Bads of a Feather

No, I'm not 'pulling a shrub'. That's the Kenyan way of saying you're unable to pronounce certain English words correctly.

I've been away from the city for two weeks, so forgive me if I look a bit lost. My first shock came when I returned to the office today. There have been a few changes, and a colleague jokes that I'm so feared that they could only effect changes in my absence. I wish!

On a more serious note, my newspaper has come up with a hot new, neater and more readable cleaner online edition. I know the guys behind it so I'll walk up to them a few minutes from now and shake their hands on your behalf. if you allow me.

Now that I have a new boss, let me rant a bit on political changes in Kenya. Last week, opposition (well, not quite but officially so) leader Uhuru Kenyatta finally decided that he was Kikuyu damu (full-blooded) so he would throw his lot with President Kibaki.

It was alike a ballet dance without the wispy figures and the art behind it, but choreographed all the same. Yesterday, just days after the Uhuru announcement, Kibaki announced that he had now picked the Party of National Unity (PNU) as his vehicle for election loss. Looks like he did not want his Democratic Party or much touted Narc-Kenya (the flower party) to bear the loss.

Now I have a problem with that. When a chick professes her love for the hawk, you do not know whether to slap her small cheeks, burst out laughing or assist in the suicide. How does an opposition leader back an incumbent president he has opposed all along? In fact, he recently described Kibaki as hands-off, eyes-off, everything off president. I wonder what changed.

The de facto opposition leader, Raila Odinga, sighed with relief. Former Sports minister Najib Balala whipped out a stopwatch and started his Countdown to Election 2007. Meanwhile, former president Daniel arap Moi was out somewhere in Kapsisiywa, Nandi North District. I'm not sure he was aware that Kibaki had picked a new party.

Now the bads of a feather have frocked together under the PNU. Whether the new frock wins them the beauty contest is open to speculation, although I have a feeling I know already.