Is CORD Afraid??

 

CORD is undeniably picking up on what seems to be of general public concern. Insecurity, for instance. The pervasive sense that everybody who should be responsible for security is out to lunch, with nobody in charge.

However, CORD has also picked up on what is arguably not of general public concern — an issue about which the public is divided roughly down the middle: The last general election and what needs to be done to ensure the public’s vote means something.

So whether or not a concern resonates with the public across the board is not CORD’s only criteria for inclusion of an issue on its agenda. Why not accountability then?

Perhaps it is because CORD — like all political alliances and coalitions that preceded it — includes among its members those from whom accountability could also be demanded. History does repeat itself.

There is no political alliance or coalition in Kenya today without carry-overs, continuities, from the past — the colonial-era collaborators may slowly be dying out, but the first republic’s are still with us, alive and well, scattered across the Jubilants and CORD alike. Thus, CORD raising accountability would create yet more rancour amongst its already ill-disciplined troops.

Finally, it may also be that CORD is finding news from the ICC as depressing as the rest of us. The case of William Ruto and Joshua Sang is proceeding — albeit with an ever-diminishing witness list.