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Year 2002: The Right Debate
By Matunda Nyanchama, PhD

President of Kenyan Community Abroad (KCA)

May 27, 2001



The continued debate on the extension of President Daniel Arap Moi's tenure
beyond the mandatory end of his mandate is a major distraction from
mainstream issues that should occupy Kenyans.



President Moi needs end the debate once and for all. Let him affirm that he
will conform to the constitutional requirement that no one person serves as
president for more than two five-year terms. The time to retire is coming
and the president should to start making preparations for his departure come
2001.



The president should start the process that will assure a smooth transition
to the next presidency. It will be an act of statesmanship to undertake
proper succession planning. And while the president undertakes to do this,
Kenyans MUST face the reality of the day.



There are many reasons why the president must leave office in 2001.



First, the constitution requires that he retires from office at the end of
his current mandate. As someone who acceded to the presidency based through
constitutional means, Kenyans ask that he respects Kenyans' wishes as
expressed in the constitution. His retirement will help strengthen this
process.



Second, come the year 2002, the president would have served a continuous 24
years in office. In that time the president has had the opportunity to do
what was possible to make Kenya a better country. He has done what he could.
We all know the results: they have been less than stellar. It is unlikely
that he can be more creative than he has been to date.  He has passed his
prime and cannot offer the country anything better than we have seen to
date. It is time for someone else to steer the country and help bring a
sense of hope for the future of Kenya.



While the country has remained stable under Moi's presidency, there has been
obvious and open decline of what was once a promising nation. Extending the
president's term will merely cause more agony to Kenyans and delay the
restoration of faith in the future of Kenya.



We all know that under Moi's watch, poverty has become commonplace,
corruption has reached disproportionate levels; national infrastructure has
collapsed while political discourse has caused more fragmentation than ever.
Kenyans remain more divided than ever before.



Today, the Kenyan economy remains in limbo and capital flight continues
unabated. Moreover, despite all measures to entice foreign investment and
promote tourism, the results are fickle! Clearly, markets have "voted"
against the country as an investment tourism destination. For sure, Kenyans
do NOT wish to continue down this path.



There is more.



During the president's tenure, Kenyans were subjected to ethnic clashes,
which some say happened under his instruction. The Kiliku Committee Report
of a while ago placed the blame on the government. The Akiwumi Report, which
may have reached the same conclusion, has never been made public.



During his presidency, Moi has tussled with academic staff, teachers and
medical professionals, many of who have left in droves for more tolerable
environments. This has impoverished the state of Kenyan education while the
health services have been irreparably damaged. Kenyans continue to pay
dearly for these errors of judgement.



More than six years ago, the president promised Kenyans constitutional
reforms. We continue to debate the modalities under which reforms will
happen. And while there have been positive steps lately, like the recent
amendment to the constitution review act (CRA) to accommodate Ufungamano, it
is clear that Kenyans have a long wait before reforms happen.



Kenyans cannot tolerate this kind of governance any more.



Moreover, it is a known fact that most Kenyans want Moi to retire. Evidence
exists everywhere, including the results of the last two general elections.
In both elections, the president got less than 40% of the national vote.
There is no doubt that the majority of Kenyans wish for a different rule
other than Moi's. The message is clear. Those saying otherwise had better
heed the wishes of the people.



More can be said why the president MUST leave office. However, the dice has
been cast and the time for departure is drawing near. Arap Moi must start
preparing for retirement. He has had a long run at the job. He cannot do
better than he has done in the past. Retirement is the only option left. He
should and must embrace with neither fear nor uncertainty.



The country is faced with a myriad of problems that require all the energies
for debate to which the current preoccupation with Moi's departure is not
doing justice. The time spent politicking and bickering over the president's
term is a misdirection of use of valuable energies that should be better
spent in these crucial areas.



It is high time we started thinking of a post-Moi Kenya.



Matunda Nyanchama