Transition: Transforming military might to political power.

In a previous post we attempted to tackle the interesting transition from Journalism to Politics and identified some key players in this complex process. While it would seem foolhardy to focus on the goings on of one nation and then extrapolate the effects on a global scale, certain similarities between others larger nations exist and probably have served as fuel for the operations of many long serving governments.

The recent bill to regulate the operations of NGOs in Kenya as well as the contentious Media Bill in the same country are stark reminders of the realities of governance in Africa. None of these events occur in Isolation, Russia, a few months prior had attempted and succeeded in closing some Non Governmental Organizations which in its view were designed to cause instability in it's populace. Similar sentiments were echoed in Egypt when she shut down several NGOs which it suspected has suspicious funding sources.

If there are any two parties or groups which can be blamed for recent usurpations and revolutions, NGOs and Media kind of stand out. NGOs rather indirectly for funding but also for suggesting indirectly through reports about Human Rights and issues like transparency, corruption and democracy that freedom is possible. Media for it's ability to report and give platforms to dissenters.
Under the large media banner, bloggers have made a name for themselves and other sub-activist often western groups.

To be fair though, the larger picture of democracy often calls for the opening up of the space of criticism which inevitably opens the door for civil society organizations whose presence is equated to fairer representation.

In the post regarding the transition from journalism to politics, we mentioned that that this movement was taking place after a long period of time in which generals featured more prominently in places of power. The recent placement of a general in the office of internal affairs therefore comes to the fore.

General Aronda Nyakairima's controversial selection for ( he seems to hold two offices) this post could be an attempt to reassert the power of the military in a country whose civil society arm is seen as a new threat.
To avoid a situation in which military leaders change sides at critical junctures in the need for trustworthy generals arises.

In addition to this the advantages of military style structure is that responsibility and orders are taken very seriously and hierarchy is often respected.
Placing a military man into the position of Internal affairs therefore allows government, to handle any challenges that may emerge from Non Governmental Organizations. Previous speeches by Hon Hillary Onek (predecessor to Gen. Nyakairima) reveal that NGO ownership was really becoming an issue and that the activists space was being used a little too effectively ( Walk to Work, For God and My Country) are examples of disruptive movements by activists which were used effectively by NGO and covered by Media.
The combination of the two proved to be a powerful one-two punch for an opposition on the rise.

The Kenyans are onto this, and even if the NGO bill has not made it through, the Media Bill with it's hefty fines is still quite a challenge. Maybe this is a slap in the face after the challenges of 2007 elections. Media houses bore much of the blame for using their platforms to propagate violence and have since backed away from controversial subjects. With a neighbor like Rwanda not so far away and 1994 etched in the minds of many, the nation is clearly still breathing a sigh of relief. If the generals are taking their places in Uganda, it seems that in Kenya it is a well funded political elite whose power is strictly rests in families...and consequently in tribal strongholds.