Death that raises more questions than answers By MUTAHI NGUNYI We should line up all the potential suspects in the killing of Dr Odhiambo Mbai and interrogate them because the killing does not make political sense at all. That is why it must be interpreted with the bigger picture in mind. The suspects must include relatives, creditors, and associates at the university.
But, in my view, these suspects are not interesting. The question is: Would the state have a motive to kill Dr Mbai? There is no direct answer to this question. If this misfortune had befallen a `state irritant' such as Mr Otieno Kajwang, we would have been quick to blame the government. However, Dr Mbai was neither an `irritant' nor a radical politician. Why would the state want to kill him? I have only one hypothesis here. But before I discuss it, let us consider the actions of the Police Commissioner on this matter. I want to submit he over-reacted when he offered a cash price of Sh300,000 for Dr Mbai's killers. This generosity can be viewed with suspicion. In my view, it smacks of overcompensation. However, the commissioner might argue that Dr Mbai's case is different. But my question is this: How so? How many Kenyans knew this man before he was shot? If police practice the world over is anything to go by, the record reflects that assassinations are always police- related. The tragedy usually is, they engage in the crime, and are then invited to investigate it. In such cases, cash awards are given as a way of diverting attention from the force. This is why such awards are never won. In fact, whenever the police offer a cash award, the rule is to become suspicious. If the state were a suspect in this murder, what would its motive be? To get to the motive, we must analyse the murder within the context of the NAK/LDP tensions. My hypothesis is that Dr Mbai was not the problem. In history, examples of such killings abound, but one that closely resembles that of Dr Mbai happened in France in 1631. In what acquired the name "The Day of the Dupes", a plot was hatched to oust Cardinal Richelieu from power. This involved people in the highest echelons of government, including the Queen Mother herself. The plot however failed and Richelieu got to know who the conspirators were. His biggest dilemma, however, was how to punish the rebellion-makers. For instance, he could not imprison the ringleader by the name Marillac without implicating the Queen Mother. He had to devise a way around this. After much thought, Richelieu decided to go for Marillac's innocent brother, an Army Marshal. He tried the brother on trumped-up charges and had him executed. With this execution, he punished Marillac indirectly. But more importantly, he served notice to the rebels that he was willing to sacrifice the most innocent to protect his own power! Hypothetically, those who killed Dr Mbai would be sending a warning. Their message would be simple: We cannot touch the party `biggies' but we will injure innocent associates. Such injury could even be extended to weak and innocent family members as well. The idea would be to carry out acts that do not make sense but that inflict pain. But there is a second component in my hypothesis. I occupy the position that the other intention of the Mbai killers would be to provoke the Luo into some regrettable actions. The premise here is that they are very predictable and constant provocation will lead them down a certain path. In the case, the Mbai tragedy might end up as one in a series of provocations. The Luo would be set up but the question is: Would they fall for the trap? In my view, they should temper their reaction. While at it, they should attempt to unpackage the intentions of their detractors. Another question: If the state was involved in the killing through the government, which side of the government? Although NAK has told us repeatedly that we cannot have two governments, I want to put it to them that there are `multiple' factions in this government. This is particularly true within the NAK faction of Narc. I am persuaded that one of the factions is responsible for re-inventing and `colonising' corruption. Unlike the case in the Kanu days where corruption was available to all, this has now become the preserve of a few. And the disturbing thing is that these `sharks' are not apologetic about it. They are cutting deals in the open with the corruption `gurus' of the Kanu regime. The long and short of these `invisible' politicians is that they see themselves as having inherited former President Moi intact. As such, they believe their reign will last forever and they can engage in acts of political and economic crimes. In my view, they are mistaken. Recently, I read a story by Lieh Tzu in The Chinese Looking Glass. It was about a man by the name Shih who had two sons: one loved learning, while the other loved war. And so the father sent the first son to the court of `Chi' where he excelled in the exploration of knowledge and was ultimately made a tutor. The second son talked strategy and studied war at the court of `Chu' and was made a general. Hearing of this successful story, a man by the name Meng decided to follow the example of the Shih boys. He therefore sent his two sons to pursue knowledge and war. The first expounded his moral teachings at the court of `Chi' and showed exemplary performance. But the King was in a continued state of anxiety and did not like his cleverness. Instead of making him a tutor, he had the fellow castrated. The second son displayed his military genius at the court of "Wei". The King was very impressed. But he argued that his state was a weak one and if he relied on force instead of diplomacy, he would soon be swept out. He further argued that if he allowed this fire-eating soldier to go, he would offer his services to other states and cause his kingdom much trouble. And so the good King had his legs cut off! Both Mr Shih and Mr Meng did exactly the same thing with their sons. However, one had the right timing, while the other had his timing completely wrong. And this is the difference between former President Moi and President Kibaki. Mr Moi got away with many things because the spirit of the times favoured him. President Kibaki, on the other hand, is at the helm of power at a different time in our history. He cannot do what Mr Moi did and get the same results. Mr Ngunyi is a political scientist with ConsultAfrika, a research and consulting firm. http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/Today/Comment/Opinion_Anal ysis2109200315.html The Mulindwas Communication Group "With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie" ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mitayo Potosi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2003 6:27 PM Subject: ugnet_: Mbai: The tragic loss of an academic luminary, researcher, teacher and rights cr > > Tribute > Sunday, September 21, 2003 > Mbai: The tragic loss of an academic luminary, researcher, teacher and > rights crusader > > By DENNIS ONYANGO > Click on image for full story > > Dr Mbai: A great scholar > > A faded circular signed by Dr Crispin Odhiambo Mbai, wishing political > science students well, remains on the noticeboard at the Department of > Political Science and Public Administration of the University of Nairobi. > > The circular also tells the students which lecturers to see for registration > in the various courses. > > But the stark reality now is that Dr Odhiambo Mbai is no longer the head of > the department, having been shot dead by gunmen at his Adams Arcade home, > Nairobi, last Sunday. > > The door to his Gandhi Wing 403-H office on the Main Campus remains shut. > His pigeon hole at the department is empty. But the noticeboards remain > littered with his name marked against courses he taught last semester, and > those he was to teach this semester. > > The May-August lecture schedule indicates that he teaches Monitoring and > Evaluation of Development Programmes. Another schedule for the 2002/2003 > Academic Year has his name against three courses: Introduction to Political > Science, Administrative Theory and Public Policy Analysis. > > Last Sunday, three men burst into his house and shot him dead as he read a > newspaper. A neighbour, Kamukunji MP Norman Nyagah, took him to hospital. > The verdict came soon. He was dead. > > So began the agony of fellow lecturers and friends of Dr Mbai. And so ended > an academic career. > > He left unmarked term papers, seminar and research papers yet to be > presented, a book yet to roll out of the press, an empty desk, colleagues > who struggle to remember his last words and others, including students, > fellow constitutional review delegates and government officials who wish > they had known him better. > > Above all else Dr Mbai left an impressive CV. > > Born on October 25, 1954, he attended Ligisa Primary School in Rangwe, Homa > Bay District, moved to Mirogi and Londiani secondary schools between 1970 > and 1973, and Cardinal Otunga High School in Kisii District, between 1974 > and 1975. > > In July, 1976, he arrived at the University of Nairobi and obtained a > Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Sociology. On graduation in 1979, > he enrolled in the same university for an MA in political science, which he > obtained in 1981. > > His MA thesis was on the agro-business in the sugar industry in Kenya. He > looked at the socio-economic and political outcome of an agro-business > arrangement between small-scale cane growers and sugar millers in the > Muhoroni Settlement Scheme, Nyanza. He then joined the Civil Service as a > personnel officer at the the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri), where > he rose to Principal Administrative Officer. > > Projects management > > It was while at Kemri that he won the Joint Japan World Bank Scholarship and > a University of Toronto Open Fellowship for a PhD at the University of > Toronto in 1987. He got his PhD in 1992, majoring in policy analysis. > > With the PhD, he returned to the University of Nairobi as a lecturer in > October 1992, rising to senior lecturer in 2000. At the university, Dr Mbai > taught development administration, introduction to political science and > projects management. Last year, he was appointed chairman of the department > of political science and public administration, a position he held until his > death. > > In October 2001, the Dean's Committee gave Dr Mbai a grant to carry out > research on regional integration and internal conflicts in Africa focusing > on Eastern Africa. A year earlier, the UNDP had funded him to carry out > research on public service ethics in Kenya. The study covered 10 sub-Saharan > African countries. > > The Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University, Prof Peter Wanyande, > remembers that the UNDP called Dr Mbai to ask if he really wanted his > findings made public. The UN agency feared that the findings were so radical > that they could land him into problems with the Moi regime. > > "Mbai said those were his findings and he did not intend to doctor them in > any way and that he had no problems with them being made public. He wanted > the findings given to the Government," Dr Wanyande recalls. > > Dr Mbai did a lot of research on the management of elections. One of the > things he left behind is a paper he was to present at a seminar that starts > tomorrow in Zanzibar. The two-day seminar is organised by the University of > Dar es Salaam's Department of Research and Education for Democracy. > > Prof Wanyande hopes to present his fallen colleague's paper on Election > Management and Democratisation Process in Kenya. > > Late last year, Dr Mbai was researched on accountability in Kenya's public > service, sponsored by the African Centre for Economic Growth. He concluded > that public servants will not be accountable until the public puts pressure > on them to do so. > > "It is not enough to set rules. The public must understand that it needs to > put pressure on public officers to be accountable. That is not the case in > Kenya," he concluded in the study. > > He had edited a book initially entitled, The Politics of Transition; From > Moi to the Unknown, which would have come out of the press on Thursday. But > Narc won the elections and the title was changed to Politics of Transition; > From Kanu to Narc. > > Dr Mbai has a chapter in that book entitled The Rise and Fall of the > Autocratic State in Kenya. He traces the rise of political dictatorship in > Kenya from the colonial period, through the Kenyatta and Moi eras. > > "It is ironical that Mbai would be the first person to die under strange > circumstances in the Narc Government that was supposed to herald the death > of the autocratic state," Prof Wanyande, the immediate former head of > political science department says. > > Comments\Views about this article > > Mitayo Potosi > > _________________________________________________________________ > Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. > http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail > > > > -------------------------------------------- > This service is hosted on the Infocom network > http://www.infocom.co.ug > > -------------------------------------------- This service is hosted on the Infocom network http://www.infocom.co.ug
