Politically speaking, Ruto is only ‘bad’ because he is on the other side.

Martha Comes Home

In the wake of the 2007/08 election fiasco and the subsequent bloodbath that saw the demise of over 1000 Kenyans as well as forceful evictions and rape of hundreds of women, Martha Karua, being a PNU stalwart then, was one of the most despicable and insufferable figures among the then ODM supporters. Being an indefatigable fighter, Karua stoically stood her ground and vehemently defended the widely disputed 2007/08 Kibaki win.

According to her then, the claims of massive rigging by the opposition were just that, pure baseless claims aimed at destabilizing the country by a much disenfranchised opposition. To Karua, PNU had won the gruelling election duel, pure and simple. Her unwavering stance then earned her an un-envious position of being part of the reasons that plunged Kenya into the subsequent nightmare that still dogs the country to date.

Fast forward through a flurry of events to today and Karua finds herself marooned in the same fold with the very same leaders of the opposition whom she had colluded with her former PNU loyalists to defraud of their rightfully earned shot at the presidency and the accompanying power strappings. And just by finding herself aligned with the opposition, the iron lady of Kenya is now a widely acclaimed democrat, a defender of the rights of the oppressed, a champion in the fight against impunity and the rot within the government. In the eyes of the CORD fanatics, she is a champion worth composing songs about. Kenyans have a short memory, you know.

Ruto is now the devil reincarnate.

Today, William Samoei Ruto, a former ODM stalwart and a one-time key ally and supporter of the opposition leader Raila Odinga, is the most despised and scorned political figure among the CORD zealots. Well, him together with one Moses Kuria and the presumptuous Aden Duale who has a proclivity for ‘’diarrhoea-ring’’ through the mouth, so to speak. In the eyes of CORD extremists, Ruto is the most corrupt individual this country has ever seen. Ruto is the number one embodiment of impunity. The self-proclaimed hustler is a land grabber known for his penchant for lobbing teargas canisters at innocent primary school pupils after grabbing their playground. Ruto is a propagandist and the epitome of everything that is wrong with the current government. Why? Because he is on the ‘wrong’ side of the political landscape where his wild well-orchestrated political propaganda machinations are benefiting the Jubilee government and not CORD.

Granted, there may be some form of truth behind the myriads of accusations levelled against the DP. But, pray do tell, which politician in this country worth a cent does not have a track record sprinkled with strings of dirty accusations of impropriety? Ruto has been accused of ‘eating’ maize, grabbing private and public land and killing witnesses to his land case. Uhuru Kenyatta has been accused of committing crimes against humanity by funding Mungiki during the PEV. Raila has been accused of defrauding the Luo community of Kisumu Molasses Plant, contributing to the woes of Mumias Sugar and bungling the kazi kwa vijana’ initiative. Kalonzo too has been accused of grabbing NYS land. Mudavadi has been accused of being one of the godfathers of ‘G7’, a group of Asian businessmen who had monopoly of contracts in Western Kenya. Moses Wetangula had to resign as a Foreign Affairs Minister in the wake of accusations of corruption involving irregular purchase of embassy land in Japan and other deals. So, the question that begs answering is, who is clean in Kenya?

What if Ruto re-joins forces with Raila?

They say in politics there are no permanent enemies or friends. And anything can happen. Even the much loathed Aden Duale may find himself sharing the same political bed with Raila. So, if tomorrow, the whole nation was to wake up to the unlikely yet probable news that one William Ruto, a prodigal son of ODM, found his way back into the CORD fraternity after striking a nefarious political arrangement in the middle of the night with Raila, as is the wont of many a political alliances in Kenya. How would the opposition fanatics perceive him? The answer to that is so obvious it hurts! Of course in their eyes, he would instantly transform from the much loathed land grabber to a political knight in shining armour dashing to the rescue of the Kenyan voter in distress. Ruto would be an instant star and the right person to work with Raila in combating the amorphous dragons of corruption, abuse of office, funds mismanagement and impunity that notably overshadows the life of every other politician and their henchmen. Who knows, some opportunistic musician might even take it a notch higher and compose a ballad in his name!

What does it all mean? Simple! In Kenya, you are only a defender of the status-quo when you are on the opposing side of the political divide. You are only corrupt when your corrupt ways benefit the other political wing. For truth be said, every other politician masquerading as the true agent of change from whichever political divide is dogged by a string of corruption cases, accusations or allegations. Switch political allegiance and immediately, all your previous political messes are forgotten in a flash.

Kenyans are guilty of aiding and abetting corruption

the widening void between the rich and poor

No matter what kind of uproar we make, or how loud we clamour, the merchants of corruption and lords of impunity in this country will never stop raping this country and milking its coffers dry.

And this, precisely, is why.

The presidency, on which as a people, we have customarily bestowed upon all the monumental responsibilities pertaining to the combating of graft, is just a singular entity. And no single individual or office can ever slay even the offspring of the dragon of corruption that has its tentacles deeply burrowed in every little nook and cranny of the society. The forces that propel corruption and impunity are too overwhelming for a one man show.

For how is the presidency supposed to combat graft when every single Kenyan, from the regular bloke in the streets to the executive in the highest office in the land, has the blood of corruption literally coursing through their veins? 

How is anyone supposed to address this menace when Kenyans themselves have no capacity to get really angry enough and the audacity to take necessary actions? Granted, we get pissed off at the blatant thievery taking place in this country and the accompanying arrogance. But our anger is often misplaced and divided along tribal if not political affiliations. Whenever Jubilee affiliates are suspected and accused of involvement in corruption, the very first people to rise to the defence of the suspects are their supporters and tribesmen. Meanwhile, CORD supporters will be shouting themselves hoarse at every opportune moment, lamenting at the apparent wastage by the ruling coalition. On the other hand, when the very same acts of corruption are perpetrated by the CORD brigade, Jubilee supporters will be baying for their blood as CORD fanatics call their bluff.

In other words in Kenya, it is corruption when the other side of the political or tribal persuasion commits it. When our own side partakes in corruption, like the witless mass we are, we characteristically rise to their defence and are often ready to publicly undress and expose our nudity in their defence. 

We, Kenyans are guilty of aiding and abetting corruption. As long as this trend continues unabated, which, in all likelihood it seems like it will, no one, absolutely no one, can ever save this nation from this affliction. Not the politicians. Not the government. Not the opposition. Not the media. Not even the civil societies. We are, in effect, a doomed nation. The corrupt and the powerful will continue to amass more power and wealth. The weak and poor on the other hand, will remain spectators in the whole spectacle, forever yoked in their misery.