KSDA’S STATEMENT ON
“We support the Bomas 111 wing that appears the most progressive at the
moment. We denounce the alternative draft Constitution that has been circulated
by the Ufungamano group, not just because it is
defective but because it is reactionary and retrogressive.”
It is more than a year since the National Rainbow
Coalition (Narc) came to power in Kenya, a period
that has been marked by disappointments with Narc’s
performance, an open split within the ruling Coalition and a host of other
political set-backs that have disillusioned Narc
voters who expected great political transformations after the defeat of the Moi dictatorship following the December 2002 elections. The
dismal performance of Narc is slowly convincing
Kenyans that the new government is not the long awaited savior that will
liberate millions of Kenyans from poverty, unemployment, insecurity, starvation
and other maladies ailing the Kenyan nation. On the basis of political
intrigues that have rocked Narc during the past year
and lack of ideological commitments that can unite opinion within the
Coalition, our perspective is that Narc will
disintegrate before the next elections scheduled for the year 2007.
Majority of major election promises have not been met. These include revival of the economy, the provision of a new Constitution, the creation of half a million jobs every year, the construction of 150,000 residential houses in Nairobi, rebuilding of the country’s infrastructure, development of a working strategy to tackle mass poverty, an end to cronyism and road side declarations by the President, an end to retrenchment of workers, an end to appointment of public servants along ethnic lines, drastic measures to tackle corruption and a host of other promises that have largely remained unfulfilled.
Instead of reviving the economy, Narc
has welcomed IMF and World Bank back to
A split within the ruling class
The crisis facing the Constitutional review process at Bomas
111 is significant because it confirms the tendency of the ruling class to
split whenever their individual or group interests are at stake. To an outsider,
wrangles that have bedeviled the Constitutional review process may pass as
disagreements on key issues contained in the main draft. But in the eyes of
millions of Kenyans who have been following the reformist politics of Narc, the crisis at Bomas represents an open confrontation
between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the National Alliance Party of
Kenya (NAK), two active factions engaged in a power struggle that began
immediately after President Mwai Kibaki
appointed his Cabinet in January last year. The NAK faction is being fronted by
a gang of opportunists within Kibaki’s inner circle
called the Mount Kenya Mafia (MKM) also said to be ruling
In the battle at Bomas, the LDP appears to be strategically placed in a winning position because of an open betrayal of the Party by Kibaki who refused to honour a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between LDP and NAK soon after the Coalition seized power. Because of this betrayal, LDP appears to be having the sympathy of the masses, the same sympathy that fuels support for the Party’s ideas by delegates who are in control of the direction discussions are moving at Bomas 111.
The Constitution under discussion is not a creation of delegates at Bomas 111 but a collection of views from Kenyans who gave their views to the Kenya Constitutional Review Commission during the KANU dictatorship. For this reason, Bomas 111, although controlled by LDP to a certain extent, has the support of the masses. Botched attempts by MKM to sack Prof. Yash Gai, Chairman of the Review Commission and to derail the whole process using dirty tricks have simply worked to the advantage of LDP.
Alarmist signals from MKM
From their polemics, it is obvious that the MKM are opposed to drastic stipulations in the draft Constitution especially the creation of a powerful Executive Prime Minister. The bone of contention at Bomas 111 is not linked to problems with the draft but fears by the Mount Kenya Mafia that as it is, the draft will weaken the authority of the Mafia group and begin to relegate them to the periphery of power as the new Constitution takes effect.
If LDP gets its way by getting the Constitution through, the political future of the MKM will begin to hang on the balance despite Kibaki being at the top. MKM is dealing with this possible scenario by sending alarmist signals to Kenyans to the effect that events at Bomas 111 are undemocratic and that whatever comes out of the Conference will be non representative. These signals are falling on deaf ears because discussions at Bomas have been continuing with a reasonable degree of transparency and with the bourgeoisie media keeping watch.
The strategy to cry wolf exposes the political naivety of MKM and the failure of the group to read the mood of an anxious public thirsty for a new Constitution whose writing was delayed by former dictator Moi for more than two decades. Any success at Bomas 111 will work to the political advantage of the LDP which will be seen as being on the side of the people (Wanjiku). This is one reason why the MKM is fighting so hard with all sorts of tricks to derail the Constitutional review process.
In the current crisis, KSDA’s position is very clear. We support the Bomas 111 wing that appears the most progressive at the moment. We denounce the alternative draft Constitution that has been circulated by the Ufungamano group, not just because it is defective but because it is reactionary, retrogressive and representative of the interest of a tiny gang of ethnic chauvinists trying to roll back the gains of the velvet revolution that had, as one of its main agenda, the creation of a New constitution for Kenya in 100 days after elections.
Bomas 111 should prepare for public protests
A new Constitution is needed to kill lingering illusions
among millions of Kenyans who voted for Narc that
once it is in place, the political and economic transformation of
Under the current circumstances, KSDA will continue to
support the Bomas 111 faction until a new Constitution is produced. We urge all
KSDA supporters in
Our proposal is that the progressive forces behind Bomas 111 should prepare Kenyans for mass actions across the country should the MKM try to derail the creation of a new Constitution by using appendages in Parliament (as they have suggested), the State machine or other means. The new Constitution will give Kenyan revolutionaries a better chance to organize openly and to put the question of the abolition of capitalism in our country on the national agenda.
Okoth Osewe
Secretary
Kenya Socialist Democratic
Published by Kenya
Socialist Democratic Alliance (KSDA)
email: harakatips@hotmail.com