I’ll first begin by mentioning the fact that William is a battle hardened politician who has gone through many tribulations in his career and he is sure to overcome the challenges that come with governing a nation. Ruto’s middle name is Kipchirchir. Chirchir in Kalenjin etymology, means “too quick”. When in a seemingly political crisis, Ruto supposedly does too many thing too quickly.
His program was/is time specific: on Kenya Kwanza(read UDA) assuming state power, he would begin by dismantling the Azimio party, in whichever way he could – separating and scattering the top echelons, by the first half of the year in the presidency(so you are yet to see more intrigues). The stupid neither forgive nor forget, the naïve forgive and forget, but the wise forgive, but don’t forget.
Albeit for now, it is now a matter of urgency for Ruto to rebrand as a development conscious leader – far from his rabble rousing and cantankerous image, having spent nearly the whole of his first and second terms in office hurling insults at the Opposition and especially at Raila Odinga.
Now,Raila is a ‘good man’, but has been captured by hardliners whom I won’t mention here since I know some of them lurk in these streets. But I’ll tell you this for free, Ikienda guthejuo, ndionagio kahiu…that everything you see happening has been perfectly choreographed and the intention is yet another tactic the UDA government is using to possibly scuttle and disorient a remaining recalcitrant opposition thereby sending ‘Raira’ into political oblivion for good. Raila has failed time and time again to read the writing on the wall.
Let me tell you, since 2008/2018, we (Kikuyu/Kalenjin political cabal) found the perfect formula for dealing with these fellows from Nyanza. Invite them to join the government by creating for them a pompous office, provide some chase cars and security detail (which you can always withdraw and return at will), as you keep a tight leash on them. Give them some budget to entertain themselves. In the process, they will soon be caught up in the corruption dragnet(Kemsa scandal and the likes) This will disarm them, so every time they raise their voice on state scandals, you quietly remind them of the ‘living in a glass house’ aphorism.
We outsmarted our chief political nemesis and I suspect we are going to rule this country for a very long, long time. We from the kikuyu land say, Bururi ni wa andu atatu: njamba, gitonga na muthamaki and William has proved to hold all those 3 aspects. The crux of the matter is that for the first time the government is not having to play catch-up with what was an increasingly cheeky and unpredictable opposition. The speed and turn of political events have ensured that the government cannot second-guess what the opposition is really up to. Yes, the UDA Party “won” the election on October, but three months later, the government, even after having announced the cabinet, seemingly “does not seem to have found its gravitas”. Its best laid plans seem not to have taken root but such things take time and once the dust settles, everything will bear the sweet fruits for all Kenyans to enjoy.
On matters Kikuyu-Kalenjin political dalliance, It was Heinrich Himmler, one of Nazi’s most influential and powerful cadre who best captured the power of political terror: Said Himmler, “the best political weapon is terror. Cruelty commands respect. Men may hate us. But we do not ask of their love, only for their fear”. This I say concerning the subject that has been going round regarding “tugeges” and their current perceived notion towards the government. There are some brutal facts to be faced here… see personally, I blame Ruto for the brutality Kikuyus suffered in Uasin Gishu. But then again, he also teamed up with Uhuru Kenyatta and did what they did to form the government. Uhuru in 2013 and 2017 could not have formed the government without Ruto’s help. If you cohabited with an ogre, you don’t one day wake up and just walk away from it, it will certainly devour you. You must cleverly device a system to disengage yourself from it.
Since William was sworn-in, the Kikuyu and Kalenjin people have been projecting a veneer of braggadocio and showmanship, but beneath all this bravado is a real fear and vulnerability amongst the Kikuyu’s that is eating away at the community quietly. It is soon going to be obvious why this is so.
I also realised that for both rural and urban Kikuyus…they may not really be savouring William electoral victory; rather, they seem to be fearful and silent on the victory. It is as if they are not sure about what the victory portends. I realised that they are being weighed down by William’s pyrrhic victory, which has become an albatross around their necks.
Now that they have started to realize the falsehood in that Raila was the millstone that they had chosen to carry around in their lives, or perhaps have been unwittingly made to shoulder, always serving as a reminder of the Kikuyu political elites’ narrative to the ordinary Kikuyu folk that all their problems began and ended with an ogre called ‘Raira’. “Raira agiathana guku nitwathira,’” one of my closest aunties, told me just before the August 9 elections.
I’m not sure of what post 2027 portends…for now, but we are closely watching William’s moves and utterances and he should be careful because it is we who gave him that presidency and it can easily be taken away with the snap of a finger. Even as Raila Odinga is having his moments of exorcising his demons and coming to terms with the political realities of the day, William should remember that wembe ni ule ule. We still respect him and hold him in high regard as members of the Gema nation.