The other day I was listening to Network Africa, a BBC morning Programme show, which mainly focuses on African issues. To be précised it was on the Morning of Saturday the 20 September 2008, the presenter of the Programme, was on power sharing. Can you imagine?

 The case of the Zimbabwe power sharing was the main topic under discussion in this particular BBC morning show. The presenter gave the impression to his audience that he was reading text messages from listeners. The messages were on the topic POWER SHARING, which was provoked by him. Most of the messages he implied were sent to him by SMS, some of which he read over BBC, as follows: You can share money, you can share land, you can even share women, BUT you cannot share POWER.

What a disappointment, by a reputable radio like the BBC. What is that Programme aiming at if one may ask? Is it creating disunity among people who have already agreed to share power or what? Well these are some of the conceptions most of us have about the way the west report Africa. If one dose not cement the already concrete achievements by those who help to broker such power sharing deals, and among those who agree to sign the deals putting their country’s interest before personal     interest, it will only be better not to fiddle with such a big achievement, Mr. BBC.

I for one commend both the Zimbabwean and Kenyan governments and their leaders , and on the other hand that of the opposition leaders and their followers for such a wonderful way of settling their political differences. Power sharing is becoming a way forward for us the Africans. And the beauty of the whole show is that the deals were brokered by Africans themselves. In the Kenyan case it was the Ghanaian, and that of Zimbabwe, it was by a South African. This is a step toward an African Unity government as it indicates that we African are ready to put our differences aside for the good of our continent.    

The governments of Zimbabwe and Kenya are worth emulation on the continent of Africa. These are two countries that have experienced the worst hostile relationships during our time, between the heads of ruling parties and opposition parties. The president of Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe has been very adamant about how he intended to rule Zimbabwe, without sharing any power with people like his arch rival, Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Changes (MDC), for many years. He has on several occasions sent him to jail. At one point it was said and reported, that he ordered the beating of Tsvangirai to the point that his opponent got serious head injuries.

 He was quoted saying at one point that he will not move the dates of the elections, not even by a day, all because the call was coming from the opposition, who were saying they were not ready for it. “These are the people who are calling for elections” Mugabe was quoted, “why do they have to turn around now and say the dates have to be pushed”?  He maintained that position and went to the polls, and said to have won, but the oppositions deny that he won the elections.

If President Mugabe of all people can put national interest first before any other interest, I cannot see why other African leaders cannot do the same. Here is a man who has been portrayed by the western media as one who is anti- progress, one who is a dictator, one who has over stayed, but at the end of the day when he fails to have more seats in the house of parliament, and could not also secure the 50% of the votes caste at the presidential elections, he accepted the results and agreed to go for a second round as dictated by the constitution. After all this, Mugabe, agreed to a power sharing deal brokered by South African president, Thabo Mbeki. This is a good sign by Mugabe, and that it should be emulated by other African leaders.

What is happening today, in Kenya and Zimbabwe, can never be imagined some years ago. For a government in which both Mugabe and his arch rival Morgan will serve, Morgan as Prime Minister Whiles Mugabe the President. The post of cabinet are also shared among the major political parties irrespective of there political standing. This is great and is worth emulation by others. Such power sharing can save poor Africa some huge amount of monies. If political parties can agreed on power sharing without going to polls, it will create extra monies for other developments. The monies spend on elections can be diverted to other very important sectors, like education, health and communications.

In fact African leaders should not wait for a situation like what happen in Zimbabwe to happen before such power sharing deals are made. It could come when there is no stalemate or an impasse. If opposing parties can simply accept cabinet positions in the government they oppose, that  will only go to increase the chances of unity among themselves. And by that way hardly any bad blood among the two. Such marriages   can come to an end when it is time to go the polls.

In Kenya the case was not that much different. Tens of thousands of innocent people lost their lives when President Mwai Kibaki claimed to have won the December 2007, disputed elections. Some commentators like this author, described the whole situation as madness or mere creed on the side of Mwai Kibaki, It was said that looking at the rate and manner those tens of thousands of innocent lives were being destroyed, just because of power, was madness on the president’s part.

For the better part of the first months of 2008, Kenya’s political situation remained fluid, tense and unpredictable. Many believed the country would never hold again, following weeks of violence precipitated by the disputed election victory that returned President Mwai kibaki to power. But after an exigent search for peace by the eminent Ghanaian and former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, Kenya is now celebrating the formation of one of its most robust coalition government in its history.

The question that every African should ask themselves, is how did Kenya do it? In a multi ethnic society of about 40 distinct ethnics groups, Kenya’s nationhood was clearly and firmly jolted by post election violence. But hope came on the horizon when Raila Odinga opposition, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) decamped from its earlier radical position to press for resignation of President Mwai and his Party of National Unity (PNU), to allow for a fresh election. This change of heart  by ODM, open the doors for negotiations wider , and it was soon apparent that Odinga was ready to share power and responsibility with kibaki for the shake of bringing peace and unity  to their bruised country .  The happy ending came to bear on 17 April 2008, when the new 43 member cabinet became complete, with Odinga taking up the newly created post of prime minister, and his ODM party taking up of half of the posts.

Now that we have two such kinds on the continent of Africa, I want to believe that all is not lost for a unity government in the near future for the whole of Africa. However what needs to be done now and right now is an emulation of the governments in Zimbabwe and that of Kenya. But  power sharing should slightly take a different shape from these two governments. Whiles these two came about, costing African some lives the others should come up with no cost of lives. That is before incumbents and oppositions leaders wait for such deterioration, they should maturely come to agreements, and form power sharing governments.

Once again bravo to the governments of Zimbabwe and Kenya, the opposition parties, their people and the two imminent African in the persons of Kofi Annan and Thabo Mbeki.