In Kenya political marriages are hardly based on ideological convergence - they just bring together different ethnic kingpins whose main interest is state power and unlimited access to national largesse.
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In our series of letters from African journalists, media and communication trainer Joseph Warungu reflects on the broken political marriage between the Kenyan president and his deputy, as well as the third person in their troubled relationship.
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Against all odds, their Jubilee coalition had been declared the winner of the presidential election on 9 March 2013. Like any other couple on their wedding day,
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto wore broad smiles when they stood on stage.
Ruto called their victory a miracle, saying God had turned insurmountable hurdles into bridges for their coalition.
The marriage was a convenient political move after the International Criminal Court (ICC) tried, in what turned out to be a failed attempt, to put them on trial for the devastating political violence witnessed in Kenya in 2007. Love was in the air in those early days.
Life was good, the marriage was strong and the future looked bright.
The digital couple walked together, sometimes hand in hand; and worked in sync, at times dressing alike.
They prayed together in public and they laughed a lot. An excited public laughed with them, too.
Kenyatta was 51 when they first assumed office, while Ruto was 47.
The man they had defeated, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, was 68 at the time.
He was branded old and of the analogue generation that defined Kenya’s dark and forgettable past, while the new “youthful” presidential couple was defined in modern terms - a digital couple.
Eight years and two presidential elections later, the marriage is broken and we, their children, the ordinary citizens of Kenya, are lost.
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[SIZE=6]The handshake that changed politics[/SIZE]
The first sign of the break-up came in March 2018, when the president introduced his old rival, Mr Odinga, as the third partner in the union.
After the 2017 election, Mr Odinga, who was also in a polygamous union in the National Super Alliance (Nasa) with three other partners, had launched a wave of protests complaining that the poll was not free and fair.
Concerned that protests would undermine the delivery of election pledges in his final term in office, President Kenyatta reached out to Mr Odinga and the two men shook hands in public as a declaration of peace.
Ruto feels betrayed by President Kenyatta, who has not kicked him out because it could make things even messier.
When the two joined forces, they had an unwritten 20-year prenuptial agreement, in which Mr Ruto would back Mr Kenyatta to serve as president for two five-year terms.
After that Mr Kenyatta would reciprocate by supporting his deputy to win the presidency in the 2022 election and he too would serve two terms, totalling 10 years.
But in January 2021 the president gave the clearest declaration yet that the deal was dead.
Do we stick with a dad who is supposed to retire from the presidency next year? Do we embrace his new partner Mr Odinga, who offers a future of peace and a more equal society, blended with uplifting reggae that he occasionally sings on stage when campaigning for changes to the constitution? Or do we follow Mr Ruto - the ex, who is bold, energetic, and promises hope for the masses that are struggling to make a living?
The breakdown of Kenya’s presidential marriage has come at a big cost. The home is broke. International financial institutions, including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), have had to step in with loans to help cover the national budget deficit. Repayments will hurt. These organizations are demanding a restructuring of expensive publicly funded institutions including some universities and Kenya Airways. This will mean lay-offs.
There are indications that the general election scheduled for next year could be postponed to accommodate possible constitutional amendments, including increasing the size of the cabinet and creating more parliamentary constituencies.