By Okech Kendo
Reality-check is not flattering for those who swim in illusions of grandeur. When the make-believe world collapses, wishers get disoriented.
Ooh, how beautiful it would be to live in the placid world of illusion, without meddlesome reality! But there is a stop sign ahead: Wishes are not horses and beggars won’t be riding to fantasia.
Two incidents, which should warn presidential aspirants, happened in Kisii County last week. The incidents were reality-checks for presidential aspirant William Ruto and his front for the Abagusii vote. The Eldoret North MP was then in the middle of a reconciliation sermon in the land of bananas.
Ruto was not expecting it.
Magara was not even thinking an old woman would disrupt their stream of illusions. They were caught off-guard by the brutality of the widow’s candidness.
Another reality-check has also hit ‘Boy’ Eugene Wamalwa. He should look ahead before he leaps again with ambition seizure. With the two chief vendors of Boy Eugene for president – MPs Soita Shitanda and Boni Khalwale – having dropped him, the Saboti MP should be shy with foxy seducers. But Eugene is not new to being seduced and spurned with speed. That is what Simama-Kenya of Jimmy Kibaki did to the first-time MP. Former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga dropped Eugene with equal spite, before he got into a dance with Uhuru Kenyatta and Ruto. The trance is about to fizzle out.
But let’s begin with the Ruto-Magara ‘stop’ sign that disrupted the United Republican Party presidential aspirant’s Kisii campaign.
The old woman had been listening to Ruto speak about peace and how he is the ‘young president’ Kenyans have been waiting for to reconcile the nation. The woman, a widow of post-poll violence, was not flattered. She knows the pain of loss in a personal way. She was not going to turn the other cheek, for a slap more violent than the one before.
The widow’s intervention was not in the campaign programme, but no one accused her of having been ‘sent’ by Ruto’s enemies to disrupt his presidential campaign in Bomachoge constituency.
The woman, who said she lost her husband in Nandi Hills during the 2008 post-election violence, told Ruto reconciliation between the Kalenjin and the Abagusii was not going to come that fast.
She did not state her dream for Kenya, but ‘believed’ certain conditions have to be met for lasting reconciliation. She told Ruto peace is not possible unless perpetrators of post-poll violence own up and ask for forgiveness for the horrendous events that took place among us after the disputed 2007 General Election.
The woman may not be learned in the ways of The Hague, but her invention was that of a post-election violence victim crying for justice. The widow was stubborn yet it was forgiveness that ‘Boy Bill’ was hectoring about. “I come to this community to ask for forgiveness; in case our people wronged you during the violence... forgive them, and we will remain united and good neighbours.”
She said her husband was killed in Nandi Hills and parts of his body were not recovered. She appreciated the peace sermon, but noted that, that would not bring back her husband.
Ruto could not say more.
Magara thought he would intervene, but the people would not allow him to speak at Ogembo market.
They wondered why Magara, the former South Mugirango MP, was “forcing” them to follow his political direction. They had not been to the same candy shop, so they don’t know what Magara knows.
‘legacy moment’
Another elder told Ruto it was too “soon” for the Eldoret North MP to muster the courage to campaign for president among the Abagusii.
The two incidents should say something to the electorate, and MPs who are hawking presidential aspirants better listen: The people will not take a political direction simply because their MPs have been to the candy shop. Wananchi should decide on their own without blindly following their MPs who may have been compromised.
Remember, some presidential aspirants have a budget for “hiring” legislators. A price may have been found for the mheshimiwa you elected in 2007.
There’s also reality-check for Justice Minister Wamalwa. The people who ‘brokered’ his Cabinet appointment may be considering dropping Wamalwa the way his vendors – Shitanda and Khalwale – have done. Uhuru Kenyatta and Ruto’s love for Boy Eugene is being transferred to the new bride from Ingo – Musalia Mudavadi.
And Eugene is sulking. If the Wamalwa courtship fails, it would not be the first time he’s been spurned. With nominated MP Muskari Kombo being the only vendor standing by Boy Eugene, he should ask himself why before connecting to the next hip.
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Observers are reading too much into President Kibaki’s ‘legacy moment’ on Madaraka Day. It was not for the love of Musalia Mudavadi that he was nominated to invite the President to address the nation. With Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice-President abroad, Kibaki had a choice of Mudavadi and Uhuru, his fellow traveller from Mt Kenya region.
Worried about public perception of Uhuru leading off for Kibaki, the task fell on Mudavadi. Kenya would ‘cohere’ faster if the little public perception caution could spread beyond Madaraka Day.
The writer is The Standard’s Managing Editor Quality and Production.
kendo@standardmedia.co.ke
