Burness Global: Stories

President Kibaki

Kenyan businessmen and women, and political friends of the new power-sharing coalition government, filled the large ballroom of Nairobi’s Grand Regency Hotel. Reporters and camera crews bustled about, fighting over position. Black, gold, and brown drapes adorned the edges of the room, along with signs and banners of organizations taking part in the announcement.

This was the launch of the first major national partnership to provide small-scale Kenyan farmers with $50 million USD in low-interest loans. But the excitement in the room was over something else: the attendance of President Mwai Kibaki and the new Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The two leaders were attending the event as a show of unity and commitment to the country and its farmers–the backbone of the Kenyan economy.

Everyone in the room was in support of this program for farmers, but what people were really waiting to see was the interaction between Kibaki and Odinga, following the violent outcome of the December 2007 elections. The two men had run against each other for president, and the disputed results led to weeks of turmoil that killed more than 1,100 people and laid bare the country’s deep divisions.

Loud “presidential” music blared through the public announcement system, announcing the arrival of both men and their entourages, followed by an elaborate musical program with songs and dances for the royal audience. Then Odinga took the podium first.

“You could say I was ambushed,’’ he said.

I wondered where he was going with this.

“I was not prepared to make remarks here today,’’ he said.

Phew, I thought, a lighthearted opening joke. The crowd laughed. You could tell they took to him.

“A nation that can feed its own people is a better nation. A hungry person is an angry person; we want to deal with the hunger so as to be able to comprehensively deal with the anger,” Odinga said.

This was more of what I was expecting.

The Prime Minister described the age-old adage that if you teach a man how to fish, he can sustain himself. He said giving handouts to farmers is the same as giving them a fish–as opposed to teaching them. “Farmers don’t want handouts! They need sustainable solutions. That’s why this program is important!” he railed.

Odinga then gave a gracious introduction for Kibaki.

As they passed each other on the stage, they nodded at each other and almost smiled. There seemed to be some positive chemistry. I compared this to what I see on the front pages of Kenyan newspapers on a daily basis: static pictures of two men in their dark suits. The newspapers made them always seem at odds. This scene on stage surprised me; I wasn’t prepared for a friendly exchange, but then again I shouldn’t have expected a showdown either.

Kibaki described the perfect storm of factors contributing to the current food crisis including oil process and climate change. He also spoke of the 3.5 million bags of maize destroyed during the post-election violence.

“I appeal to all concerned, give peace a chance,” he said. “We need to forget what happened…and move forward together.”

There was an awkward silence in the room.

Kibaki continued: “I declare Kilimo Biashara partnership officially landed. We have come together, thank you for this effort,” Kibaki said.

That was it. No one was going to be against a loan program for farmers, especially now at a time of rising food prices. But here in Kenya, and elsewhere, so much depends on whether the government can effectively implement programs. I was happy to see the positive chemistry between the two leaders in person, and now Kenyan farmers wait to see if they deliver.