Unpleasant realities in Kenya Kwanza hidden by Gachagua's impeachment

DP Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment, including blaming him and other related political irrelevancies, serves to divert Kenyans from what might be wrong. [File, Standard]

President William Ruto is seemingly riding high. His self-confidence has increased, and thus he has resumed his skyline engagements.

Having contained Raila Odinga and his ODM political outfit, thus leaving Raila confused as to whether he is in the opposition or in government, and having made the Gen Z challenge to retreat, he feels at the top of his political game.

Not even Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka’s growing political assertiveness can shake Dr Ruto’s new self-confidence.

Ruto struggles to ensure that only he is the cockerel that crows in the Kenyan landscape and his strategy is to keep the country occupied with political theatrics as a diversionary tactic.

These include first clipping Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s political wings and sense of self-importance. It has reminded a perplexed Gachagua of his subordinate place as ‘nothing’ in Kenya’s political pecking order—not even a petty ‘king’ in the Mountain.

Second, besides baffling Gachagua, the message of being ‘nothing’ was also to the people of the Mountain to know who is boss and that they no longer count.

Ruto has a political army with tough talking field commanders to let people know who the ‘boss’ is. The commanders who include Kimani Ichung'wah, Oscar Sudi, and Gladys Boss Shollei are good at diverting public attention from the ills afflicting the country.

Targeting Gachagua as ‘enemy’, they keep people preoccupied with Gachagua’s likely fate—whether he will survive to 2027.

The Gachagua political ruse, baptised ‘impeachment’, hides many unpleasant realities anchored on widespread corruption and incompetence. This is partly responsible for malfeasance in critical public institutions and the collapse of health and educational services.

The ruse, for instance, drowns Senator Richard Onyonka’s persistent campaign against schemes by or through foreign entities and ‘friends’ such as the Adani conglomerate with its India and United Arab Emirate links to grab the transport and energy sectors.

The inability of officials to explain the giving away of national assets make Onyonka and Senator Edwin Sifuna to sound like peculiar lonely voices.

In health and education, policymakers’ decisions beat common sense. The paradox of thousands of qualified health workers without jobs and hospitals and health centres without appropriate health workers is evidence of incapacity to make policy, a recipe for manipulation.

Similarly, the education sector, with officials pretending that all is well, collapsed as the CBC programme proved to be a sham and nightmare to pupils, teachers, and parents. In universities, vice-chancellors, proved their inability to either think or lead.

Whether willingly or coerced, they officially approved discriminatory proposals on funding which negatively affected higher education in two ways.

First, bad policies denied thousands of Kenyans rightful opportunity to be university students because they could not raise the money demanded.

Second, lecturers experiencing regular ‘pecuniary embarrassments’ and shortage of facilities, went on strike.

Whether it is in shady deals or displays of incompetence, the Gachagua political ruse serves its purpose of hoodwinking the public.

The Gachagua ruse, including blaming Gachagua and other related political irrelevancies, serves to divert Kenyans from what might be wrong.

This frees Ruto to resume sky activities and polish his international image. He flew KQ to Haiti to boost the morale of 400 Kenyan police officers he sent to the Caribbean.

He thanked them for doing relatively well, containing the gangs, and proving critics wrong. He even became a preacher, leading the officers in singing and prayers, promised additional resources, and ordered Safaricom to facilitate communication with families.

He then jetted out to New York for the annual UNGA ritual and engaged in fence mending. Having previously accused the Ford Foundation of sponsoring the Gen Z demonstrations, he met the Foundation’s president to patch up differences.

He seemingly believes that problems in Kenya are distant enough for him to play world statesman again. Although that world is not as trusting as it was before, he rides high in the sky to different countries such as Congo Brazzaville.