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This editorial was posted in the Daily Nation on April 26<\/p>\n
One of the more interesting political stories this week happened in the field of football. The Kenya Revenue Authority slapped Gor Mahia with a Sh118 million bill which it claims the club owes in back taxes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
This was only the latest setback for Gor. A few weeks ago, Brookside Dairy announced they would discontinue their sponsorship of the club.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
So Gor are now in as weak a position as they have been for many years. They lack a sponsor and are effectively facing bankruptcy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
What does this have to do with politics? Everything, of course. Although fans of many ethnic backgrounds come to the stadium on match day, Gor is the club of the Luo community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cMayienga ne waa Sudan<\/em>!\u201d goes a popular terrace chant. Basically translated as \u201cwe came from Sudan\u201d, it hints at the migratory path from Bahr el Ghazal that the River Lake Nilotes took before settling around Lake Victoria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What people see<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Brookside, the milk producing giant, is owned by the Kenyatta family. There is no separating business from politics in Kenya.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Although Brookside is a firm that has the right to do business as it pleases, the way it looks when such a firm cuts ties with a club with a major emotional link to a community is that State House is sending the none-too-subtle message: \u201cWe are not one. Siasa mbaya, Maisha mbaya.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That\u2019s the inevitable interpretation even if it was not the intention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Of course, KRA may have taken the decision to send the letter to Gor without the knowledge of the politicians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But the fact that Gor was singled out will only be seen as a direct assault from State House.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When the story appeared in the press, a headline immediately came up on the Facebook Gor fan club page: Gor Mahia is not a club; it\u2019s a lifestyle, but do we say. \u201cBreaking news: Uhuru Kenyatta\u2019s government out to finish Gor Mahia \u2013 Mayienga.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What gives? Mr Kenyatta\u2019s supporters will say that this does not matter. Let everyone carry their cross. Besides, the President may not even be aware of all these developments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That\u2019s a na\u00efve view. One problem we have in Kenya is a dangerous empathy gap between Jubilee and Cord supporters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Neither group wants to take the middle ground, although they all claim to have moved on. \u201cYou are a bunch of losers who can\u2019t concede defeat,\u201d runs the Jubilee line. \u201cYou are the worst thieves in the world,\u201d is the Cord position.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A politically smart president would rise above these narrow tribal dogmas and seek to accommodate all citizens.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If I were Mr Kenyatta, I would tell Brookside to write a big, fat cheque and renew their sponsorship of Gor for several years, especially understanding that few companies will want to be associated with a brand the First Family has cut adrift.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I would be photographed going to a social occasion in Gor\u2019s famous green jersey. I would understand that I will not win their votes at the next election. But, as a national leader of a country with so many challenges, I would appreciate that I, at least, need their respect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Symbolic<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Kenyatta State House gains nothing when it appears to be governing for the 50 per cent of the electorate from which it believes it can secure continued political domination.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Soft gestures such as embracing sports are a great way to build national unity and win support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hosni Mubarak never missed an Egypt national team match, and Franco in Spain became humanised by his passionate support for Real Madrid. The same magic works in democracies, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In a major study in America in 2010, Stanford University researchers found that positive results for American football college teams two weeks before an election boosted the vote share of an incumbent in local elections by between 1.05 and 2.42 percentage points.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Even if it does not add a single vote to his total, Uhuru should know that he is supposed to be a symbol of national unity. Image matters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He profits naught from being seen as fighting Gor (although club officials certainly have a role in curbing the actions of the hooligans who tarnish the club\u2019s image), and would gain a lot by embracing that most totemic of clubs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t \n\t\t\t <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t