reactions. To me Kibaki is possibly the only person in history who I admire deeply and am appalled with all the same time. I admire Kibaki’s Calm wit but I despise his sardonic indifference. Kibaki to me seems tactful on one hand and elitist on the other hand. Kibaki to me appears to be a an unctuous and rather pretentious fellow, Kibaki cuts the image of an isolationist elite, the kind who play golf and meet for characteristically esoteric social discourses in somber clubhouses.

As a presidency, Kibaki’s tenure has lacked a defining aspect. It has been a disjointed era, on the one hand there has been a near spectacular economic revival and on the other there has been a near catastrophic political crisis. Kibaki has been a good steward of affairs but a poor leader. Kibaki’s evasive leadership has generated a chaotic political scene that has left the Nation more divided than it has ever been. Kibaki’s regime has been one of tolerance and sadly it has proven rather conducive for corruption and Tribalism. Kibaki took over when Kenya was more united than it had ever been but he has left Kenya more divided than it has ever been. Then again, Kibaki’s accident left him changed, maybe all these has been ailment rather than a failure