African workers demand genuine democracy in Kenya

Uhuru Kenyatta won 54 percent of votes against 45 percent for Raila Odinga on 8 August 2017. 1.4 million votes separated the two contenders.

What grabbed the world’s attention, however, was the decision of the chief justice David Maraga from the Kenyan supreme court that overturned the victory of Uhuru Kenyatta by stating that the elections had not been “conducted in accordance with the constitution” and declared it “invalid, null and void.”

This verdict was backed by four of the six Kenyan supreme court judges.

He further stated, ”…the electoral commission had ‘failed, neglected or refused to conduct the presidential election in a manner consistent with the dictates of the constitution.’” (ft.com)

A successful challenge of the presidential results by the opposition was unprecedented, but that was no guarantee that Odinga would emerge as a winner if the elections were to be rerun.

Kenyatta reacted to the supreme court decision by stating that “I disagree with it because millions of Kenyans queued and made their choice and six people decided that they will go against the will of the people.” (ft.com)

Another major incident during the electoral process was the murder of Chris Msando. The chief of the IT system in charge of the computerized voting system was found murdered a week before the polling day in August.

For African workers, there is no such thing as free and fair elections under neocolonialism

Raila Odinga’s response was to call for the boycott of the 26 October rerun of the electoral contest. He argued that there cannot be fair elections without reforms of the electoral process.

For us African workers, there is no such thing as free and fair elections under neocolonialism; the winner of every election will always be the African petty bourgeoisie itself until we can create our own independent force to intervene in this electoral process.

The elections were rerun without the participation of Odinga, the main opponent leader.

This time, Kenyatta claimed victory with 98 percent of the 39 percent of voters who casted their vote on the rerun.

The tension between respective supporters of the two opposing camps is high; supporters of Odinga are outraged by what they believe to be Kenyatta’s theft of Odinga’s victory.

Two sides of the same neocolonial coin

We do not see a difference between Odinga, Kenyatta and Maraga; they are all representatives of the Kenyan petty bourgeoisie that is aligned with our imperialist oppressors.

Odinga is opposed to the fact that power has since been the “flag independence” in the hands of the Kikuyu ethnic group and allies such as the Kalenjins.

It is turn for the Luos now to be in power, but the demographic arithmetic does not work in favour of Odinga’s Luo group.

In some quarters, there is a talk of secession as the only solution.

It is not new that the same argument can be heard in Nigeria, where a certain section of the African petty bourgeois of Igbo background is favorable to the breakup of Nigeria to allow Igbo petty bourgeoisie to have its own State.

There is a need of an urgent work in Kenya to split the African proletariat from the African petty bourgeoisie, to stop the latter from using poor African workers as cannon fodder in the fight between its neocolonial power factions.

Neocolonialism threatening African unity

Tribalism or ethnic politics anywhere in Africa are a defence of neocolonialism and of the African petty bourgeoisie against African workers.

They definitely help to obscure the exploitation of all African workers by white imperialism and their black lackeys; they obscure the betrayal of Africa by the African petty bourgeoisie.

They break the solidarity and unity between impoverished African workers, peasants and all the toiling masses of Kenya.

Instead of targeting sell-out black rulers and white and other foreign parasitic capitalists who are fleecing Kenya, poor people are at each other’s throats.

We clearly need to denounce this attack on the unity of African people in Kenya and overturn it so that we can organize ourselves against the real perpetrators of our unbearable misery.

Identify and fight neocolonialism in Kenya

Every election is a peaceful struggle for political power between factions of the ruling class, but when it comes to dealing with African workers, the African petty bourgeois is not a pacifist force.

It is a violent social force. It is white power in black face.

The masses’ participation is limited to casting a vote for candidates and programs of the African petty bourgeoisie, whose power is used to advance their own African petty bourgeois class-based interests.

This includes, among other things, villas on every continent and millions of dollars stashed in off shore bank accounts.

The conflicts between rival factions in Africa often reflect conflicts between foreign backers’ interests.

Be assured all rivals are united against the African workers and poor peasants in Kenya and the African petty bourgeoisie is opposed to the people’s resistance and Revolution in Kenya.

Odinga and Kenyatta are not new comers on the neocolonial political scene in Kenya. They both represent two of the biggest neocolonial families in Kenya.

Odinga himself served as the second prime minister of Kenya from 2008-2013 and has been a leader of the opposition since 2013. Odinga is a son of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who rivaled with Uhuru’s father, Jomo Kenyatta, for control of a neocolonialist solution in Kenya in the sixties.

The African petty bourgeoisie either under Kenyatta or Odinga would continue to be a part of the U.S.-led proxy western imperialist aggression of Somalia.

That is why we are making this urgent call to all African workers and peasants in Kenya and throughout the region: We must unite to smash neocolonialism and all forms of imperialism!

African Self-Determination as the Highest Expression of Democracy!

Join and Build the African People’s Socialist Party, the Party for Black power!

Author

spot_img
- Advertisement -spot_img

Support African Working Class Media!

More articles from this author

Hands Off Uhuru supporters demonstrate in Pretoria

On September 3, the first day of the Uhuru 3 trial, members of the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) - South Africa from...

Africans in London mobilized by the demand to drop all charges against the Uhuru 3

On Tuesday September 3, the first day of the Uhuru 3 trial, the Hands Off Uhuru! Hands Off Africa! Fightback Coalition in London, England...

Uhuru 3 found NOT guilty of being Russian agents

Tampa, FL—On the morning of September 12, 2024, the jury returned a verdict in the free speech trial of the century, where Chairman Omali...

Similar articles

It’s not over! Fight back against the Uhuru 3 “conspiracy” verdict! Defeat the U.S. government’s use of “thought crimes” as an attack on the...

At the sentencing hearing, now set for December 16, 2024 in Tampa, Florida, the U.S. government intends to lock up Chairman Omali Yeshitela, Penny...

Hands Off Uhuru supporters demonstrate in Pretoria

On September 3, the first day of the Uhuru 3 trial, members of the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) - South Africa from...

A U.S. attack on Venezuela is an attack on Africa too!

The African Socialist International (ASI) condemns U.S. rulers’ desperate attempt to steal the Venezuelan people’s right to self-determination. We condemn U.S. secretary of state Antony...
spot_img