- Kenyans are told these things so when some people lose elections, they can claim that a system rigged them out.
- They should concede that they have already seen they cannot win the election and step aside for those willing to go all the way.
We all know of the story of the Trojan Horse – the huge hollow wooden horse built by the Greeks to gain entrance into Troy during the Trojan War.
In the present world, the term is a common metaphor for political tactics of deception and subversion.
One phrase dominated the news last week—Deep State. It arose after Deputy President William Ruto said some people were planning to use the Deep State to stop his accession to the presidency. Some time before that Oburu Oginga has said his brother Raila Odinga was assured of the presidency because this time, the Deep State was in his corner.
Deep State is defined as a body of people, typically influential members of government agencies or the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy.
It was interesting that the Deputy President said there is a system within the government that he leads that wants to stop him from being President. Some have termed this assertion ironical as he typically should be aware of what is happening.
But in my honest analysis, and that of many Kenyans, the Deep State narrative has been created to build sympathy, create an image that some people are under attack, and that there is a group shrouded in mystery that is keen to control succession politics.
It is being used as a Trojan Horse to hoodwink Kenyans that there is a mysterious grouping controlling Kenyan politics. It is aimed at creating a perception that there is a group of individuals who are more powerful than the will of Kenyans at the ballot.
No person, or group of people, can subvert the will of the people. Kenyans are being told these things so when some people lose elections, they can claim that a system rigged them out.
In any government, there are machinations and institutions created to maintain law and order, and people lead these institutions, and those people will have their own personal interests. Serikali (often corrupted to sirikali) is by nature secretive.
And so the government must have structures that collect intelligence and use this to make decisions for the sake of the country. This is necessary to ensure things move in the right direction.
That said, this should not be used as an excuse to attack the government with the goal to build a dangerous ‘us versus them’ narrative. The government is in the business of providing services and not dictating how or who will take up the leadership mantle.
The government can only facilitate political processes through the funding of the electoral commission and providing security for all Kenyans during elections. It cannot dictate to Kenyans who should be elected or determine the outcome of the electoral process in a democratic society.
The Deep State narrative is a sugarcoated attack on the President and government, plainly stated. This is a Trojan Horse, with sinister motives and a long-term political end goal.
Those pushing this narrative should instead concentrate on their political activities and persuade Kenyans to vote for them.
Instead of hoodwinking Kenyans, they should concede that they have already seen they cannot win the election and step aside for those willing to go all the way. Otherwise, they live true to the saying that the day the monkey is destined to die, all the trees get slippery.