This archive report was first published on 12 October 2019.
On October 12, 2019, Kenya's leadership crisis came to a head in City Hall, Nairobi, where a violent incident confirmed that the country had lost its way. The ugly spectacle of violence was a stark reminder that Kenya may never have had leaders and leadership in the first place.
Speaker Beatrice Elachi, who was impeached by the county assembly in 2018, was eventually reinstated by the courts after a year and a month. However, she has been hesitant to take up her duties, citing fears for her safety. Elachi has spoken out about the threats she has received from gangsters in City Hall, who have vowed to take her out the moment she returns to work.
Kenya's leadership crisis is not limited to Nairobi. In other county assemblies, such as Kisumu and Kakamega, rowdy legislators have been involved in violent incidents, including breaking into Speaker Buluma's office in Kakamega and attempting to throw Onyango Oloo out of his office in Kisumu.
The parliamentary system was created to facilitate amicable debates and resolution of issues, not chaos. However, Kenya's leaders seem to have forgotten this fundamental principle. Instead, they have resorted to raw fiat and violence to get their way.
The courts need to take a firmer stance against those who defy them, and the people of Kenya need to ask themselves how they ended up with these wild hoodlums for leaders. It is time for a change.
