Dear honorable Member of Parliament for Gatundu South, Mr. Moses Kuria. Receive warmest greetings from me in this city of brotherly love also known as Philadelphia, United States.
First and foremost, I wish to congratulate you for cruising to Parliament as the first ever un-opposed lawmaker under our new constitution.
Metaphorically and even literally, you are the only lawmaker under our new constitution representing the president, Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta; who happens to be a native of Gatundu South. Your constituency has another symbolic significance.
It is home to the late first president Mzee Jommo Kenyatta. So you are presidents MP. Yet, the process through which you became MP remains alien to democratic principles.
The press insinuated that your fate was predetermined by a presidential decree and behind the scenes manipulation of democratic tenets.
Your challenger, Mr. Kiarie Kamere reluctantly bowed out of race citing his respect for the president. I interpreted that to mean democratic principles were compromised to accommodate you.
Who knows? Maybe the people of Gatundu South would have voted for you still by casting the ballot. But somehow they were robbed opportunity to cast their ballot.
Either way, you are now the recognized MP for G.S. As my American friends would say, the people of Gatundu South and Kenyans at large will have to “suck it up” and live with you throughout your term of office.
Yet, it is concerning that National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and the Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) preferred charges of ethnic hate and intolerance against you for alleged tribal chauvinism.
Though I do not know how the court will decide, based on court’s history on subject matter, you are as good as a fee man. NCIC and our courts lack audacity to annihilate ethnic intolerance.
More importantly, however, functions of your new office demands integrity and professionalism. You can’t continue doing business the same way you have been doing. Something has got to give. Guard your mouth and mind.
Disagree with those you dislike without demonizing them. After all, civil disagreement is a precept enshrined in the constitution. Inculcate in your mind principles of inclusivism and tolerance-bearing in mind we are one people, one nation-tied together in one geographical location called Kenya.
Former US President John F. Kennedy once said, “Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends.
Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder. What unites us is far greater than what divides us.”
Perhaps you will find realism in knowing that what affects a resident of Gatundu South is same as what affects the resident of Bondo.
And that is what you must articulate in parliament. Above all, shape yourself into a law making and abiding MP not an embodiment of ethnic intolerance as you have been portrayed in public sphere.
Recently, your body language and demeanor on NTV’s The Trend with Larry Madowo betrayed you as a lawmaker.
Although you have the mandate, I must say I remain concerned. Instead of reconciling Kenyans who support or oppose you, you vehemently defended your shortcomings.
You wouldn’t move an inch. You lost an opportunity to shed off your hardcore stance and shape a lawmaker image which must promote national unity.
I admit you have the ability to mobilize people. You are skilled albeit in a non-conventional way. That is what sets you apart as Moses Kuria. Use your skills positively for the good of the people of Gatundu South and Kenyans at large.
Instead of demolishing, construct. Instead of injuring, heal. Instead of dividing, unite. Instead of manipulating, empower.
You will play a tremendous role in parliament and in Jubilee administration. You will shape policies and politics of Kenya. The president will listen and even implement some of your suggestions.
Don’t abuse your proximity to the president by infusing in his mind politics of hate and exclusivism. It doesn’t matter whether one is a Luo, a Kikuyu, a Luhya or a Kalenjin, we are one nation. I will be watching you. Good luck and God’s speed.
By Jacktone Ambuka, a Kenyan Residing And Working In Philadelphia, USA. Email:
