By Anderson Ojwang
Kenya’s opposition politics have for eons been based on issues, with leading opposition figures—the late doyen Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the late Masinde Muliro, the late Kenneth Matiba, Raila Odinga, among others—setting the agenda.
The issue-based opposition politics have been instrumental in the maturing of Kenya’s democratic space and have heralded hallmark constitutional gains in the country.
The opposition leaders, despite their differences, have tackled injustices and advocated for change without balkanising the country into regions and tribal groupings.
This explains why most of the opposition leaders have been widely accepted and have gained support across regions and ethnic communities. They have remained legendary, and their contributions to Kenya’s democracy cannot be downplayed and remain in the annals of the country’s history.
But currently, Kenya is sliding into a dangerous opposition path, with the impeached Deputy President discarding the opposition blueprint politics and recreating a new order aimed at balkanising the country.
Unlike the leading lights of opposition politics, Gachagua’s brand of “politics of cousins” could easily be interpreted as a move to recreate the GEMA bloc with the sole aim of winning the presidency.
The GEMA bloc brings together the Gikuyu, Embu, Meru and the Kamba communities, which form Mt Kenya and the Eastern regions—groups that share a common heritage and language.
Apart from balkanisation, Gachagua’s brand of politics has involved hard-hitting personal attacks, which previously did not form part of the campaign agenda of opposition leaders.
Gachagua, while speaking in Seikuru village in Ukambani about Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and later in Voi, said:
“I have been sent by the people of Mt Kenya to come and to look for our cousins. Cousins, are you there?
We, Mt Kenya with the Kambas, Taitas, Mijikenda, Taveta—we are one family, we are cousins.
I want to tell you, I heard some people complaining that I am forming a political alliance with Kalonzo. Why do you want to get involved in family affairs?
If someone has spoken to his cousin, is there any problem? You can also speak to your cousin.
You, William Ruto, keep off family matters. Don’t get into our family affairs. Let me ask: Should cousins stay together or not? Should the cousins walk together or not?
And the journey of cousins—the family of people who are like-minded, who were born together, who have the same tradition—the time for the cousins to come together is now.
Let me ask again: should the cousins not vote together and form the government together?
When life becomes very unbearable, you go back to your family. You look for your family members and you sit down and discuss a way out.
Ruto has separated the cousins. Raila has misused Kalonzo and you people. It is time to make Ukambani great.
When Ruto forms an alliance with Raila, he says he is uniting Kenya.
When I get into an alliance with Kalonzo and Eugene Wamalwa, he says that is tribalism.”
But President Ruto responded to the politics of cousins, saying it was his responsibility to unite all Kenyans as the leader of the nation, irrespective of tribe or religion.
“It is my responsibility to unite all Kenyans, including brothers and cousins and even enemies, to make one united nation—Kenya.
I have been given the opportunity to lead the nation, and God has brought us together. I want us to agree—we must unite the nation and serve all equally,” he said.
However, nominated Senator Tabitha Mutinda termed Gachagua’s politics of cousins as retrogressive and abusive to the people of the Kamba community.
“I heard the impeached Deputy President; he was in Makueni and said the Kambas and Mt Kenya people are cousins. How and when did Mt Kenya and Kambas become our cousins?
Let Kambas be respected. Kambas and the Mt Kenya people are in-laws. How would you call people of Mt Kenya our cousins, yet they don’t come from within us?” she said.
Health Cabinet Secretary Adan Duale, speaking recently in Thika, appealed to Kenyans not to be swayed by the politics of cousins, terming it divisive.
“We want someone who unites Kenyans regardless of their tribe, race, or religion. Ruto’s only goal is to unite Kenyans. You have the right to live anywhere in the country.
I have so many friends in Mt Kenya. I protected the Uhuru Kenyatta government. When I was protecting the Uhuru government, was I a Kikuyu?
We must bring to a stop the politics of cousins. All Kenyans are cousins and aunties. We are brothers.
Tribal politics has destroyed several of our neighbouring countries, and we must not allow this to befall Kenya.
We must not allow forces of evil that preach tribalism and divisive politics to destroy the country.”
Kiambu MP Anne Wamuratha, drawing inspiration from the national anthem, dismissed the politics of cousins, saying Kenya is one united family and termed the talks as reckless.
“We are brothers and not cousins. We are from the same mother and father called Kenya. We are a united nation,” she said.
Edited by Sandra Blessing
