One can only imagine Raila could have been thinking it would have been him hosting the king had he been elected but that’s neither here nor there. It is, however, ironical that the man who railed and vilified dynasties gave a red carpet welcome to the biggest of them all in the world.
Prince Charles is not just a dynasty but a royal who’s reigning in a fading but still important aspect of British life. When Ruto made defeating the 'dynasties' a centrepiece of his campaign, it was a clever move that gained him votes but even he must have known then just as now that Kenya’s problem is not dynastic rule.
Yes, retired President Uhuru Kenyatta is our first President’s son and Raila is the son of our first vice-president, but those facts alone should not have been a reason not to elect the former premier. The question is what would a Raila presidency become were the tables turned and he defeated Ruto? We know Uhuru’s presidency was less than mediocre but his effort to unite the country remains unparalleled.
Knowing some of the people close to the Azimio leader who no doubt would have been key in his government and their penchant for pettiness and over-bloated egos, it is doubtful Raila would be faring any better than Ruto is, and the money would be on him doing worse.
The problem in Kenya or Africa for that matter is not dynastic rule per se but the character of those in power. There is nothing wrong with a family member succeeding another one in an elective office so long as that happens following an open and transparent election.
The problem, of course, is that never happens in Africa, and once in power, the dynasties breed incompetence and economic mismanagement while looting making them hated and undesirable.
That is why Ruto's railing against dynasties took hold and helped propel him to the presidency. The biggest problem beyond dynastic rule which is really not an issue in Kenya is giving power to people who get drunk with it and start wreaking havoc.
Examples galore but a good one comes from Kisii county, where a local MP is accused of using his position of power in the National Assembly to harass his political opponents in the district. The MP is also accused of sponsoring violence in the county all in his alleged efforts to 'fight' the county’s governor.
If these allegations are true—and there is every indication they are, then the President should immediately have this Kenya Kwanza MP removed from his position of leadership in the National Assembly.
The President should not tolerate and have characters like this in appointed office any more than he would tolerate the hated dynasties he convinced the country we must not have. This is just one example.
There are others who have let power get into their heads, including a member of the President’s own Cabinet who is an embarrassment to the country and the world in their uncontrolled verbal diarrhoea. They, too, should be given their marching orders for the country is bigger than any one person, not that they are big at all.
In other words, what Ruto needs to do is take action to show he is in control.
While the President cannot micromanage a country, there are certain bad things he surely must know about and take immediate action to remedy lest it is assumed he doesn’t know when he should.
