Few days ago, the United Democratic Alliance party held their first National Delegates Conference at Kasarani.
Deputy President William Ruto was endorsed as the UDA presidential flagbearer. It is during this occasion where the DP and his allies criticized President Uhuru Kenyatta for what they claimed was prioritising the handshake and focusing on constitutional amendments under the Building Bridges Initiative, which was halted by the courts.
In his address, DP Ruto said that since the handshake between President Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga in March 2018, Kenya has not experienced any meaningful development and that, the Big Four agenda was shelved to give way for the BBI.
The DP took the opportunity to lay down his big ideas of eradicating poverty and empowering the poor once he ascends to the highest office in the land. He seems to have numerous ideas of turning our country into a world class economy. Which begs the question, since he have been sitting in the Cabinet for the last nine years, why didn’t he share some of these ideas with the government which he serves as the Deputy President? What magic will he bring forth that he failed to bring during the UhuRuto government?
Two, the DP seems to be making an impression that without him, a government cannot run its agenda smoothly. Such entitlements are unfortunate for any leader who dreams of becoming president. All over the world, no leader has ever had a monopoly of good leadership. A statement that ‘’nothing has happened or nothing can happen without me’’ is fallacious and dictatorial. Kenya’s effective leadership has not started with Ruto nor will it end with him.
Three, the DP is hypocritical when he tells the nation that, the last four years have been a waste. Despite the inflation that is affecting the world and the Covid-19 economic aftermath, Kenya post-handshake has made significant strides in the right direction compared to previous governments.
For example, in Mt Kenya alone, we have seen the 84km Sagana-Marua dual carriage which will be a game changer to our economy. The coffee farmers are now selling their produce at Sh110 per kilo, the 582km Mau Mau roads, issuance of 1.6 million titles, the building of Thiba Dam and construction of historical stadiums such as Wang’uru in Kirinyaga and Ruringu in Nyeri etc.
Four, DP Ruto knows deep down his heart that we have seen numerous projects all over the country in the last four years. While he has been campaigning since 2018, President Kenyatta has been busy working. The claim that no progress has been made is a well-known political propaganda by Ruto and his team to discredit the President’s record, especially in his Mt Kenya backyard just because he has opted to back Raila for president.
Lastly, anyone who believes the government is not working yet he or she is still part of it, enjoying all the benefits that come with the job, is a hypocrite who should not be trusted by Kenyans.
If Ruto believes in democracy, then why is he still in office?
For fuller realisation of democracy, public office holders ought to take moral and political responsibilities anytime legitimate concerns are raised about their conduct. They should not wait to be hounded from office.
In a functional democracy, an aspiring leader who wants to be a country’s President should be honest, not just to his followers but also to himself.
YALI RLC EA Fellow, Cohort 40.
