TALKING POINT : Political tolerance subjected to another test in Kenya

I was in Kenya in the last three weeks to monitor the country’s elections. It turned out that the taking of positions by Tanzanian politicians in the elections had made it dangerous to openly identify observers from Jukwaa la Katiba Tanzania like we normally do in our missions.

The ruling Jubilee coalition did not take kindly to the perceived support of opposition candidate Raila Odinga (pictured) by President John Magufuli. It has to be stated, however, that at no time has Dr Magufuli publicly endorsed Mr Odinga since he was sworn in as President of the United Republic of Tanzania on November 5, 2015.

On the other hand, the decision by Tanzania’s opposition Chadema’s to openly come out in support of Jubilee candidate Uhuru Kenyatta led to some confusion in two respects. Firstly, many Kenyans had known former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa as a CCM stalwart. Secondly, Chadema had openly supported Mr Odinga in the previous elections in Kenya. Why this sudden change of heart?

Traditionally, ruling parties and coalitions in one EAC member state have tended to support their ruling “comrades” in another country. Similarly, opposition figures from one country would cross borders in their dozens to show support and solidarity for the opposition in the neighbourhood. This was not the case ahead of last week’s elections in Kenya.

Now that Kenya has decided, we should dwell on the aftermath. What does the future hold for friendship and cooperation between Tanzanian and Kenyan political parties? To what extent will Ukawa and Chadema celebrate with Jubilee? Is Mr Odinga getting any advice or support from CCM as he protests the election results that handed Mr Kenyatta a comfortable victory?

Looked at a bit differently, can CCM lend Mr Odinga’s Nasa some wisdom to get the coalition to resort to peaceful means of contesting the results? My take is that Nasa should be advised to go to court to challenge the results.

My own reading of the Nasa coalition is that it was too preoccupied with winning the elections and forgot to invest in the building of a party network to penetrate the more remote areas of the Kenyan countryside. This is what Jubilee did and it paid off after the coalition garnered a substantial number of votes in opposition strongholds such as Kisumu, which also happens to be Mr Odinga’s birthplace.

Also, Nasa’s decision to field people like Dr Evans Kidero and Mr Isaac Ruto for the Nairobi and Bomet governorship backfired spectacularly after they both lost badly to Jubilee candidates. In Nairobi, Dr Kidero was defeated by the colourful populist politician Mike Sonko, while Ms Joyce Laboso, a former deputy speaker of the National Assembly, defeated Mr Ruto in Bomet. Even in the presidential ballot in Bomet, Mr Ruto was not a factor after Mr Odinga lost badly to Mr Kenyatta in the county.

Going forward, tribalism in Kenya seems to be waning. If it was a big factor, Mr Ruto would not have lost so badly after garnering only 85,963 votes against Ms Laboso’s 175,932.

Gender balance also came into focus during the elections. While all five Nasa co-principals, all of them men, lost in the elections, Jubilee had several female candidates elected to senatorial and governorship positions for the first time in Kenya’s history. Ms Margaret Kamar, Ms Susan Kijika and Ms Fatuma Dullo have been elected senators, while Ms Joyce Laboso, Ms Charity Ngilu and Ms Anne have landed governorship seats.

Regarding political tolerance, it came as a surprise to me that Mr Odinga decided not to concede defeat despite confirmation by Nasa, local and international observers and many others that the elections were free, fair, credible and very transparent. From the domestic monitoring group ELOG to regional organisations such as the EAC or the African Union and international election observer outfits such as the Carter Center, it has been confirmed in no uncertain terms that this time around the elections were well organised and conducted.

For people like Mr Odinga, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, Mr Musalia Mudavadi, Mr Moses Wetangula and Mr Isaac Ruto to claim that Nasa has been robbed of victory in the presidential election is intolerance of the highest order. To mobilise Kenyans to hold street protests is tantamount to inciting hatred and violence in a country that is already deeply polarised.