William Ruto's ruthless efficiency after Gen Z tremors

President William Ruto makes his remarks at the swearing in ceremony of Prof Kithure Kindiki as the third Deputy President on Nov 1, 2024. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

After being grounded in the country and skipping or forced to reschedule at least six trips due to the revolt by Gen Z who almost overran his presidency, President William Ruto seems to be employing new methods for more efficiency.

The Head of State, who was at some point in time branded the globe-toting President, could not even attend church events as was his norm whenever he was in the country.

The revolt was followed by unprecedented events. They included the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 on June 26, the sacking of his Cabinet on July 11, the nominating of ODM MPs into his Cabinet, and consequently giving MPs the green light to impeach his now former Deputy Rigathi Gachagua on October 18.

Political players believe the unfolding events relate to the June and July civil unrest. But they are amazed by the ruthless efficiency that Ruto has deployed so far.

Top on the list is the just-ended impeachment of Gachagua, a man seasoned in battles, at least going by his utterances and who was protected by the 2010 Constitution and what looked like a large voting basket.

Ruto, who in the past condemned the “handshake” deal between his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta and arch-rival Raila Odinga, had to borrow the leaf, coming up with the broad-based government with Raila’s team therein. In a record four days, all the Cabinet Secretary nominees were vetted and on August 7, the National Assembly debated and approved the report by the Committee on Appointments that carried out the vetting.

The fast-tracking of the vetting process was evident after Parliament announced that it would vet at least five nominees in one day in a move synonymous with Ruto’s wish to have things done his way within strict guidelines.

Then came Gachagua’s impeachment which was also done and dusted with with an inexplicable haste. Lawyers defending Gachagua have claimed the impeachment process took less than a half of the time allowed by the Constitution.

Section 2(a) of the said Article gives the National Assembly Speaker two days to inform the Senate Speaker of its decision to impeach the President or the Deputy President. But in Gachagua’s case, it took less than ten hours to have the Senate acknowledge the receipt of its decision.

“Under the Constitution, the process should have lasted at least over 2 months and the drafters of the 2010 constitution had their reasons for putting it that way. That was never adhered to,” Senior Counsel Paul Muite who represented Gachagua, told the court.

The lawyers also argued that the President had two weeks to make his appointment and Parliament 60 days to approve the same. All that was, however, done in just a day. 

Following the ouster, government agencies and the Judiciary burnt the midnight oil to have the matter solved with government officers, including the official government printer, staying on high alert.

A section of anti-Finance Bill 2024 protestors demonstrate in Nairobi on July 2, 2024. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Senators sat into the dead of night and still beat the sun the next day just to make sure that the matter was dispensed with in record time. The Judiciary, through Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu, appointed a bench at night which sat on a weekend to set a date for hearing a petition filed by the Attorney General that sought to lift orders that prevented the swearing-in of a new deputy president.

“It was unconstitutional for the Deputy Chief Justice to sit at night to appoint a bench given the fact that even in the numerous cases of abduction, the Chief Justice herself has not sat at night to appoint benches authorising them to conduct judicial proceedings on Saturdays and Sundays,” argued lawyer Kibe Mungai for the impeached DP. 

Kenyans on social media ridiculed the government with its three arms of Executive, Parliament and the Judiciary saying if the efficiency and urgency with which Gachagua was impeached was used to address the problems dogging higher education in Kenya, the Social Health Insurance Fund debacle and the pilling of cases in courts, they could be things of the past.

“It is now over four months since young Kenyans were brutalised on the streets of Nairobi. Over 60 of them died, many were maimed and a lot more remain unaccounted for yet no one has been arrested and charged in connection with the mass murder. But when it comes to the impeachment, that is where they draw the line,” James Mboya, a citizen, wrote on his social media account.

Others wondered why it has taken the government years to establish the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) even as some constituencies and wards are left without representation at the legislative arm of government. 

Sharon Ngai, another observer, wrote on her X account that as Kenyans were languishing due to health problems occasioned by the hurried transfer of the National Health Insurance Fund to the Social Health Insurance Fund, denying patients medical services, the government was only committed to solving political problems.

“It is a clear indication that Kenyans are on their own. This was seen during the protests when the political class joined hands to protect their space at the expense of Kenyans,” Ngai said.

Political scientist Kamau Wairuri associated all the ruthless efficiency seen in impeaching Gachagua to the President, saying Ruto had a Machiavellian approach to politics “which reveals a lot about his character and how he deals with people around him and those he is competing with for power.” 

“As we have seen, he will do anything necessary to acquire and retain power. The recent impeachment of his deputy is the latest illustration of this, but we can look back in history to see how he dealt not just with Raila and Uhuru but also his encounters with Reuben Chesire whom he defeated to win his first parliamentary election,” Wairuri said.

“Those who survive around him are those who are willing to offer utmost loyalty. Anyone who falls short is excluded immediately. This is one of the key reasons why Gachagua was pushed out. Not only did he not present undying loyalty to the President, he also found it hard to offer this loyalty to those around the President who also demand the same level of respect and loyalty. This signals that even the survival of those who remain within the KK government is hinged on complete reverence to him,” he added.