In the 90s there were parties called DP, Sabasaba Asili, Ford Asili forerunners to PNU and now TNA. DP and Ford Asili politicians never gave Moi and KANU breathing space. They complained of marginalization of Central Kenya. And for sure they were marginalized. However the effect of that marginalization was tempered by years of favoritism during Kenyatta years.
Moi went after Coffee, the mainstay of Central Kenya by engineering infighting within cooperative societies like Murang’a Farmers Cooperative Union. Small towns like Murang’a, Maragwa and Thika were, thanks to Moi going through slow death. Roads like Kenol to Sagana were literally shambas with potholes, neglected by Kanu for being opposition zones.
Thika, Jomo’s hometown was a thriving Industrial city with Kenya Canners, KTM, Leyland, metalbox and so on when Moi took over.
Marginalized, central Kenya demanded devolved governments. Today they fight devolution. Life was tough in Central Kenya in the 90s. I can tell you it was hell. Towns were dying. Alcoholism was on the rise. Kibaki ran in 1992, 97 and was ageing with no hope of ever winning, until the Kibaki Tosha declaration came his way, and the rest is history. Now we have Thika Superhighway, and Central is thriving. The aforementioned Kenol to Sagana road is in process of being made into a Superhighway. We have forgotten where God brought us from.
Fast forward to 2016, the same monkeys who complained in DP, Ford Asili and Saba Saba do the same things Kanu politicians did. They marginalize other regions, they clap when trumped up charges are wrought on leaders from other regions. The same monkeys in this forest has whipped the media into line. The corruption they blamed for dilapidation of their roads and collapse of coffee and tea, continues unabated, same script different cast.
Why did DP, turned PNU turned TNA politicians fight Moi? Was it because he was a Kalenjin. Even Moi recently observed that “corruption has spiralled out of control”. Moi tolerated corruption, but would never tolerate this degree of corruption.
