As weeks marred with protests, police brutality and dead bodies rolled by, the Jubilee government did nothing but up the ante on more muscular measures to curtail basic freedoms and giving the Constitution a big, fat middle finger.
While CORD leaders kept on fighting and demanding basic irreducible minimums, Jubilee’s gung ho comportment was palpable. It seemed then, that Kenyans, yet again, were going to be treated to the same old gestapo ordeals that are were now part of the new normal in Kenya.
The leader of the free world-Obama said ENOUGH!
Kenya Today, can now reveal that the US State Department, under crisp advise from the US ambassador to Kenya Mr Godec, had been gathering intelligence ( which in turn , was being relayed to President Obama) and when Washington got wind of the stubborn chest thumping stalemate that bedeviled the IEBC issue, President Obama said ENOUGH!
The White House dispatched its senior foreign policy wonks to the State Department with clear instructions to be relayed to President Uhuru and PM Raila Odinga. The US was not going to sit by and watch Kenya engage in unnecessary political quagmires that had led to deaths of about seven youths and several fatal shootings- this could have been avoided with some degree of sobriety.
After an intense briefing session at the State Department, Godec’s mission was cut out for him: get hold of both Raila and Uhuru and tell them to wait for calls from the leader of the free world! For Uhuru, Washington came calling when he was in Machakos, he had to cut short his Ukambani tour and fly back to Statehouse . Raila who was Nyamira county got a call from ambassador Godec who told him to be on standby by 1845hrs as President Obama was to call him directly.
Before President Obama’s call to two leaders, ambassador Godec had spent considerable time in Statehouse and also in Karen home of Prime Minister Raila trying the bridge the two.
Kenya Today, can now reveal that Obama prevailed upon the two leaders two soften their stance on key items regarding IEBC reforms. CORD was told to curtail the demos and consider boardroom alternatives. The President was also told to soften his stance and refrain from his pet political scarecrow ( Parliamentary muscle) as a shillelagh with which to tame the opposition.
Obama warned that no sober talks can prevail if one side kept on throwing Parliamentary muscle around. Jubilee also got an earful of presidential rebuke on the backdoor surrogates masquerading as objective arbiters ( the clergy and Private Sector alliance dominated by Mt Kenya) while their historical positions have been largely pro-status quo.
In the end, CORD, it emerged, will make do with 60% of what they wanted while Jubilee, given their dominance in all fronts, will have to be content with 40% of what they desired.
Obama’s intervention, midwifed what will be unveiled today or tomorrow in a joint appearance between Prime Minister Raila and the President Uhuru. It will be a compromise hatched and mediated by Washington! Talk about deja vu all over again.
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