Why has the Prime Minister decided to wade into the murky world of gay activism? yesterday, the PM made statements to the effect that government will dedicate resources towards reducing or eliminating the incidence of gay sex and gay romance. In the aftermath of the Minister for Special programmes calling for the inclusion of homosexual persons in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS, it is indeed strange that the PM has decided to come out so strongly against homosexuality, especially now that Parliament has decided to go on hiatus on the implementation of the Constitution. In Kenya, it is a safe bet to go on the offensive against homosexuality given the strong feelings of a vocal minority against the practice, but this should not be the province of Prime Ministers when they have much bigger fish to fry.
The Prime Minister, as the supervisor of government ministries, needs to get his priorities right. The Minister for Justice is on record that he was in the dark regarding the operations of the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission. The Minister for Higher Education has been suspended. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has 'stepped aside' to pave way for investigations into irregular transactions relating to diplomatic properties of the Government of Kenya. The Minister for Water is under great pressure to 'step aside' regarding corruption in her ministry. The US government, through its ambassador to Kenya, has made shocking accusations regarding the conduct of senior politicians and civil servants in narcotics trafficking.
The US government is also opposed to the re-opening of Charterhouse bank, accusing it of money laundering and tax-evasion, though how the latter affects the US government has yet t be explained. The Minister for Internal Security (who is also acting as the Minister for Foreign Affairs) has pledged government support to the ICC in its interrogation of senior government officials regarding the events of December 2007 and January-to April 2008. Parliament has refused to endorse the appointment of two Commissions until the boundaries dispute is resolved to the satisfaction of the representatives of Central Kenya. Therefore, the PM should really not be calling attention to an issue that is of little or no national importance. Unless, of course, he is trying to deflect attention from the problems in his own house.
It has not escaped notice that the Minister for Water is one of the staunchest supporters of the PM. Indeed, the PM was quite prompt in his defense of the Minister when a former Assistant Minister, now an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Public Works, made startling allegations that the Minister for Water was involved in the shady goings on in her ministry. It has also not escaped notice that the Chairman of the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission, IIBRC, contested the Vihiga parliamentary Seat on an ODM ticket and that the majority of new constituencies were created in what are perceived to be ODM 'zones'.
Therefore, is it not in the realm of the impossible that the PM has seized on any issue that he can use to deflect public attention from the trials and tribulations of his ally in government? If this is the case, then his attack on the homosexual community in Kenya is a cynical exercise in political brinkmanship and someone should call him out on it.
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