Like former President Mwai Kibaki, President
William Ruto is making it obvious that, as his
previously rising star has dimmed in the West,
he is now looking eastward and, in Ruto’s case,
hopes Chinese President Xi Jinping will come to his
rescue.
During his five-day trip to China, Ruto has his hand
out for the Chinese to drop some development coins for
infrastructure and job creation in Kenya.
As surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the
west, much of that funding will end up in the bellies
of insatiable individuals, always ready for eating and
nothing else, not even aiding development and youth
for which these funds are intended.
Will Ruto succeed in turning away from the West and
getting benefits from China to prop up his struggling
presidency? An objective answer would have to be ‘yes,’
but not enough to weather the building storm.
To be sure, nearly all countries that previously relied
on the West, and the US in particular to meet their
development agenda, or relied on some strategic alliance,
are now looking for alternatives to survive in the era of US
President Donald Trump.
The biggest beneficiary from
this new world realignment is China. It benefits because
countries such as Kenya are poised to be bolstered as
leaders among African countries strengthening their
China bond the more the United States relegates itself to
being a has-been or a “new emerging economy”, as one
economist put it.
So, in that regard Kenya, and therefore
Ruto, stands to benefit greatly from looking East.
But the more interesting question is whether the East
will save Ruto from a political KO expelling him from
State House come 2027.
As suggested above, China will
help but maybe not enough for salvation. The man who
can fill the bill has all but thrown his hat in the ring for
2027, and that man is none other than Dr Fred Matiang’i,
former Mr Fixit for former President Uhuru Kenyatta and
former CS for Education and then Interior, for which he
is well known.
He and Ruto are not friends.
Yes, Washington may be the hotbed of craziness now
and the UK has its own worries and concerns about the
immediate future of the UK-US relations -- and ditto the
European Union.
It would be naïve, however, to believe
these countries, either individually or collectively, have
suddenly lost interest in Kenya, a strategic asset in Africa.
Far from it.
Washington and London are very keen
in making sure the person occupying State House has
their interests at heart. Now, with Ruto openly throwing
himself in the hands of China, the No. 1 economic foe of
the US, it would be safe to say the President’s dimming
star in the West will soon be extinguished, and in the
resulting void and darkness, a new Kenyan leader for
the West will emerge.
The odds are that new star for the
West has to be Matiang’i.
Those who are shortsighted would quickly dismiss
support from the West as a bad thing but none would be
able to articulate even a single good reason why. Not one.
One can rattle on without thinking, however, about a
range of a benefits from the West, much of the support
coming from of our Kenyan diaspora living in the West,
not the East. It is imperative we foster good relations with
countries such as the United States, especially in the face
of rising anti-immigration sentiment, policy and action.
Thus, as Ruto looks to the East, Matiang’i should
look to the West and make himself a darling of not just
the leaders in the West, but the fellow Kenyans who
comprise the diaspora in those countries.
One can rightly ask why I am focusing on Matiang’i
and not the other potential candidates. The answer is
simple: Matiang’i is the only one who checks all the
essential boxes and whose pros outweigh his cons,
unlike the other potential candidates who lack or fall
short on their pros and the boxes they can check.
It’s a mouthful to say ‘Matiang’i tosha’.
Hailing from Gusii (or do we say Kisii?), as does
Matiang’i, there used to be an MP for the former Bassi/
Majoge constituency by the name of Andrew Rosana
Kananga. His campaign symbol was a lamp.
He would
go around the constituency, mostly with youth singing
“Etaya Yokire”, meaning a lantern has been lit. There is
no doubt one has been lit in the name of Matiang’i and
soon it will be off to the races, and what a fascinating
race it shall be.
The US-based writer is a political commentator
