• There seems to be a deliberate push to force Uhuru into being a lame duck, and this is most noted with the attack on the Presidency by some Mt Kenya politicians.
• The President is a politician too and he knows that a lot of Kenyans are waiting for him to make a pronouncement on the next elections.
The events of the last two weeks reminded of a story about why you can never sacrifice old friends for new ones.
It is about a herder who was driving his flock from their pasture and found that some wild goats mingled among them
Since the next day was snowing, he fed the goats, giving the strangers more food to entice them to stay. When it was okay to take them out, the wild goats scampered away as fast as they could to the mountains.
He scolded them for their ingratitude in leaving him. One of them answered back saying that they did not trust he would take care of them enough after he had neglected those that he had had for so long.
Last month, I wrote an opinion on this column titled ‘Crush Mt Kenya rebellion’ which has been echoed by President Uhuru Kenyatta recently. And in doing so, there has been all manner of reactions with some saying the President has lost control of his troops.
Others are saying that the President has neglected his people since the handshake. Some are thus trying to portray the President like the herder in the story above.
Uhuru knew that it was not going to be easy to run the government in a final term with a fractured country. And so he talked to the opposition leader Raila Odinga and calmed the storm as both decided to work on uniting the country.
However, those who know the President and have worked with him know that he is not this kind of a person. In fact, his actions and words are all geared at improving the welfare of all Kenyans.
Therefore, as the great leader and politicians that he is, the volcano erupting from his recent utterances was inevitable. Politicians seem keen on politicking, disrespecting the President and leaving their constituents without any meaningful development.
As such, the President was just taking a leadership step to ensure that the country is focused on development and not politics. Those trying to rebel against the President and his agenda are not only the enemies of development but enemies of the people too.
There seems to be a deliberate push to force Uhuru into being a lame duck, and this is most noted with the attack on the Presidency by some Mt Kenya politicians. The rebellion is aimed at portraying the President as a regional kingpin with no influence and thus a lame duck.
In most of his addresses, the President has made it clear that all leaders were elected to deliver to the electorate. Focusing on politics, instead of service delivery not only denies the public what they need but also only serves to keep the country divided.
The President is a politician too and he knows that a lot of Kenyans are waiting for him to make a pronouncement on the next elections. But he knows that the time it not ripe yet and those trying to push him to appear as a lame duck will utterly be shocked.
Uhuru knew that it was not going to be easy to run the government in a final term with a fractured country. And so he talked to the opposition leader Raila Odinga and calmed the storm as both decided to work on uniting the country.
A united country gives Uhuru the peace of mind to concentrate on his legacy agenda without distraction. Unfortunately, the distraction has now stemmed from his own political party with politicians who rode on his popularity now trying to pretend they can call the shots.
The battle lines have now been drawn between factions more defined within the President's Jubilee Party and more alarming within his own backyard of the Mt Kenya region.
But since the president is a wise politician who knows that old friends cannot be forsaken, he is trying to counsel them even if it means rebuking them in public. He is stamping his authority as the leader we all want to see taking the country forward.
And so for those who are trying hard to show that Uhuru is a lame duck take this advice, your actions, just like chickens, will come home to roost.