Clearly, the sages were wrong, when they
declared that a son whose only ambition is to be like his father is a loser in
the making. This, you see, applies only if the dad in question is a good-
for-nothing kumi kumi connoisseur. But if an old man is loaded, or is a big
shot in government, or is a big thief anywhere, there is nothing wrong with his
son, or indeed daughter, following in his footsteps. Kenya is only just getting
used to political inheritance. In a few instances, sons have taken over their
fathers’ vacant positions directly, usually after the old man passes away. But
elsewhere in the world, political power is like family wealth; it is handed
down from one generation to the other. It is jealously guarded against dilution
or intrusion from unwelcome quarters, and can be grounds for unfriendly
actions. In Uganda, President Museveni has been hanging onto power as he
prepares his son, Brigadier Muhoozi Kainerugaba, for the presidency. Kampala
wags reckon that old man Museveni will finally step down in 2016, once Muhoozi
is ready to sit in the big house on the hill.
Across the border in Rwanda, there is a bit
of a conundrum for President Paul Kagame. His country’s constitution makes it
clear that he must step down in 2017, having served the maximum two terms in
office. The problem is that, even from an outsider’s perspective, there does
not appear to be anyone in sight with the vision and personal gravitas to
continue the astonishing recovery that Rwanda has made from the genocide in
1994, in which a million of its citizens were butchered. The Kigali rumour mill
has kicked into high gear, with various scenarios whispered over quiet sips of
Primus, Rwanda’s answer to our Tusker Lager. Some say President Kagame will bow
to pressure and change the constitution to win a third term in 2017.
But
the man is not immortal, and more than a few whispers in Kigali point to the
military and political preparation that Kagame’s son, Ivan, has quietly been
undergoing. By the time Kagame Senior’s third term comes to an end in 2024, the
younger Kagame should be ready to take over.
Of course, Africans are not alone in this.
In India, the Gandhis have run a celebrated dynasty, handing power from parent
to child like it were a preserve of their family. The latest incarnation is
Rahul Gandhi, widely expected to win the premiership in the country’s next
elections. And in neighbouring Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto, son of assassinated
ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has decided to enter the poisonous and
dangerous world of that country’s politics. He wants to be Prime Minister.
Karachi wags say this is like saying he wants to be dead.
VENDETTAS
Passing power to descendants also passes on
curses and vendettas. In Kenya, development has taken a back seat as the heirs
of our founding fathers assume the ideological and political positions of their
fathers. This is a preoccupation that has left the country in a lurch, as
opposing camps focus on containing each other.
The power might be sweet and the political
mud-fights interesting, but in the process, no one is left to look after the
country, with corruption and bad governance holding sway.
