This is for having the courage to slay the ogre of tribal divisions and marginalisation, which I consider Kenya’s biggest national unity threat. And based on the feedback, majority of Deputy President William Ruto’s supporters did what, in Kenya’s street lingo, is called “catching feelings”.
The common line from them was that the cost of living has gone up under Uhuru and the people can barely afford the next meal. Well, in all fairness, the greatest of leaders in human history have had to grapple with economic recessions, natural calamities and failures in some of their policies.
It is difficult to find a great leader who had it all smooth sailing. In fact, the resilience in the face of adversity makes up a huge percentage of greatness. I do not expect that those who have already declared the presidency a failure will notice his infrastructure portfolio, his pushback against terrorism, which has reduced attacks to near negligible, his impressive regional diplomacy — which has restored Kenya’s prestige as a peacebuilder in the Great Lakes region — and more importantly, his bold move to break the two-tribe chains that shackle the presidency into an exclusive affair.
But what I find bemusing is when those who loudly point out Uhuru’s perceived failures prop up his deputy of now almost 10 years as the panacea for all such ills. This is disturbing at many levels. This is because the DP’s ability to indoctrinate such a large number of people to extricate him from responsibility over governance shortcomings for a government in which he was a powerful co-partner boggles the mind.
This brings me to the twin towers of character and history as the key determinants, in my view, of both suitability and believability, in pursuit of high office. We have had the chance to compare the four manifestoes presented by the presidential candidates in this August election.
With utmost respect, we can bypass the one that intends to turn hyena testicles, marijuana and snakes into the country’s biggest exports. I’m not sure how long we can sustain this model of international trade before the said species become extinct in this land. However, the fact that Roots Party candidate George Wajackoyah has elicited such excitement in a certain voting demographic is a clear pointer to the fact that not many on the voting roll actually read or listen to the details in the manifesto.
Essentially, those who go to the ballot will base it largely on the personality and character of the candidate. Well, there is the small matter of tribe, but we can give it a rest today because the eventual winner has to effectively marshal a multi-tribal base to sail through.
I was at Uhuru Park in 1997 when then NDP leader Raila Odinga launched his presidential manifesto ahead of that year’s general election. He did something else unprecedented: Launched a second booklet detailing how and where he would raise money to fund his manifesto items. Even that long ago, his manifesto was strong on infrastructure, manufacturing, energy, jobs and food security.
He may not have made it to State House that year, but in subsequent years, whenever he held a government position — as Minister of Energy under the Kanu-NDP cooperation, as Roads Minster in Mwai Kibaki’s first term and as Prime Minister in the grand coalition government —his actions and achievements point to someone who kept his key pillars in mind and went all out to deliver them.
It is not for nothing that he is easily associated with the infrastructural extravaganza of the past 20 years. In simple terms, whether in or out government, Raila has remained true to his dreams for the nation, and completely ticks on history and believability. There is a bigger comparison that escapes many, when it comes to character, which as stated earlier, should be the biggest pedestal on which to measure a president.
In a civilized society, the contest between Raila and DP Ruto shouldn’t even be happening. One is an avowed reformist and nationalist; the other is scandal-ridden to the core. The contrast is so engraved in national psyche that you can accuse an unnamed person of being the lord of corruption, and supporters of one of the two immediately come to his defence.
But what concerns me most is what Azimio running mate Martha Karua recently, and rightly, called a “Trump moment”, in reference to the ease with which the DP can churn out lies and alternative facts on the campaign trail, as the masses cheer. I watched a hilarious one, which he repeats a lot, where the DP narrated how he helped Raila become Prime Minister and Uhuru become President, but when he sought the highest office in the land, they told him that his father wasn’t famous, and he therefore couldn’t hold that office.
Of course, Uhuru and Raila have said no such thing, but tell this to those who believe this “victim philosophy”. There have many other such lies. For instance, the DP’s claim that a 2kg packet of maize meal went for Sh75 in 2018, never mind the fact that the government launched a subsidy in 2017, announced by Ruto’s own alleged nominee to the Cabinet, Agriculture CS Willy Bett, in which the packet of maize flour then retailing for about Sh160 would go for Sh 90. Thankfully, responsible TV journalists have reminded the DP that a packed sold for Sh110 way back in 2013, when he and Uhuru came to power, leave alone 2018.
I point out these cases to demonstrate my belief that if a candidate already coming to the table with the baggage of corruption allegations also needs to peddle lies and divisions, both against his erstwhile partner and boss in government, as well as against his main opponent, then we could be dealing with a bigger character flaw that becomes a danger when the person is handed the instruments of power and state violence.
This is why we should not shy away from saying openly that the one candidate who represents reconciliation, national cohesion and whose history shows he keeps his promises, has no equal on the roll of candidates seeking the Office of the President in next month’s elections.
Everyone can publish a manifesto and make lofty promises; launched at glitzy invite-only ceremonies. But only one, whose public service history and character assures us that we can bestow a more prosperous country to our children than the one we found, deserves the vote.
If I were looking for character, suitability and believability on the ballot right now, it would be difficult not to pick Raila Odinga. We are called upon to see through the fog of lies and deliver the truth, or we will be doomed as a nation.
