Prof George Saitoti, the late former Vice-President, once said that there comes a time when the nation is more important than the individual.
That moment for President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga came last Sunday when both leaders abandoned their hardline positions and agreed to give dialogue a chance. Consequently, the destructive and disruptive weekly opposition Azimio coalition-led demonstrations were suspended by the organisers.
That was not just an act of statesmanship but also a moment when the duo showed leadership against all odds and to the consternation of friend and foe. Lance Secretan, the British modern-day thinker, says leadership is not so much about technique and methods as it is about opening the heart.
Leadership is about inspiration—of oneself and of others. It is about human experiences, not processes. It is not a formula or a programme; it is a human activity that comes from the heart and considers the hearts of others. It’s an attitude, not routine. Our leaders must move fast and walk the talk. Only when the rubber meets the road shall Kenyans erode the mistrust and suspicions about the talks.
At the bare minimum, the talks must prioritise bread-and-butter issues over political concessions.
Secondly, they must borrow from the “Handshake” between then-President Uhuru Kenyatta and his erstwhile rival Raila, whose greatest shortcoming, however, was the exclusion of important political actors such as then-Deputy President William Ruto and former Nasa principals Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula.
The talks must be inclusive of all leaders at the apex of the government and opposition, within and without Parliament, conducted within a legal, policy, administrative and constitutional framework and the outcome regularised through legislation.
Most importantly, both parties must approach this bipartisan process with an open mind and willingness to compromise to make it a give-and-take affair.
Mr Kaboi is a political scientist, political and public policy researcher and analyst. [email protected]
