NZAU MUSAU
Africa-Press – Kenya. Over the last few weeks, the widow of former Emurua Dikirr member of Parliament Johana Ngeno came under immense pressure to toss herself into the fray of elective politics.
Naiyanoi Ngeno had not recovered from the sudden, tragic loss of her husband through a chopper crash when torrents of petitions started raining down on her. They said she could make a worthy successor to her late husband.
Over the mourning period and burial, Naiyanoi cut the sorrowful image of a shattered human. Weeks later, and she is still hosting delegations upon delegations as supporters of her late husband troop to Mogondo to mourn him.
After Ida Odinga, Naiyanoi is the latest victim of Kenyans’ redefinition of a stretched-out, post-burial mourning characterised by highly publicised and pompous visits.
Hurt but not out, she has maintained unparalleled grace, beauty and unmistakable royalty over this difficult period. Her young marriage, elegant frame and supple looks added swell to many people’s sympathy but also fears of being misled.
What many people do not appreciate is that beneath this fascia lies a steely woman, who tamed the lion of a politician, and who has gone through all the rigours of legal training to become an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
Coming from a large political family, the rough and tumble of public office and politics is not a strange cup of tea to her. She could very well make even a better MP than her husband.
Her decision to opt out of the race was, however, the correct one in many respects, including the timing. It deserves accolades.
One, in the context of her husband’s death, the many people pressuring her into the race were most likely looking at her from an object of pity point of view. They most likely did not know or believe in her capacity to lead them.
In the circumstances, it was difficult to tell if they were genuine or not. They would have been the first ones to denounce her if she faltered in her leadership journey and to campaign against her next year.
Two, and related to the previous point, Naiyanoi is a full-blown adult, blessed with beauty, brains and agency. An advocate, she has the capacity and the power to make her own life choices, set goals and action them.
She had her life going on before her husband passed away. Her dreams should not be buried with her husband, because they led entirely different lives.
In fact, if she had wanted to run for a public office, she would have done so when her husband was alive. She had the full agency to make that decision and the capacity to equip it with purpose.
Three, politics is not a bed of roses, certainly not Narok politics. Having followed the journey of Ngeno himself since 2007, when the constituency had to go for almost a year without representation, I am convinced that the decision to get entangled in the politics of the area required adequate free will.
Since 2013 until his demise a few weeks ago, Ngeno had gone through the full cycle of the good, the bad and the ugly of politics. He spent many days confronting gun-toting cops with bare fists, riding in open police trucks and spending nights in police cells.
It is certainly not something that someone should be forced into by circumstances or the pressure of the masses. Politics is an enterprise that requires free choice, not a coerced one.
Four, Naiyanoi’s nuclear family just got altered in a fundamental way. Together with Ngeno, they had very young children who must now transition to a life without their father.
The conduct of Kenyan politics is a thankless enterprise. It is a choking life that sucks one’s time, health, resources and eventually – as in Ngeno’s case – life. The average Kenyan politician is a study in resilience, miracle and even mystery.
From early morning, their homes are swarmed with people seeking opportunities. During the day they are hounded at every opportunity. When they retire in the evening, usually at wee hours of the night, they have to fight their way to their beds.
If I were Naiyanoi, I too would have picked my family over such a life.
Source: The Star
