Still Proud to be Kenyan.

I remember vividly an episode of Boston Public that I watched a while back where this teacher could not bring herself to compromise on a heated topic. Every time that it seemed they would reach some deal, she would say something that would throw the whole thing into disarray. At one point, the head teacher of this Boston Public  just lost it after this lady yet again refused a deal that was proposed. “Why do you always snatch controversy from the jaws of compromise?” he snapped. This lady then cowered and went ahead to compromise on the issue at hand.

But is controversy such a bad thing and compromise an exceptional quality. I think not. Today, Ringera, he of the cover-up corruption fame and toothless tiger excuse games was on the one end of a controversy and the Mau issue was on the other. If you ask me, both of these things should never be susceptible to compromise. Ringera is a stooge of the president and all his morally inept loyalists and nobody with a moral fibre in his/her body should be on the side of his illegitimate and illegal appointment. The Mau is too important an eco-system to even be a subject of debate as to whether people should evacuate or not.

Over the past few months, the Mau has been at the centre of debate that has pitted politicians against each other. The beneficiaries of Moi regime’s dishing out of forest land were vocal claiming that “our people” need to be compensated first. One need not be a prophet to see the vested interests and greed in the likes of Isaac Ruto and his other mouthy counterparts who seem lost to the power that words have especially ethnically motivated ones. On the other hand of the debate were other thieves who having been on the receiving end of corruption allegations for a while now saw this as a chance to call out their partners in crime as thieves hoping that it would lessen the corruption glare that has been with since the Angloleasing and the election debacle.

While the Mau debate was heating up with accusations and counter accusations, the president thought it best to consolidate his corrupt ways by reappointing the only person who had a stellar performance in turning a blind eye and claiming he had not teeth. The country went ballistic in shock and horror because this appointment was not only illegal; it was done in such a way that even laymen knew something was up. I watched the parliamentary proceeding that followed this appointment and I was impressed to say the least. It was a massacre against the government effort to defend the Ringera reappointment and to even stop a parliamentary committee from discussing the estranged reappointment. It was strange to watch the Justice Minister who just a few years back called for the resignation and investigation of Ringera now fervently defend him.

The cabinet was split on the issue and the few men I respect in this Government, Prof. Anyang Nyong’o and James Orengo said it best when they told off their cabinet colleagues on this issue. Strange though is the fact that the person who moved the motion to discuss this thing is the same Isaac Ruto who thinks that maize and wheat are worthy replacements of trees in the Mau. But all the same, the government lost, the motion passed and the committee on legal affairs discussed the Ringera affair whose report was to be tabled and debated in parliament today, Tuesday 15, 2009. From reading the mood of the members of this committee, it was clear even before the report was tabled what the verdict would be. The majority of the country (save for the PM was has avoided this issue like a plague (letting those with guts like Orengo take it on), the VP who is a b*tch eagerly singing the tunes of the master like he sang for Moi for so many years, and a few other characters who have something to hide and Ringera is the safety deposit box) has been apprehensive about this appointment.

Foreseeing an overhaul of the president’s illegal appointment of Ringera, the subjects of controversy became points of compromise. A meeting by the side of the coalition supporting the Ringera reappointment resolved to scratch the backs of those MPs who can retire on the billions of shillings they hope to illegally garner from the compensation package of the Mau evictees. In return, they will turn a blind eye and see no evil in the Ringera reappointment. It would therefore be a win-win situation for both parties when it comes to the voting on the Mau and Ringera reports. But not quite, today, there was only enough time to ensure one win. God! It was so embarrassing seeing the very MP who just weeks, days, ago wanted everybody out of the forest or in the least only the legitimate cases compensated suddenly “strongly” believe that anybody with a title deed, legality aside, should be adequately compensated. So the motion was amended to that effect and it passed. So the thieves of the Moi regime get to steal one more time but only because by doing that, they will allow the thieves of Kibaki’s regime to not only cover their tracks on past robberies but to in future steal knowing that it is their wolf that is guarding the chickens.

Michuki, the man who brought sense to our roads; the man who gave the order of shoot to kill Mungiki’s whenever they went on their murderous campaigns; the man who raided the Standard building  and had no apologies to make; the man who in now in charge of the environment was a frustrated man today. I must say that I disagree with most of what he has done over the years. The raid on the Standard was just callous and so was his attitude when the police took the shoot to kill order too far until it reached a point where it was difficult to differentiate between the Mungiki and the police. But even so, that is a man I would vote for if he ran for president, even at his age. The reason is simple. Whenever the man makes a decision, he stands by it and will not shy away from engaging you when you put him to task. You got to give it to a man who is willing to stand up and fight and today he did not disappoint when he let parliament feel the hit.

“We have sunk too low. If the Ringera issue is more important than the Mau issue where people have to trade, I must confess that I am ashamed to be in this Bunge,” said Michuki in a fit of rage after those from his camp suddenly switched sides to support what they had all along opposed until this morning when it was politically convenient to support it. I guess Michuki finally felt the pain of being played. Sweet words had been whispered into his ear, people fought for his cause, shouted on his behalf, and even when he asked whether his ass was fat, he was told no and he was happy. But today morning, someone better packaged than he moved in next door and suddenly he was relegated to yesterday’s cause, a lost fight. He got dumped in front of parliament and he was bitter. How dare they? He confessed that he was ashamed of Bunge in the way so many of us have been for so long. I guess he just realized even his colleagues, one of whom is my MP, were shouting about the Mau only because it was the right side of the argument; it was politically convenient because it resonated with the pubic; but then a major piece in the chess board moved and the leverage moved with it. It was a checkmate to him and he never saw it coming and hence the reason he was so angry.

So tomorrow is another day and we are all waiting to see whether the compromise holds? I am especially curious to hear what the mouthy Isaac Ruto who moved the Ringera motion will now say. I want to hear him justify why Ringera is the person for the job now that his efforts to get compensated for the illegal allocation of land he was given is almost won. Because in the same way that those calling upon the Mau eviction never really cared about the Mau or the environment, he and his friends in the Mau axis probably feel shit about Ringera or corruption. It was just another piece in the chess board that he played to inflict pain on the other side.

So now I am taken back to the issue of controversy versus compromise. There are things that are too important to compromise and the Mau and Corruption and this coalition government are the perfect examples. There should be basic minimums in what can be compromised beneath which we should snatch the controversies from the jaws of compromise. We all have those principles that we can never compromise and I am curious what yours are?