Since handing over power on September 13, 2022, Uhuru retreated to his Gatundu home and has largely been missing in action save for a few public appearances.
But on these
rare occasions when the former president has spoken, his words have elicited terse
reactions from leaders allied to his successor, William Ruto, pointing to the
degree of unease he causes in the UDA camp whenever he speaks.
On Friday, May
2, Uhuru attended the wedding ceremony of Kanu secretary general Gideon Moi’s
son, James Kimoi, at Ol Tukai Lodge, Amboseli, where he made remarks that rattled
Ruto insiders.
Uhuru urged
the youth to remain fearlessly steadfast in their quest to spearhead change in
the country, even as he noted that he wasn’t activating his political drive.
“You know, I
tell people that I had a biological father who was a politician who put
political genes in my system, and they are still there, but now they are lying
low,” he said.
“But I also
had a political father, and you know he wasn't scared of young people like
some people around here today. When young people talk, they panic. You guys are
the future; don't be cowards, and don’t be put to anger. Start now. Who knows what
God has in store for you? We are there to help and support you.”
Uhuru
appeared to have poked Ruto's men in the eye, and they wasted no time going
flat-out in responding to him.
Ruto’s aide
Farouk Kibet on Saturday asked the former President to take a back seat in matters of politics and let his successor lead the country without interference.
"Tunauliza
Rais ambaye amestaafu awe na heshima na Wakenya; huwezi kuwa rais ambaye
umestaafu unaenda kufanya uchochezi. Yes, nafasi ipatiwe rais wa nchi hii
aendeshe Kenya.”
(We are
asking the retired president to be respectful to Kenyans; you can’t be a
retired president who’s going around inciting people… yes, give a chance to the
President to lead the country.)
National
Assembly Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro added his bit of the salvo, saying the
presidency was gone and gone forever.
“Wewe
mheshimiwa Uhuru Kenyatta, retire bwana, hii kiti haiku, sio yako. Sahii, hiyo
kiti iko na mtu mwengine, hauko, ata ufanye nini hauko," he said.
(Your
Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, retire, this seat is not yours. That seat is currently
with someone else, regardless of what you do)
Speaking in
Vihiga county on Sunday, Farouk was still on Uhuru’s case, wondering in jest what
the former President may have forgotten at State House.
He upped the
onslaught by threatening to marshal support in Parliament for MPs to pass a
motion to deny him his retirement benefits for meddling in politics.
“Sisi
tunaambia Ichung’wah, tunataka mtu yeyote ambaye anastaafu, hii kitu iende kwa
Bunge, ule mtu anahusika katika siasa, pesa yake ya retire itolewe ipatiwe
wananchi.”
(We are
telling Ichung’wah, this thing should go to Parliament; we want anyone who has
retired, if they engage in politics, their retirement benefits be withdrawn and
given to Kenyans.)
The remarks
raise curiosity over why anyone would be so annoyed that a former head of state
dared air his voice regarding the country’s political trajectory.
MATIANG’I FACTOR
Kenyans, and
particularly the Mt Kenya region, largely ignored Uhuru’s advice against
backing Ruto at the last general elections and voted for Ruto almost to a man.
Even though Uhuru’s
preferred candidate, ODM leader Raila Odinga, flopped in the elections, Ruto’s men
know Uhuru’s influence in tipping the scales in favour of any of his rivals is
not to be underestimated.
Already, Uhuru’s
Jubilee Party, on whose ticket he and Ruto rode to retain the presidency in 2017,
has announced support for former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i in the 2027
elections.
With this,
any remarks by Uhuru regarding the country’s politics are not being viewed as
just mere comments from an ordinary Kenyan.
This,
compounded by the rousing welcome the former powerful Interior CS received in
Kisii in his inaugural public appearance since his return from the US, positions
Uhuru as an active player in opposition politics, one that’s now being viewed
as a threat by the Ruto camp.
Add this to
Uhuru’s financial muscle and political networks and influence he built during
his reign, and you get the picture of why his involvement in politics would create unease
among the President’s men.
While leaving the Holy Family Minor Basilica on Friday,
April 25, after attending the requiem mass for Pope Francis, Uhuru was jammed
by mourners who were literally shoving and pushing just to get a glance of him and, if lucky, shake his hand.
The scenario painted a picture of a man who still wields immense
influence among the Kenyan people, influence that can rally masses behind a
presidential candidate and change the voting dynamics to the detriment of the incumbent.
Although retired, Uhuru is still a respected leader,
especially in his Mt Kenya backyard, and his association with a camp that’s keen
on making Ruto a one-term president is a real threat.
After weighing the waters in his Gusii backyard, Matiang’i
on Saturday visited former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at his Wamunyoro
home in Nyeri.
Gachagua has said times without number that his mission is
to unseat his former boss following their fallout after the former DP was hounded
out of office through an impeachment in October last year.
“The
struggle of today is not altogether for today—it is for a vast future also. -
Abraham Lincoln. Welcome to Wamunyoro, my brother, Dr Fred Matiang'i,” Gachagua
said.
With this kind
of alliance slowly mutating in the backyard, and with Gachagua having mended fences
with Uhuru, the Ruto camp has every reason to be jittery over his moves, as he presents
a real chance in influencing which way the forthcoming elections could go.
Although Ruto has formed a working alliance with Raila, things have in recent days appeared shaky, with some of the ODM leader's allies openly expressing dissatisfaction with the broad-based government.
Some observers say it's a matter of when and not if the Raila camp in the unity government will jump ship ahead of the 2027 polls.