This is our 1963,’
enthused one woman. ‘This is the rebirth of our nation.’
Kibaki’s
inaugural speech echoed this sentiment, and promised to restore Kenya to its
past glory.
‘I
am inheriting a country which has been badly ravaged by years of misrule and
ineptitude,’ said Kibaki. ‘You have asked me to lead this nation out of the
present wilderness and malaise on to the promised land. And I shall.’
Moi’s
reign – the word seems appropriate even for an elected president – has left the
country on its knees, and a once vibrant economy reclining to imminent
collapse. The past year marked a steep decline, with the GDP growth rate of
6.2% shrinking to 1.1% in two decades.
The
Kenyan poll clearly has a historical meaning, not least because it has
effectively ended the 39-year rule of the Kenya African National Union (Kanu),
passing on the baton to the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc), a loose
affiliation of fourteen parties that came into being only two months ago.
Corruption
has also resulted in the country’s marginalisation in regional and global
geopolitics, with Uganda and Tanzania attracting foreign investment worth $190
million and $280 million, respectively, compared with Kenya’s paltry $50
million.
Quite
tellingly, the Kenyan shilling appreciated by 3% on Kibaki’s inauguration, the
highest for almost two and a half years.
Donor
confidence has been oozing from all quarters, and observers predict a deluge of
development aid in future, contrasting with the Moi regime, which was ravaged
by minimal goodwill from bilateral donors.
The
immediate beneficiaries of Kenya’s peaceful transition are other African
countries, whose citizens are likely to demand more transparency in the running
of their affairs.
Uganda,
specifically, is likely to generate international attention as Museveni has
delayed elections since 1986, when he romped to power after a decade fighting
in the bush. He has since outlawed political parties, alleging that Ugandans
are not ready to embrace multi-party politics.
Interestingly,
that was Moi’s theme song too, one decisively silenced by the poll of his
fellow Kenyans.
‘Look
around you, see what a gorgeous constellation of stars we are, just look at
this dazzling mosaic of people of various ethnic backgrounds, race, creed, sex,
age, experience and social status,’ boomed Kibaki, as if to discount Moi’s
prophecy that Kenya’s undoing would stem from ethnic strife.
Kibaki’s
victory, however, was also made possible by the pivotal role of Raila
Odinga, the son of Kenya’s former vice-president Oginga Odinga, and the
father of opposition politics in Kenya.
Abandoning
his National Democratic Party, the junior Odinga warmed up to Kanu, and
fomented a rebellion from within, openly defying chairman Moi, before decamping
to rejoin the opposition.
Moi,
the self-proclaimed professor of Kenyan politics, rose from being a primary
school teacher to lead the East African nation, which gained independence from
Britain in 1963. He leaves a legacy of the good, the bad and the ugly.
He
has had a towering presence in a region where peace and stability seem elusive,
and he grudgingly led his country to cast a ballot every five years – while
many of his African compatriots opted for the bullet to ascend to power.
He
has also fostered peace in neighbouring Sudan, Somalia and Burundi, while hosting
hundreds of thousands of refugees.
But
at home, Moi’s desire to secure a place in Kenyan history saw him rename
virtually all schools and roads after himself, while letting the country bleed
dry through institutional corruption.
The
latter seems to be Kibaki’s topmost agenda; he has vowed to reshape the country
by leading by example, and will account for his wealth, as will other leaders
in the new government.
Only
time will tell whether all edifices named after Moi will survive beyond him.
But
perhaps the most important lessons of the resounding victory of the Kenyan
opposition is that Kenyans – like their fellow Africans elsewhere in the
continent – have bid the ‘Big Man’ generation goodbye.
Hopefully
forever.
