Kalonzo Musyoka, he of the watermelon monicker, is an interesting politician indeed! History bears him out as among the Nyayo era loyalists who would sing ‘Kanu juu’ to high heavens and prescribe tougher actions against those who were perceived to want to derail the Nyayo train.

That was until he realised that multiparty was a reality and jumped ship to the opposition, but not before he felt shortchanged by President Moi.

Twice, he snubbed Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto’s overtures to form a formidable team because he felt that his buttered side of the bread was in the opposition. This, despite playing shuttle diplomacy for the duo during the sunset years of President Kibaki’s rule. 

But old habits die hard, or they don’t die at all? Since President Uhuru Kenyatta’s second term began, he has not been short of hatchet men and women, the unashamedly hypocritical and sycophantic fellows who only the space and political dispensation they operate in make them look a bit refined.

Those who witnessed the Kanu regime’s iron-fisted rule and how Nyayo made use of leaders with the finest of education, character and integrity to do his biddings, would remind us that none should wish for a return to such tendencies. 

It ruined the country’s capacity and capital—human, financial and emotional—to the extent that nobody had a mind, capability of their own apart from that of the ruling class.

ODM was the first to take the role of defending the President with gusto. That role is however now ably handled by Wiper leader Kalonzo. He has baffled pundits by the way he has found his old Kanu voice, telling the President to crack the whip and expel rebels. 

Musalia Mudavadi seems to have learnt from the 2013 debacle that preceded the UhuRuto presidency and is now more cautious while dealing with the powers that be. But Kenyans must resist attempts to go back to the ignominious past.

Economic and political analyst