Movements, and even religions, emerge when people are inspired by the promise of power.
People desire power to control all circumstances. Therefore, people pursue voodoo and strange gods who are ‘proven’ to have delivered quick results. The greatest longing a human being hoards is to have power, and the pursuit for power and control is only natural, the late televangelist Myles Munroe once observed.
This is why, when one is vexed with poverty, for instance, and being desperate to come out of that situation, it may even be tempting to proceed to a witch doctor to try find a solution.
Jesus told the first two disciples Peter and James, that “I will make you fishers of men”. This was a promise of power. Later, after Jesus was incarcerated and killed by the Romans with the endorsement of the Jews, the disciples led by Peter went back to fishing after despairing. But for the entire night they caught nothing, yet Jesus shows up in the morning and tells them to launch their nets into the deep again and this time they caught countless fish.
Again, in scripture Jesus says he will give people “power to tread over scorpions”, that people will “soar like eagles, run, and not tire”. He promises “keys” that whatever men bind on earth will also be bound in heaven”.
As he departed to heaven, he promised his disciples that they would “receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them”. The power in Christianity is what makes it the force it remains to be through generations. People followed Jesus not because they loved Him, but because they saw Him perform miracles.
Those in the Hustler Movement are not following Deputy President William Ruto because they love him. DP Ruto is making numerous promises that make them believe that power is within reach. Additionally, he is giving them a taste of it through handouts. Power to overcome poverty and to amass wealth appears ‘within reach’ for some, at least in their minds.
In responding to Ruto’s plan, ODM leader Raila Odinga has also promised a Sh6,000 stipend for the most vulnerable members of society, if he becomes president. Obviously Raila, who has experience in government, knows very well what that promise would mean. But because people appear obstinate, he has found a way of rolling back Ruto’s gains.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has confined himself to tangible ideas of transforming the economy, and providing free secondary education, which Raila has also promised. Kalonzo has also promised to restructure the national debt, if he becomes Kenya’s fifth president.
However, Ruto’s promise of power appears to have created him a movement of loyalists, especially those who do menial jobs such as cart pushers. After supporting President Uhuru Kenyatta and forming government in 2013, the people of Mt Kenya region saw Ruto as a hero, especially because both needed the power to escape the claws of the International Criminal Court.
“Safaricom keeps reminding me of my unpaid Okoa credit, Mshwari has already given my name to the Credit Reference Bureaus and debt collectors. The landlord has given me an ultimatum after I kept delaying the months’ rent payment."
"Someone else just called me to borrow Sh2,000 to pay their electricity bill”, and so on are statements we can hear from Kenyans on the street and the estates daily. These are real issues that unearth the uncomfortable situation of Kenyans being controlled by circumstances, and which provide a desire for empowerment.
When Ruto talks about empowering mama mbogas — who are not poor in real sense —, cart and others, he finds some keen ears because there is a crisis of high cost of living, where the poor are getting poorer, but the rich richer.
People of low income are bitter and desperate. In fact, the majority of Kenyans are struggling in one way or another. Ruto knows that very well and giving them a morsel from his fat enterprise is not a big deal, as he is eying billions more.
In 2017, he made promises such as building many stadiums. However, scandals such as the Arror and Kimwarer dams, where Ruto said “only Sh7 billion was lost '' are proof that he is not for the economic emancipation of the people.
Ruto’s new promise of delivering Kenyans from individual loans that have got them listed by the CRB is further proof of a deceptive campaign approach. Indeed, it was Kalonzo, speaking after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations gave him a clean bill of health on August 25, following Ruto’s allegation that he had grabbed land in Yatta, who observed that the youths of Kenya are bogged down by personal debt, referencing the CRB.
Ruto seems to have latched onto the idea and is now overplaying it.
While Kalonzo promises transformation through a 24-hour economy, Ruto’s ‘bottom-up’ economy does not present a concrete plan of increasing jobs and is like the harambee days of Kanu. He appears to only want to entice people with easy come goodies.
While Ruto talks about “forming government with hustlers”, Kalonzo and his One Kenya Alliance allies talk about a united nation with opportunities for all Kenyans, most importantly the youth.
