Referendum: The Kakamega Ruto heckling

The heckling of William Ruto’s “NO” team at Kakamega marks the beginning of a new trend by the people. They seem to have enough knowledge of the content of the Proposed Constitution to know when politicians try to distort it. The Kakamega incident also means the efforts by the “NO” camp to magnify two issues of the Proposed Constitution – the Kadhi courts and abortion – and totally ignore all the good aspects of it , will no longer be accepted by the people.

While time is running out for the campaigners of both camps, the winning side seems to be that which interprets the Proposed Constitution correctly. There are more people who have read the document than the “NO” camp realizes. Claims that the Proposed Constitution will open doors to homosexuality in Kenya and that poor people will not be allowed to own small pieces of land now are boomeranging as the people attending the rallies demand to be told the truth.

The move by Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga to stick to the truth about the Proposed Constitution is beginning to pay dividends whose real outcome will be realized on August 4th. Kibaki , who has calmly urged the people to read the Proposed Constitution before making up their minds on whether to or not support it, changed his tactic over the weekend when he attacked people “who have been paid by foreigners to preach against the Proposed Constitution.” Because the President has insisted that the campaigners stick to the truth, it is obvious his allegations are based on facts in his possession.

It is only a fortnight ago when the alternative media in Nairobi came up with an expose on police investigations concerning funds donated by American churches to the “NO” camp. The investigations must have revealed shocking information about how the Clergy in Kenya is making so much money from Americans for attacking the Proposed Constitution. It will not be surprising at all if the beneficiaries of the American funds are exposed in future “YES” campaigns.

According to the latest South Consulting report to the KNDR, Kenyans believe the manner the President and the Prime Minister interpret the Proposed Constitution is closer to the truth than the way William Ruto and Cyrus Jirongo interpret it. The report says that the people believe the media much more than the politicians when it comes to matters pertaining to the Proposed Constitution. Just as the people are now in a position to tell which leaders are interpreting the Proposed Constitution correctly or incorrectly, so are they able to differentiate between upright media houses and those that have a tendency to distort facts.

The manner in which the Kakamega heckling of William Ruto was reported by various papers clearly indicated the sides various newspapers were taking on the Proposed Constitution. According to The Star of July 12, the Kakamega heckling warranted not only a front page position but the splash itself. The Standard ran the story as its page eight lead with most of the details correctly presented. But the Daily Nation used five paragraphs of the story and married it to pro “NO” stories though the story was used as the paper’s page four lead. According to the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation no heckling at Kakamega took place at all as the story was given total blackout by the national station.

Of all the media houses, The Star is taking the lead in exposing the inside story of how some politicians cajole journalists to present their stories in a distorted manner. On the Kakamega heckling the paper’s July 12 edition reveals what really happens when it said: “On realizing that the crowds were walking away, Ruto quickly called TV cameramen onto the dais and asked the small crowd that had been given the Red cards to flash them so they could capture the footage.” This publish-and-be-damned approach to journalism separates the horses from the mules and shows the courage needed in the Fourth Estate to save this nation from deceit that could cost Kenya unnecessary turmoil caused by unhealthy division among the people.

Members of Parliament who are now supposed to be in their various constituencies campaigning for the Proposed Constitution are adamantly remaining in Nairobi fighting for their ridiculous pay increments. Some of them have come out openly claiming they would not support the Proposed Constitution without more money from the taxpayers in their pockets. This arrogant decision by Parliamentarians threatening to shoot down the Proposed Constitution unless they were paid more money has been a blessing in disguise in the country. It has helped the people realize that MPs’ greed can only be stopped by the Proposed Constitution, which will remove the powers to increase MPs’ salaries from Parliament.

President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga were depending on Parliamentarians to popularize the Proposed Constitution during the recess which MPs have refused to take. Paradoxically their refusal to back the Proposed Constitution has made it even more popular among the people. The MPs’ most unwise demand has inadvertently been the best thing that has happened to the “YES” camp. Their refusal to go back to their constituencies without pay hikes has turned out to be the best campaign ever for the Proposed Constitution.

The referendum will probably be the last exercise in which Kenyans will participate as blocs of ethnic groupings. When the Proposed Constitution is accepted as the supreme law of the land a lot of work must be done in what will probably end up to be a widespread post-referendum civic education to make Kenyans implement what will then be in their new constitution. When the constitution is operationalised all doors to parochial ethnic nationalism will be closed as power moves to the people. Whatever way one looks at these radical changes a peaceful, very positive revolution will take place in the country as the first steps are taken to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

May be the most positive aspect of Kakamega heckling of the “NO” camp is the fact that the people of Kenya have refused to be divided along religious lines. Nothing is more dangerous to this country than whipping up religious animosity among the people. Whenever there has been religious confrontation people have suffered because it has always ended up in bloodshed. There are so many examples for Kenyans to learn from – India, Nigeria, Ireland and Iraq, to name just a few. The Kakamega heckling and walking away from leaders preaching hatred and lies will probably become the order of the day between now and August 4 when the people will most likely accept the Proposed Constitution to be their supreme law for a long time to come.