Mr. Co-President

Chants of “Ni mkate full” filled the air at Kasarani as Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto were inaugurated to lead Kenya. Oblivious to the fact that the constitution provides for devolution and the fact that Uhuru and Ruto signed a pre-election pact that made them co-presidents. Ruto gets 50% and Uhuru gets 50%. So here we are at the inauguration ceremony and such chants fill the air.

Kenya! there is a problem. I say there is a problem due to the fact that there were two loud messages at Kasarani that fell on deaf ears. Prior to the gathering at Kasarani, there had been a common enemy and a common task to rally behind(Raila) but at Kasarani, the noise from the fading enemy muzzled the message from a house divided.

The first message was in the speech eloquently delivered with the pride and passion of a true leader who believes that he is rightfully where he is supposed to be and owes no gratitude to anyone but his hard work. Ruto with utmost humility clearly said that he had arrived ready to work as an equal and with a mandate to do so. He demanded his position in the government and clearly sent a warning short to the Moi family that he is thankful to them but it was time for them to line up behind him or it will be a bruising battle ahead. How is it so? Well. Ruto in his speech went further than what Deputy Presidents do to the extent that the headlines the following day went into a frenzy talking of the most powerful Deputy President. The papers were right but lost in the analysis was the fact that Ruto a besieged man had no option but to sound an alarm and to reassure his people that he was relevant. The Moi’s are playing vultures, the Kenyatta’s have fattened the prey and are waiting to fell it before the Moi’s move in to take the remains. Ruto on the other hand is not going out easy, he has the numbers and no amount of intimidation will break him. Is that true? Well, I could be wrong but this is what I see. Ruto’s case at the hague has left him an empty shell. In 2008, I was told by some PNU sympathizers that Ruto is a dead man walking. In our discussions, they had claimed that the PEV were planned and were very bitter with Ruto. Fast forward to now, they still maintain that the PEV were planned but are silent on Ruto’s involvement. They now say that Kibaki and Raila should be held responsible. When you probe further about Ruto, you realize that the silence is not a denial but a distraction. This tells me that Ruto is not out of the woods with them. They understand that Ruto has a constituency that they cannot upset right now but as soon as they replace him as the leader of that consituency, they will have their way with him and that is where the Moi’s come in and are waiting.

The second message at Kasarani was sent by the predominantly TNA crowd but delivered by Uhuru. What was said was that there was a whole loaf on the table and it would not be shared. When all is said and done historians will ponder at how both sides missed what the other side said. The reality is that the air was so polluted with the hate for Raila that both sides missed the noise that the other side was making. Having shouted so loudly that Raila was the reason for his problems at the ICC, Ruto missed the confession of the crowd at Kasarani telling him that “we will see you at the Hague.” All around Ruto were his accusers smiling at him and waiting for his demise was the professor of politics whose project, Ruto was oiling the engine. Many will wonder why Ruto cried when he was among his people? Here at Kasarani, amongst strangers there were no tears. Take your time to ponder that question. That is the mark of a warrior besieged knowing that the end is here and all the silver and gold he has taken, cannot replace the trust of the people.

So depending on your side of the political divide, you will only hear one side but the truth is that until there is a resolution, the elephant in the room continues to fatten and will soon take up all the room and at that point, some will suffocate, while the house breaks into pieces…..