Focus on alleviating flood effects, not politics
Torrential rains continue to pound Kenya, with devastating floods killing hundreds of people, displacing thousands and destroying property.
By Sunday night, the death toll from the flooding had hit 228, with 212,630 people rendered homeless as rivers burst their banks, dams spilled over and lakes overflowed.
Amid this humanitarian crisis induced by powerful forces of nature aggravated by the impacts of climate change, the caustic rhetoric of Kenyan politics has re-emerged.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga triggered the return of populist politics after a lull of almost one year when he lashed out at President Ruto’s government’s handling of the crisis. He demanded that the government declare the crisis a national disaster.
There was a general public perception that the government had not given adequate attention to the environmental and human catastrophe affecting citizens since it started getting out of hand several weeks ago.
Indeed, statements from the authorities appeared to downplay or make light of predictions from the Meteorological Department that Kenya should brace itself for the effects of El Nino and its devastating aftermath during the long-rains season.
It was only after the floods caused more deaths and destruction that the government was jolted into belated action. Somehow it initially appeared indifferent to the severity of the humanitarian impact of the heavy rains and floods.
The response, though well-intended and set up, in some cases seemed like a knee-jerk reaction in execution, compounding rather than ameliorating the human crisis.
This was evident in the directive to demolish houses and evict thousands of people living on riparian land, especially those dwelling in informal settlements close to the banks of rivers flowing through the capital Nairobi.
With a negative human rights portrayal of the government’s actions, Raila, the doyen of opposition politics, could not resist the chance to score one against his erstwhile rival, though the two had apparently toned down their differences.
Not even the allure of the bid for the AU Commission leadership the President has championed since their rapprochement could stop Raila from capitalizing on the government’s human rights slip-up.
Raila plunged right into the imbroglio of the humanitarian and environmental crisis, unleashing a stinging attack on the Kenya Kwanza administration.
He visited Mukuru Kwa Reuben in Nairobi to donate food for residents evicted from demolished homes and business premises. His visit and remarks were warmly received by the affected wananchi. He warned the government to stop the demolitions and build alternative houses for the residents before demolishing their current dwellings.
The demolitions left pathetic sights, children and their parents exposed to the harsh elements they were meant to be protected from. Personal belongings, business goods and commodities were lost or destroyed.
Ironically, some of the demolished houses were far from and under no threat from the raging rivers. While Raila’s harsh criticism of the government has not gone down well with the President’s allies, it has resonated with the majority of Kenyans.
It is therefore naïve for Ruto’s allies to revive cheap pre-National Dialogue Committee political rhetoric and to drag Raila’s bid for the AU job into the purely environmental, constitutional and human rights issue he has raised.
It would be wise to focus on this issue because, on the altar of political populism, Raila has already won both popular national and continental endorsement.
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