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Images of Opposition leader Raila Odinga chatting heartily with King Charles as a smiling President William Ruto looked on at State House last week caused ripples locally and globally.

Raila’s presence at the State banquet for English royalty represented a seismic shift in national political dynamics, a thawing of relations between acrimonious 2022 presidential election rivals.

Nobody would have imagined such a warm meeting involving the two leaders last March at the height of public protests Raila called that nearly paralysed the country politically and economically.

Kenyans had emerged from a bruising electoral contest whose shock outcome left the country teetering on the brink of a catastrophe after the Supreme Court upheld the results of a bitterly contested presidential election.

While respecting the court’s ruling, Raila disagreed with the verdict, terming the election fraudulent as he refused to recognise the legitimacy of Ruto’s administration.

He continues to demand electoral reforms, the restructuring of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEBC) and a forensic audit of its server, a demand Ruto vehemently opposes, raising eyebrows in the court of public opinion. Raila’s successful rallying call of supporters around electoral justice coincided with an increase in the cost of living, new tax regimes and removal of the fuel subsidy.

The hikes in fuel, sugar and maize flour prices have fueled public anger and apathy towards the government that persists to date.

Capitalising on this sentiment, Raila portrayed Ruto’s administration as high-handed, insensitive and failing to fulfill his pro-poor campaign promises.

Realising the futility of the heavy-handed police response to the popular demonstrations against tax hikes and the high cost of living, Ruto reluctantly stood down and agreed to embrace dialogue through a national negotiating table.

Dialogue has brought a semblance of calm and realisation even among diehard political opponents as the only way out of the prevailing economic and political quagmire. Hence Raila’s presence at the royal State House fete.

Unpopular utterances by senior leaders insinuating that the government is a shareholding enterprise amid charges of runaway corruption and impunity inflame tensions. Ethnic-laced cutthroat political competition and electoral malpractices is a recipe for lethal political violence.

Our national stability has long been tied to elections. Let the National Dialogue Committee genuinely deal with the two critical issues of the high cost of living and electoral justice that binds all Kenyans regardless of status, ethnicity or political affiliation.

Let the bipartisan team reimagine electoral practices that could stabilise Kenya’s democracy and politics. Post-election stability depends not just on political stability, but on the winning party’s inclusion of all Kenyans from diverse ethnic groups in the government of the day.

In the long term, a parliamentary system could help fix our national political crisis. However, the current regime, unlike the previous two, appears reluctant to diffuse the tension by promoting an all-inclusive government.

As the dialogue committee drafts its report, it must take maximum advantage of its legal mandate to pave the way for political and economic stability. It has the fangs endorsed by Ruto, Raila, Parliament and the people to recommend constitutional, legislative and policy reforms.

Both parties must choose to compromise in the interest of stabilising our nation politically and economically by addressing ethnicity and political inclusivity or else we will join the list of Africa’s unstable states.
The committee can avoid this dangerous route by finding a solution to the country’s harmful political and governance challenges.
— The writer comments on governance and constitutional affairs.
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