Careful; Uhuru is no lame duck A “lame duck” is a double whammy — a redundancy that emphasizes the futility of the subject of description.The events of the last two weeks reminded of a story about why you can never sacrifice old friends for new ones.
In Summary
• There seems to be a deliberate push to force Uhuru into being a lame duck, and this is most noted with the attack on the Presidency by some Mt Kenya politicians.
• The President is a politician too and he knows that a lot of Kenyans are waiting for him to make a pronouncement on the next elections.
The words “lame” and “duck” aren’t flattering. “Lame”, when used in reference to a person or animal, denotes feebleness or inability to walk normally. “Duck” refers to the bird with “webbed” feet-like paddles that force it to “waddle” instead of being able to walk. It’s not a pretty sight.
A “lame duck” is a double whammy — a redundancy that emphasizes the futility of the subject of description. Politically, it’s a reference to an elected politician who has entered his or her sunset, the twilight of their power and career. It’s a term elected heads of state don’t want to hear. It’s often a fact of mathematics and term limits.
Question: Is Jubilee’s Uhuru Kenyatta a lame duck?
The etymology of “lame duck” goes back several centuries in imperial Britain. Originally, it described “dead beat” stockbrokers who defaulted on their debts. In the 19th Century, the term was transposed to politicians in trouble or in their decline. Today the term signifies one of the cruelties of democracy on powerful politicians. A head of state who once bestrode the earth like a colossus is reduced to a powerless figurehead.
As such, the President was just taking a leadership step to ensure that the country is focused on development and not politics. Those trying to rebel against the President and his agenda are not only the enemies of development but enemies of the people too.
There seems to be a deliberate push to force Uhuru into being a lame duck, and this is most noted with the attack on the Presidency by some Mt Kenya politicians. The rebellion is aimed at portraying the President as a regional kingpin with no influence and thus a lame duck.
In most of his addresses, the President has made it clear that all leaders were elected to deliver to the electorate. Focusing on politics, instead of service delivery not only denies the public what they need but also only serves to keep the country divided.
The President is a politician too and he knows that a lot of Kenyans are waiting for him to make a pronouncement on the next elections. But he knows that the time it not ripe yet and those trying to push him to appear as a lame duck will utterly be shocked.
Uhuru knew that it was not going to be easy to run the government in a final term with a fractured country. And so he talked to the opposition leader Raila Odinga and calmed the storm as both decided to work on uniting the country.
A united country gives Uhuru the peace of mind to concentrate on his legacy agenda without distraction. Unfortunately, the distraction has now stemmed from his own political party with politicians who rode on his popularity now trying to pretend they can call the shots.
The battle lines have now been drawn between factions more defined within the President’s Jubilee Party and more alarming within his own backyard of the Mt Kenya region.
But since the president is a wise politician who knows that old friends cannot be forsaken, he is trying to counsel them even if it means rebuking them in public. He is stamping his authority as the leader we all want to see taking the country forward.
And so for those who are trying hard to show that Uhuru is a lame duck take this advice, your actions, just like chickens, will come home to roost.
Source Nation Africa Makau Mutua
