Beyond Politics

Njeri Rugene

Description

Kiraitu Murungi easily fits into the category of 'Philosopher-King', a leader who, according to Plato, combines intellect, intelligence and wisdom in leadership. An alumnus of the University of Nairobi and the prestigious Harvard University, Kiraitu has applied these qualities to serve the society at constituency, county and national levels. In this candid interview with veteran journalist, Njeri Rugene, Kiraitu is blunt, brutal, frank and rational on politics and development issues. The first of its kind in the country, this lengthy interview is not only inspiring, but also an insightful and igniting exposé of realpolitik in Kenya.

Sujets

• Politique
• Political
• Politics
• Politics of Kenya

Informations

• Publié par: East African Educational Publishers
• Date de parution: 27 août 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789966566430
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

BEYOND POLITICS
A CONVERSATION WITH KIRAITU MURUNGI
K ENWAY B IOGRAPHICAL W ORKS
1. SUSAN WOOD: A Fly in Amber
2. MICHAEL BLUNDELL: A Love Affair with the Sun
3. JOMO KENYATTA: Facing Mount Kenya
4. PROF JOSEPH MAINA MUNGAI: From Simple to Complex: The Journey of a Herdsboy
5. GG KARIUKI: Illusion of Power
6. WAITHAKA WAIHENYA: The Mediator: General Sumbeiywo and the Sudan Peace Process
7. MADATALLY MANJI: Madatally Manji: Memoirs of a Biscuit Baron
8. ALLAN DONOVAN: My Journey Through African Heritage
9. YUSUF K DAWOOD: Nothing but the Truth
10. DOUGLAS COLLINS: Tales from Africa
11. ANNABEL MAULE: Theatre Near the Equator
12. ELIJAH MALOK: The Southern Sudan: Struggle for Liberty
13. VALERIE CUTHBERT: Wings of the Wind
14. DAVID GOLDSWORTHY: Tom Mboya: The Man Kenya Wanted to Forget
15. OGINGA ODINGA: Not Yet Uhuru
16. TOM MBOYA: Freedom and After
17. NGØGÐ WA THIONG’O: Dreams in a Time of War
18. NJENGA KARUME with MUTU WA GETHOI: Beyond Expectations: From Charcoal to Gold
19. WANJIRU WAITHAKA and EVANS MAJENI: A Profile of Kenyan Entrepreneurs
20. KEVIN LILLIS: Running for Black Gold: Fifty Years of African Athletics
21. PETER KAGWANJA with HUMPHREY RINGERA: Kiraitu Murungi: An Odyssey in Kenyan Politics
22. NGØGÐ WA THIONG’O: In the House of the Interpreter
23. ROBERT F STEPHENS: Kenyan Student Airlifts to America, 1959-1961: An Educational Odyssey
24. JEREMIAH GITAU KIEREINI: A Daunting Journey
25. JOE KHAMISI: Dash before Dusk: A Slave Descendant’s Journey in Freedom
26. GEORGE MAGOHA: Tower of Transformational Leadership
27. Lieutenant General DANIEL OPANDE: In Pursuit of Peace in Africa: An Autobiography
28. NGØGÐ WA THIONG’O: Wrestling with the Devil
29. NJERI RUGENE: Beyond Politics – A Conversation with Kiraitu Murungi
BEYOND POLITICS
A CONVERSATION WITH KIRAITU MURUNGI
Njeri Rugene
Published by Kenway Publications an imprint of East African Educational Publishers Ltd. Shreeji Road, off North Airport Road, Embakasi, Nairobi. P.O. Box 45314, Nairobi - 00100, KENYA Tel: [phone] Mobile: [phone] Email: [e-mail] Website: www.eastafricanpublishers.com
East African Educational Publishers also has offices or is represented in the following countries: Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and South Sudan.
© Kiraitu Murungi Foundation, 2021
All rights reserved
First published 2021

ISBN 978-9966-56-633-1
Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
Beyond Politics
A Personal Footnote
Epilogue
Post Script
Acknowledgements
T racing and recapturing some of the political events of the 1990s called for accuracy for this conversation.
It is for this reason that I counted on the help of my colleague, editor and human rights journalist, Robert Breen Laban, in research and editorial.
My gratitude also goes to lawyer Kelvin Muthomi of the Meru County Governor's Office for assisting in putting this book together.
Preface
K iraitu Murungi’s intellectual approach to politics has always stunned me.
In the Kenyan political scene, the focus of the players is basically to safeguard their interests and as such, they have to always be ‘politically correct’ in action and deed.
Since joining active politics in 1992 as the MP for South Imenti, I have watched and followed him closely, almost hanging onto his every word over the years. And whenever he made certain statements or utterances that would be considered political suicide, I would tell myself: “He has done himself in; he has talked himself out of Parliament”. I was wrong. Close to 30 years, Kiraitu Murungi is still in active politics, getting elected back-to-back; he has not lost any of the six elections he has contested: for the member of National Assembly, the Senate and governorship. Similarly, he has been in government, as a cabinet minister, since 2002 when the then opposition took over from the repressive KANU regime of the late President Daniel Moi.
I got to know Kiraitu Murungi in February 1992 on his return from exile in the US. Then, there was a lot of political activity that came with the clamour for change and reforms. It was an exciting time for political journalists. I was among those journalists and a budding parliamentary reporter with the Nation Media Group.
The presence of a fresh breed of politicians who joined Parliament after the 1992 elections, especially the ‘Young Turks’ who were mainly from academia, human rights and members of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s FORD Kenya party, was rejuvenating. They included Paul Muite, Gitobu Imanyara, Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi and James Orengo as well as Martha Karua of the Democratic Party (DP), among others.
As a political journalist, working with them was not only a learning period but also fulfilling. Their eloquence during debates on the floor of the House and outside and firm understanding of issues and courage was impressive and enriching to my work. Out of this professional relationship, some people branded me an activist journalist.
Although political and selfish interests and personal differences had led to the splitting of the powerful Forum for Restoration of Democracy (FORD) lobby group; leading to the defeat of the opposition by Moi and his KANU regime, they remained the faces and forces of change and political reforms.
Kiraitu Murungi was very good with words in his contributions, speeches and statements in the House and at press conferences. They were delivered with precision and laced with hard-hitting catchy expressions capsuled in humour. His quotes were a gem. To date, these still define him.
For close to two decades that I worked as a parliamentary reporter and editor at the Nation , I loved and enjoyed covering him.
Kiraitu is one of the few Kenyan politicians who are also authors.
His prowess with words and command of the English language are evident in his titles that include In the Mud of Politics published in 2000 in his second term as an MP and The Song of my Beloved , a collection of poems released in 2006. He authored the poems while in self-isolation after stepping aside from the government awaiting investigations into corruption allegations. He was later cleared and reinstated to the cabinet by President Mwai Kibaki.
Based on these publications under his belt including the Kiraitu Murungi: An Odyssey in Kenyan Politics co-authored by Peter Kagwanja and Humphrey Ringera in 2012, a lot has happened since, especially his new experiences as a grassroots leader in Meru County.
Kiraitu has been closely associated with Kenyan politics and all its major players. It is time to take stock of the political experiences including the reforms based on the current constitution in the face of a possible first amendment under the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), spearheaded by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga.
Governor Kiraitu hosted the first BBI rally in Mount Kenya with Raila Odinga in attendance as the chief guest on February 28, 2020 at Kinoru Stadium. It was a delicate balancing act for him to host Raila Odinga in a region where he enjoyed minimal support; particularly because it was about two years after the bruising 2017 General Election. Selling the controversial initiative would certainly not be a walk in the park. I was keen to see how politician Kiraitu would handle the matter without destabilising his support base and status quo .
He was calculative. He delivered a less than three-minutes speech declaring that President Kenyatta had removed the crocodiles from River Jordan and it was safe for Raila Odinga to go to Canaan. But he cautioned the move with his familiar statement: “I am not as foolish as I look”. Based on this and more other observations, I felt it was time for the governor to put the experiences in writing. I told him as much. This, therefore, is the genesis of Beyond Politics: A Conversation with Kiraitu Murungi.
The interviews started in May 2020, mainly via electronic platforms given the Covid-19 situation. The result is this question-answer thrilling political strip tease which traces Kiraitu’s journey from the poverty of a Mau Mau detention camp as a child to the prestigious Harvard Law School, a human rights lawyer, a street fighter for multiparty democracy, a Member of Parliament, a party leader, a cabinet minister, a senator and governor as well as pains and joys of politics and the contradictions of Kenya’s political elite.
Njeri Rugene June 2021
Introduction
M any Kenyans may only know Kiraitu Murungi as a politician an elite one. Those who have followed his political journey closely can identify with this description. The veteran politician has an impressive way with words. And these words, especially when delivered from a public podium, are usually escorted with some short infectious laughter; never mind the controversy they may carry. Literally, he is the first to laugh at his own jokes before inviting his audience to join him. Whether this delivery is a deliberate political strategy or is part of him could be a story for another day. Actually, the answer may be somewhere in this question and answer conversation which gives some exclusive insights into his personal and public life.
He walks the reader through his political experiences and relationships with the highest office in the