Kenya’s handshake policy: preserving the elite self -disguised as a compromise policy

Shaking hands is a tradition of honoring Kenyan policy. It appears to have apparently gathering enemies enthusiastic in an agreement to exchange spoils rather than fighting them. A confidentiality has always been negotiated between a party with the authority of the state and the competition that claims popular legitimacy, and has always worked as a trick by the political elite to stabilize the popular momentum towards any change threatening the solid political class system in the country.

It is a legacy of British colonialism. The first handshake was eliminated at the dawn of the colonial rule, as the British participated in their selection and Prenders as colonial officials, giving them the opportunity to “eat” while selling to their members. Before granting Kenya’s independence in 1963, the British executed another handshake, this time with the person who was brilliantly accused of leading the Mao Mao rebellion and imprisoned for seven years, Gomo Kenyatta. Although he was described as a “leader of darkness and death”, they concluded a deal with him to soften his way to power in exchange for the promise Let them keep the land they stole.

In the years after independence, the handshake became a tactic to manage the elite competition for power as well as the popular opposition. The satirical process – as a veteran Charles Obo journalist Put it: “Every politician has an opportunity to eat. Every deal is possible. There is no imagined betrayal.” It was irony responsible for preventing Kenya’s success as well as preventing the country from slipping into violence and chaos. The handshake that ended the post -election violence in 2008 is a great example. It stopped a fire that arose due to a conflict over the presidential elections, which acquired more than 1300 lives and explained hundreds of others. However, it also establishes the country with a system that was the first order of work is the institute Fake support scheme for corn This lined up the pockets of politicians from all lines and left a third of the nation to starve.

One of the heroes in that particular episode was Railla Onta, and perhaps the most abundant practitioner of shaking policy. Permanent opposition that did not officially win in presidential elections-a controversial candidate in five of the last six elections, some of which were stolen-although he succeeded in executing the power-sharing agreement with both the last Kenya presidents.

It was always claimed that these agreements were in the national interest, but in reality they allowed him to benefit from his popularity to reach the basin. In 2000, it is He shook hands with the former dictator Daniel Arab Moy In what many consider the reform movement that was pushing for a new constitution, as betrayal. He was shaking hands in 2008 with Mii, MWAI KIBAKI. After a decade, in 2018, in the wake of more violence after other disputed elections, it was again With the president at the time, Ohuru Kenyatta.

Two weeks ago, news of another handshake came this time in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and current President William Roto (UDA). There are some interesting aspects of this particular deal.

First, Roto, then Vice President, was the main victim of the 2018 deal. At that time, it was widely imagined that Kenyatta was paving the way for the state to install Rila as his president in exchange for a calm in his second term. In this process, Roto’s ambitions were sacrificed, despite her promise to support him since they met in 2013 (this is the story of another handshake – the two were accused by the International Criminal Court for being on both sides of violence for the year 2007). However, Kenyatta eventually failed to hand over the end of the deal.

Second, just like Kenyatta before him, Roto excluded in 2023 a handshake with Rila, who, in the wake of the 2022 elections, was leading the weekly protests to pay a somewhat questionable case in the elections that were stolen from it again. Despite the acquisition of a little traction, these protests were Ultimate shipping by the cost crisisBut Roto still held a company.

It was not even the protests led by young people last year, which led to the entirely marginalized political elites, as Roto retreated, as it brought the ODM members to his expanded government with Rila’s support for the presidency of the African Union Committee. After the last effort failed, the Memorandum of Understanding has now made the official character to the handshake.

Again, the agreement is framed as a reaction to national challenges instead of conducting self -conservation. Odinga claimed that a military coup was imminent if it was not signed – which was severely denied by the Ministry of Defense – in addition to distinguishing that it was an opportunity to implement the report of the National Dialogue Committee.

This report, which was collected in the wake of General Z, It shows itself how politicians use shaking hands to heat their pockets while undermining popular causes. Largely Failure to deal with issues Instead, such as the demonstrators, and instead, such as the reports of the National Agreement Initiative and Building Bridges that followed the handshake of 2008 and 2018, respectively, a group of new public positions paid well for politicians-including the Prime Minister and the opposition leader as a drug for treatment in political problems in the country.

He is unlikely to buy this shaking hands the legitimate Roto to which he is eager. Rila’s credibility has been excluded as an opposition leader by this repeated residency, nothing causes more damage from 2018. Today, it seems less similar to ancient political power and more like an old man desperately in favor of money in the last time. The true political power turned into a new generation of loudness Refuse the handshake policyAnd they are preparing for another battle.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the editorial island.