With the Kenyan
elections at fever pitch you must have heard NASA’s campaign song “Tibim” and
Jubilee’s “Tano Tena”. I look at how the campaigns have been shaped by the
songs adopted as campaign songs by the two-leading political entities in Kenya.
Since the wave in
the reintroduction of multiparty electoral politics in Africa in the 1990s, the
world has been treated to the ups and downs that have come with multiparty elections
in Africa. Africa has come a long way in electoral politics. Nic Cheeseman in
his book Democracy
in Africa: Successes, Failures and the Struggle for Political Reform
brings out the challenges to democratic consolidation in Africa citing the
examples of numerous states. I have taken much interest in elections and
election studies in Africa, reading numerous works by both Western and African
scholars who analyze the road to democracy in Africa. Particularly, I have been
a keen follower of the Kenyan electoral process since 1997 when I was still in
Primary School in Lukenya Academy. Having spent my entire formative years in
Kenya, I have observed the electoral process since 1997 when President Daniel
Moi was reelected. The 1997 elections were interesting, and as a young man, I
recall the party symbols that were used. Moi and his party KANU had the ‘jogoo’
as the party symbols while Charity Ngilu’s SDP had the clock. She was a phenomenon
then, people referred her “Masaa ya Ngilu”. Raila Odinga who ran on the
National Development Party (NDP) had the symbol of a tractor – and people
called him “Tinga”.
The elections of
2002 were historic in Kenya. With the merger of the opposition under the NARC
umbrella, they were able to oust Moi’s project Uhuru Kenyatta. Mwai Kibaki was
sworn in as president on a wheelchair at a memorable occasion in Uhuru Park. It
was my final year in Primary School and the mood around the country was
electric. The election in 2007 was followed by the unfortunate descent into
election violence. ODM Party candidate Raila Odinga contested the election
outcomes leading to reprisal communal attacks in many parts of the country. The
2013 elections ended up at the Supreme Court, where Raila Odinga’s coalition
CORD unsuccessfully contested the outcome.
Siasa
Kenya
Despite the
ethnized nature of Kenyan politics, one interesting thing is the fanfare that
characterizes the electioneering process. I have not known a day in Kenya where
politics is not discussed. The end of an election in Kenya is the start of
politicking and planning for the next election. There is never a dull moment in
Kenyan politics. As part of my literature review for my PhD thesis, I have
gathered a lot of material on elections and electoral politics in Africa. One
text that has drawn me to the Kenyan elections in Multiethnic
Coalitions in Africa: Business Financing of Opposition Election Campaigns
written by Leonardo Arriola. The book looks at patronage politics, ethnic
cleavages and democratization in Africa. Its analysis touches on the asymmetry between
post-colonial Africa and the ethnic mobilization in countries in Africa. Kenya
falls under this analysis of ethnic balkanization and ethnic mobilization in
the form of coalitions. The rise of ethnic coalitions in Kenya is a testament
of the deep lying ethnic issues in the country. Party populism in Kenya is
based on how much an ethnic leader can marshall his tribesmen and those of
other tribes’ people to outdo the others.
Creativity
in Campaign Songs
Despite the doom
and gloom, Kenyan politics remains interesting especially on the creativity in
the campaigns. The 2017 elections have been made more interesting by the
campaign songs. Campaign songs add to the glitz and glamor of elections. The
two major coalitions Jubilee and the
National Super Alliance (NASA) have
incorporated campaign songs that mobilize the electorate. Whereas campaign
slogans are aimed at capturing the attention of people during campaign rallies,
campaign songs generally radiate the mojo of the electorates. Jubilee’s
campaign slogan is “Tuko Pamoja” which translates to we are together while that
of NASA is “Mambo Yabadilika” meaning Change.
The two parties don’t
have official campaign songs but some local artists have crafted campaign songs
that have been adopted by NASA and Jubilee in their campaign trail. Tanzania’s
ruling party CCM is known to have good campaign songs which were composed by
the Tanzania One Theatre (TOT) Band. In the 2015 elections for instance, CCM
outdid its closest rival Chadema with the hit song “CCM Mbele kwa Mbele”. By
all means, the song must have been the song of the year in 2015. It spoke to
the CCM supporters and also lambasted the opposition in very crafty manner. “CCM
ni ile ile, oh ni ile ile… mwaka huu watatukoma,” these were some of the lyrics
that galvanized the CCM base.
Nasa Tibim,
Raila Tibim!
NASA has several
songs that it has adopted for its campaign. Going by their coalition slogan “Mambo Yabadilika” the
NASA coalition has adopted Hellena Ken’s gospel song with the same title to
signify their change message. The song by Hellen Ken has been popularized by
the NASA coalition and it is now synonymous with them. Going by the change
theme, a Luhyia artist Amos Barasa has released the song “Bindu Bichenjanga”
singing about change. The glitzy Luo song “Tibim” by Onyi Jalamo
has so far been the most reverberant NASA campaign song. “Tibim” song
recognizes all the NASA leaders led by its presidential candidate Raila Odinga,
running mate Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi, Moses Wetangula among others
such as the Nairobi governor Evans Kidero. These songs add to the glitz and
fanfare at rallies before the leaders make their speeches. Artist Lawi has also added
to the list of the NASA songs as well as Sweet Star, the Kalenjin artist who
has a Kalenjin remix Tibim
song. The NASA team has also used Tanzania’s hit song “Muziki” by Darassa
featuring Ben Pol to respond to Jubilee’s attacks with Raila telling off
President Kenyatta “Blah
Blah sitaki kusikia” then he dances as the song rolls on. Raila, popularly
known as “Baba”, “Tinga”, “Agwambo” or “Jakom” or “Joshua” has had many songs
by his tribesmen which idolize and praise him. One example is that by lady
Maureem titles “Raila Jakom”. Kamba artist Ken Wa Maria has also sung a song
praising Kalonzo Musyoka titled “Kalonzo ika nesa” which
is sang in campaign rallies before Kalonzo speaks.
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| Kenyan top leaders share a joke |
Jubilee,
Tano Tena!
Kikuyu Gospel
artist Ben Githae has released a campaign song in praise of Jubilee and its
leaders incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto. The song “Uhuru na Ruto Tano Tena”
is a reminder of the much Jubilee has achieved in their first term in office
and urges people to reelect them. The song in Swahili highlights the successes
in the Jubilee administration. I have also come across a song by Kamande wa
Kioi, a popular Kikuyu artist who sings praises to Uhuru Kenyatta. The song “Uhuru ni witu” sang in
Kikuyu was a prayer request to have Uhuru freed from the ICC yoke before his
election in 2013.
Onyi
Papa Jay 2007 Song
However, the
best campaign song has to be Onyi Papa Jay’s ODM song of 2007. The
song combined Swahili and Luo lyrics to capture the process leading to the 2007
elections. The song gives a historical analysis of the formation of the ODM
party. Combining Swahili and Luo narratives, the song gives details of the 2005
referendum that was won by the Orange team. The ODM team was led by the then
Pentagon of Raila, Ruto, Mudavadi, Nyaga, Balala and Ngilu. Using Raila’s
football commentary analogy, Onyi Papa Jay passionately narrates how ODM was
going to beat PNU in the elections.
Campaign songs are
important in mobilizing electorate around an agenda ahead of an election. Songs
generally are an important medium of cultural expression in all societies. The
campaign songs in Kenya explain the nature of Kenyan political landscape which
is largely ethnic. However, the songs have also been embraced by the ethnic
communities that make up the specific coalitions.
Nicodemus Minde
Nairobi, Kenya
10 July 2017
