The recent closing of ranks between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his political arch nemesis, former PM and opposition boss Raila Odinga, has deafening, dissimilar and knock-on corollaries. Their recent baby, the Build Bridges' Initiatives (BBI) seems to have thunderstruck and wowed Kenyans. As once Odinga assertively put it, the BBI is inexorable; and whoever that stands in its way will be cracked politically. This is why Deputy President William Ruto, who fervidly opposed it, had to make a U-turn and throw in the towel before the Pullman leaves him in the cold. Actually, the BBI plus handshakes have truly reconfigure and redefined Kenya’s political milieu with everlasting-domino effects. This milestone has, if anything, tremendous negative and positive effects to some wannabes, power brokers and the country in general. The Kenyatta-Odinga nuptial aka handshake whose rad baby is the BBI seems not to augur well with some other players who think have been left out for whatever reasons. For, it isn’t a secret. There are some intriguers who exploited Kenya’s long-time bog to create political niches for personal glories that are now stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. All who sought to use Kenyatta or Odinga to prop and imbed and stamp themselves in Kenyan political landscape, under Kenyatta-Odinga acrimony, are outright losers. This is because many lacks political gravitas.
Being a political juggernaut, Odinga breastfed and sheltered many. Therefore, his impromptu move will orphan many. They’ll become first casualties. You can hear their howling and pouting with the loss almost everywhere after it bleakly dawned on them in this game that needs flexibility and scheming.
If anything, among those hard-hit is William Ruto, whom, I'd not like to refer as Doctor because of how he gained his 'PhD'. This is the man who’d love to be a Kalenjin kingmaker, if not the king, and possibly, a president of Kenya. What a toto pipe dream! Again, his strategies and style are clandestinely combative, garish and rudimentary for one reason, behaving like a bat, neither an animal nor a birdie. Despite things fall apart between him and his former partner in the Uhuruto eponym, he still plays a double role of positive and negative towards his boss. This make him look like he lacks political gravitas and stamina compared with all season politicians like Odinga. Without bribing, as now allegations surface after he dished millions wherever he goes, Ruto doesn’t impress many in anything national or political realities. He is but a newbie and provocateur that can’t disentangle with his Moi’s era youth activism that created him to end up suffering from perfidy and thievery when it comes to national cohesion and coffers. Buccaneering and precipitateness are the suitable attributes of the man thanks to his Moi nexus.
Furthermore, to be honest, Ruto’s neither toehold nor knack in his Kalenjin cosmology and politics. Look at how his namesake Isaac Ruto is damaging him. Refer to how Ruto is now taking on perceived opposing the government he pretends to serve. How does one attack his boss, the president, and still say they are on the same page? Can such a person be safe and sane politically if I may ask?
Apart from being an outsider, politically thanks to his surname, Ruto’s a neophyte in Kelenjin and Kenyans politics altogether. All know he was cloned by Daniel arap Moi. Has he forgotten his Nyayo-time ugly resume of brutality, corruption and infamy? His political resume isn’t only long-winded but is also scraggy and buoyant. He got his gravitas under Moi’s; and currently under Kenyatta's wings. This is why he’s no guts to call it a quit and be counted. Like a bat, he is neither an animal nor a birdie. He unashamedly clings to the hubby to face whatever infamy but yet undermines him. Lucky him; he’s gawkily tolerated. He must thank Kenyatta for his mercy. Otherwise, his deservedly reward is supposed to be in the cold. One’d think: Ruto would a wee bit appreciate and underscore the fact that Kenyans have brains, ears and eyes; and know how to well utilise these faculties. Rumours have it that Ruto’s amassed fetid and suspicious wealthy in a very short space of time. Can he show cause for his wealth? For a son of pauper, who survived on vending one or two chickens, I doubt. Why’s Ruto easily forgotten: many know; how he amassed ill-gotten Moola he folks out everywhere buying leverage? Former Tanzania statesman, Julius Nyerere once said: if there’s anybody voters need to fear like leprosy is none other than the one who buys others. Because he’s also bought. You can add: if one’s not bought, he robbed somebody. It becomes unbearable when a thief tries to bribe his victims with the same money one robbed them.
More on Ruto whose marriage with Kenyatta was necessitated by the International Criminal Court, his future success[es] depends on Kenyatta due to the farfetched assumption that the former helped the latter to ascend to the throne while in actuality Mwai Kibaki is the one who did the magic. He must forget to use Kenyatta once again. For, we don’t know who used whom and whom was used by who in this milieu? Has he forgotten that had it not been for Kenyatta, the ICC would have gotten him? Has he forgotten that his marriage with Uhuru was only meant to finish off ICC's looming case; and thereafter everybody to go back to where he belongs? Now that the ICC is no longer hovering over UhuRuto, what’s left of the marriage of convenience? Ruto will be making a grave mistake to believe that Kenyatta will endorse him come 2022. who knew that Kibaki who benefited from the phrase “Kibaki Tosha’ would stab Odinga in the back by refusing to replicate the same? Didn't Kibaki support Uhuru whom he beat in 2002 presidential elections? If Raila received ‘Raila Toka’ from the man he rewarded with Kibaki tosha, what’s strange for Uhuru to tell Ruto to go and politically forage as he enjoys his bromance with Raila with who they’re able to calm the nation? Has Ruto forgotten that Kenyatta and Odinga aim at creating a nation after the efforts to build the country has failed? Politics is a very dirty and dizzy game. He who thinks he’s standing must watch he mustn’t fall.
When it comes to winners, they’re Kenyatta who seeks to leave a shining legacy and Odinga whose hope for 2022 is still raw. Some make a goof assuming Odinga’s too old to run. Wrong. Ask the late Nelson Mandela (South Africa), Abdulaye Wade ( former-Senegal), Ronald Reagan (US) Jose Mujica ( former-Uruguay) late Michael Sata (Zambia), late Bingu wa Mutharika (Malawi), Muhammad Buhari (Nigeria-incumbent) Peter Mutharika (Malawi-incumbent), Hage Gottfried Geingob (Namibia-incumbent) and the late Beji Caid Essebsi (Tunisia) among others, who became presidents in their 70s. There is no retirement in politics, especially in Africa.
In a nutshell, Kenyatta-Odinga newly found love that resulted in the BBI, if isn’t felled, is likely to change Kenya’s political landscape for good. In other words, this move’s redefined Kenya’s politics by creating new environment for different forms of politics wherein victory for the state house does no longer depend on the UhuRuto calibration. One thing is recommendable. Every Kenya must support the efforts of creating and building a nation instead of a country. This is where your neighbour, Tanzania, beat you. The only way of developing a peaceful Kenya is through building a nation but not the country.
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