1. POLITICS GETS MUCKIER IN KENYA AS THE GOVERNMENT IS
DIVIDED INTO TWO
President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya just fell short of putting his deputy’s name
on the infamous list of shame he recently released. But he managed to put in the
name of Ms Marianne Keitany, the Deputy President William Ruto’s personal
assistant. It means that with further inquiry the DP’s name would be exposed.
Uhuru further ordered the PA to step aside.
The Deputy President himself started the war. As is his nature, he was riled that
somebody around was more powerful than him in Uhuru’s government. This is
the fair lady Anne Waiguru, a ruthlessly competent technocrat who had worked
with Uhuru at the Treasury. Hugely impressed by her efficient and professional
demeanor, Uhuru brought her in government when he took power in March
2013, and gave her the wealthiest and most powerful docket of Devolution and
Planning. Indeed, the plump, single lady of 38 has been known as the unofficial
minister plenipotentiary in Uhuru’s government. Ruto, obsessed with being
number two of everything, and ignoring emotional connotations, would not allow
this rival authority to flower. So he planned using his own PA, another Anne
called Mary Keitany, to organize for Sh. 100 million to be used for Waiguru’s
ouster through a motion of no confidence in parliament. He figured that the
opposition being naturally opposed to government officers, would team up with
his party’s backers to deliver the vote especially after munching a slice of the Sh.
100 m. The plan, half-way executed, has landed Marianne Keitany into
problems.
Things worked out well for Uhuru as opposition Kingpin Mr. Raila Odinga
chipped in, indirectly referring to Ruto as the High Priest of corruption while
Ruto referred to him as al-Shabaab sympathiser, basically. Uhuru teamed up with
Raila and made a successful tour of Kisumu, attending a devolution conference
organized by Anne Waiguru and county governors. A rare spectacle of admirers
mobbing Uhuru made history in Kisumu unwitnessed for a head of state in the
last 50 years.
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2. Not to be outdone, Ruto mobilized Central Kenya leaders, especially from Nyeri,
Meru, Embu, Muranga and the upper regions led by their senior-most politician,
Senator Kiraitu Murungi. They drummed support for Ruto, saying that Ruto was
under attack from so many quarters and needed their support and understanding.
Most of them refused to attend Waiguru’s devolution conference in Kisumu. The
pertinent question is, can Ruto manage to divide Kikuyus capitalizing on the
often disadvantaged Nyeris, Merus, Embus and people from Kirinyaga and
Nyandarua? It is remarkable that Ruto had always made forays in these areas
more than even in his Rift Valley turf, by way of visiting development projects
and meeting the people. Ruto is ambitious by nature, and could be seen to be
seeking a running mate in upper Kikuyu areas. Many politicians are praying for
him to be jailed by the International Criminal Court at the Hague, he said, so they
could replace or displace him. Indeed he named the ardent prayers as Senator
Gideon Moi, Governor Isaac Rutto and Joshua Kutuny, President Kenyatta’s
advisor on Rift Valley matters, That he believes and says that the president’s
advisor is praying for his being jailed is very telling. Indeed, he is saying
indirectly that even the president is aware of theses tribulations. He is
passionately good riddance for quite a number of people, it appears.
The president might not be opposed to Ruto as such, in spite of the Waiguru
factor that could be emotional to him. But he seems realistic enough to see that
Ruto could as well be incarcerated at the Hague. He must have an alternative
partnership and that is why frantic attempts have been made to poach the former
Vice president Kalonzo Musyoka from the cord alliance, in vain. An alternative
exists in Senator Gideon Moi, whose father Daniel masterminded Uhuru’s
joining active politics, and with whom his family had a secret leadership pact.
Gideon Moi sits on fabulous family wealth which Uhuru requires, for the next
election is going to be damned expensive, as fair play might be mandatory. Ruto
instead wants money from him, and sees him essentially as a cash cow. In
desperation Ruto could easily dabble in bad deals too embarrassing to the
government and the ticket. Unlike Ruto Uhuru is aware that times are changed
and the kind of bare-knuckle games they engaged in in 2013 might be out of
place in 2017. For instance Ruto still believes in demonising Raila to gain
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3. political mileage amongst his people, while Uhuru realizes that such antics are no
longer tenable. So he is ready to accompany Raila to his stronghold.
The hour of truth came during the by-election in Kajiado Central the opposition
beat the government candidate hands down, even when the government had
promoted the former MP there to the cabinet, and used state resources to
campaign for his replacement, despite what the law says. Reality sank in for
Uhuru that the ground had shifted for Ruto in his Rift Valley turf and they
headed nowhere banked on him blindly. He could see that this is especially so if
Ruto’s fate is sealed at the ICC. So Uhuru’s thinktank came up with a project to
endear themselves to the people across all regions of the country. No project
could be more relevant, earth-shaking and cutting across the board than the
onslaught on graft. The western governments, so far greeting Uhuru with the
farthest end of a long stick, like a leper, would no doubt open up on seeing the
fearless onslaught on sleeze. So far so fair, until the al-Shabaab attack on Garissa
University took place. Actually, the attack could be part of the fight-back by
those dreadful of graft fight. Al-Shabaab itself thrives on corruption, trading in
charcoal and contraband sugar from Brazil teeming in the Kenya markets under
local brand names. Local Kenyan politicians in the Uhuru government secretly
spearhead the smuggling.
The Garissa terrorist attack not only staggered the momentum of the fight against
corruption but also exposed the rot in public service and its officers. For instance
the Director of the Police Airwing, Mr. Rogers Mbithi, got information like
every other senior officer that Garissa was under attack. This was at 5.30 am.
Two hours later, at 7.26 am to be exact. Rogers Mbithi released the only
functional aircraft available at his department, to go to Mombasa and fetch his
daughter-in-law and her two little children. It had to arrive back from Mombasa
in three hours, and instead of going directly to the Recee headquarters to pick the
elite crack squad, it landed at the airport waiting for them to arrive. Another two
and a half hours wasted as students were being killed. Finally the police
Inspector- General, Mr. Joseph Boinett, absolved him of all blame, saying the
law allowed him to carry friends and family in the aircraft. What Inspector
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4. Boinett does not tell us is whether the law, or even common sense, allows that to
happen during emergency when hundreds are being killed. The same Inspector-
General is also the only authority allowed to source alternative aircraft from any
quarter, be it military, navy, private company or the Kenya Wildlife service
during emergency. He made no such attempts, as the need for intervention got
even more dire.
Only two things stand between Uhuru Kenyatta and greatness. Election rigging,
complete with doctored opinion polls like the one STAR newspaper got mired in
recently, and abetting terrorism. Election rigging is for the future now as the past
is water under the bridge. But abetting terrorism is the fear people have with him
now, since he has always been briefed about such attacks in the past. He has not
done any inquiry into the Westgate terrorist attack as he had promised. Rescue
operations are deliberately compromised in the name of red tape and improvised
delays, the deliberate laziness of security officers. Why, on the night of the attack
of Garissa the local police boss suspended all routine police patrols in the town,
for no apparent reason.
By;-
FREDERICK OWINO OYARO
Email: frederickoyaro@gmail.com
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