The clearance of presidential aspirants for the August 9 election by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ended this week with as much drama as it began towards the end of last month.
However, amidst the drama, fanfare and heartbreaks for a majority of the hopefuls, one man stood out for managing to make the exercise look ‘Redykyulass’ by taking his comedy too far during the process.
That man is Walter Mong’are, alias Nyambane. The Umoja Summit Party leader became the first presidential aspirant to be cleared to contest the presidency in the upcoming polls.
Unbeknownst to many, however, the former member of the famous Redykyulass comedy group that gained fame mimicking influential individuals in a television show, had just turned the Bomas of Kenya, the venue of the exercise, into a theatre of sort.
For a man who had for a long time acted as former President Daniel arap Moi as part of Redykyulass comedy skits, Bomas proved a perfect stage that he could not ignore.
Armed with “transcripts”—perhaps as his comic script—Nyambane perfectly executed his stunts in the full glare of beaming cameras, with IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati roped in as the director of the show.
Declaring the comedian-turned-politician the first presidential candidate for the August polls, the soft spoken electoral agency chairman did not know what was in store for him.
“We want to confirm that you have complied with all the checklist. You will, therefore, be issued with a nomination certificate confirming you as the first presidential candidate to be cleared for the August 9 election to enable you [to] begin your campaigns,” said Mr Chebukati as he wished Nyambane all the best.
All the while, Mr Nyambane kept on smiling to the cameras as he surely milked his moment of fame to the last drop.
“Many of you know that for a very long time, I acted as president and I want to say that Moi is back,” he said to those who cared to listen, with echoes of a storyline from Ukraine where a comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, was elected president.
Nonetheless, no one was able to read between the lines that the man from the land of matoke was up to his mischievous self once again.
“You (Chebukati) have done what is required and in a manner that is expected of you. It is a painless exercise and that is an assurance of a country that is ready for progress,” he said.
“As we start this journey on behalf of the many young men and women out here, I want to assure them that this certificate is not for Walter Mong’are…,” he again warned but as before, no one again cared.
In a typical Kenyan slang, sisi wote tulilala class (We were not paying attention). It only took a disgruntled aspirant, Jimi Wanjigi, to “snitch on”, read smoke out, the comedy that was going on when he appeared before the electoral agency six days later.
The Safina party leader complained why he could not be cleared by the IEBC to run for president, yet he had also presented the same transcripts from Daystar University as Nyambane had done days before him and was cleared despite lacking a degree certificate.
With Mr Wanjigi fuming and threatening to ‘vaccinate’ the IEBC that he termed had mutated into a dangerous virus. The electoral agency had to act fast. And with that, suddenly the commission woke up from its slumber that it had been pranked by Nyambane the comedian.
Mr Chebukati would summon the comedian to appear to explain “how he managed to make a fool of all of us”.
But in the usual Kenyan politician behaviour, Nyambane gave the summons a wide berth, probably telling Mr Chebukati “kwani wewe huelewi jokes (don’t you get the joke)!”
Left red-faced, the IEBC boss revoked the nomination certificate issued to Nyambane, saying they made the clearance on limited information. “Upon discovery of new information of lack of a university degree on the part of Walter Mong’are, we invited him to appear before us, but he did not honour the invitation. I hereby revoke the nomination certificate,” the commission said.
And just like that, Mr Mong’are quietly retreated to what he knows best—imitating presidents, not trying to become one. BY DAILY NATION