Kiraitu, Saitoti back, so what?  

 

The dust has finally settled on the on going hullabaloo on the return of Prof George Saitoti and Kiraitu Murungi to the Cabinet.

As one Macharia Gaitho, Managing Director in charge of Special projects at Nation clearly noted, the two had just ‘stepped aside’ paving way for investigations and as fate had it, they were all cleared and ‘resumed’ their duties.

The million dollar question is, why did President Mwai Kibaki bring the two generals back to the battle zone?

Politically, Kibaki has realized that, his front line force is impotent and with the two in the cold he will be making a political suicide come next year.

Kibaki cannot rely on Danson Mugatana, John Michuki, Njenga Karume, Koigi Wamwere and the likes for a commanding political clout as he is not  sure whether they will make a comeback in 2007 or not.

What Kibaki’s advisers must have told him is that, he needs the Saitotis and the Kiraitus who commands a large following among their people, and those who can mobilize electorates and rally behind him in 2007.

Kiraitu and Saitoti are capable of this as they have proved and that is what Kibaki is banking them on. The Koigis and the Michukis enjoys no respect beyond their neighborhood and will have to sweat to come back in 2007.

The Standard’s Managing Director in charge of weekend’s editions Kipkoech Tanui summarized Kibaki’s action as “sasa mta do? (so what)

With ODM preaching water and drinking wine, Kibaki has realized that he can no longer play the Mr nice guy.

ODM is busy fronting corrupt officials as an alternative corrupt free government comes 2007 forgetting that majority of them are in the Goldenberg and the Anglo leasing scandals. Other have grabbed public lands and stolen from Kenyans.  

Economically, Kibaki has searched and found no replacements in the Education and the Energy ministry. With the education sector in crisis there is need to bring in a sober and an understanding mind  in the ministry and Saitoti proved beyond doubt that he is capable.

The energy sector is undergoing radical changes and you need a sharp mind like that of Kiraitu in the ministry but
Kenya has very few Kiraitus in its political circles who can steer this crucial docket to the next level.  Mwangi Kiunjuri, who is the assistant minister in the Energy docket cannot fit in that shoe, its too big for him.

The likes of Paul Muite cannot be trusted by Kibaki and cannot share the same table with Michuki who is in the kitchen cabinet and Muites’  political enemy number one.

It’s therefore obvious that, what Kibaki did was ethically wrong but politically correct.