• In genuine democracies, vanquishing a bitter political opponent at the polls is sweet enough revenge for many a politician
• A tamed Ruto presidency would be preferable than one where the man is left free reign to do as he pleases.
Image: FILE
The dictionary tells us to revenge is to exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of someone or self, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit.
In genuine democracies, vanquishing a bitter political opponent at the polls is sweet enough revenge for many a politician. However, in some cases such as what happened in the US in 2016, emerging victorious and being sworn in as President over Hillary Clinton was not sweet enough revenge for Donald Trump.
The President to this day still dreams of literally locking Hillary in jail to be satisfied that he has finally defeated her.
It’s uncouth machination but not unlike what one would expect from one William Ruto — or at least some of his brut loyalists — were he to somehow become the next President.
In the unlikely event Ruto becomes President — against all these odds against him — the Bible-toting man from Sugoi will promptly ignore the book of Leviticus 19:18, in which Christians are counselled not to seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone.
Instead, it seems the Fifth Kenyan President and his henchmen would make sure his real and perceived political enemies pay hapa duniani [pay here on earth].
We have seen tale-tell signs of this already. Most recently was Ruto’s reaction to a scathing rejoinder from ODM following his television interview on Citizen TV to offer what ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna termed as falsehoods.
Through spokesperson David Mugonyi, Ruto said, "The incoherent, rabid juvenile rant by Sifuna is so ridiculously uneducated, spectacularly unhinged, desperately delusional that out of compassion, it must be forgiven and ignored."
Except it was not ignored, neither is it forgotten, let alone forgiven.
What’s of note here, however, is not the insults which are mild going by the bile we’ve become accustomed from certain politicians; rather, it is the very fact Ruto found it necessary to have his spokesman hurl the insults.
Not that Ruto is incapable of hurling the same insults himself or worse. He is, and we have had a good doze of it publicly and will continue to the day the question of his occupying State House is settled, if not beyond.
Meanwhile, the question to ponder is, would a man who has his spokesman hurl insults at an opposition party secretary general in response to what he perceives as wrongs be above using the full powers of the Office of the President and Commander-in-Chief to punish his political opponents and perceived or real enemies?
The answer is a resounding No.
That being the case, President Uhuru Kenyatta owes those in the “Kieleweke Team (the anti-Ruto brigade within the ruling party) and the opposition the favour of a political survival insurance plan in the event Ruto overcomes both the popular vote and benevolent vifaranga vya komputa to become President.
That insurance Plan must include in the least purging of the most hardcore Ruto allies in key government positions and replacing them with at least those who would not take the hammer and start hammering on orders of Ruto, were he to become president.
Such a purge and replacement would also serve a parallel national interest and that is, to make sure were Ruto to take over power, he would not become the dictatorial, no-compromise my way or the highway president many fear he would be.
Were such an insurance policy put in place and effectively and strategically deployed, then it wouldn’t matter who becomes president for in the worst scenario, it would be one too hamstrung to be effective against a “deep state,” meaning anti-Ruto and pro-handshake loyalists deeply entrenched in key parts of the government.
In other words, a tamed Ruto presidency would be preferable than one where the man is left free reign to do as he pleases.