How Jubilee will use and dump DP William Ruto just after 2017

In ‘The 48 Laws of Power’ by Robert Greene, the American author, in Law 41, warns against cluelessly itching to step into the big man’s shoes or expecting power on a silver platter. Political leaders, by their very nature, hate being outshined by their successors.

Ever wondered why, although never verbalised, former presidents always have beef with their immediate successors? That’s why smart politicians always cut down to size their kingmaker and put them in their place once they get into power. Nothing personal, just business. So Bill, brace yourself for one hell of a kick in the nuts just after 2017. 

Look, to establish a name, your own identity and finally win power, Greene and some of the gurus and wizards of modern political science like Niccolò Machiavelli — who acknowledge that politics is a dirty game where ends justifies the means — advise that you start by being a rebel within, change course, destroy your political father by disparaging his legacy! So why are you taking your sweet time Bill. Don’t wait until it’s too little too late to start running all over like a headless chicken.

Well, Deputy President William Ruto — whom Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo once said is wise but not stupid — somehow understands this underhand tactics. To become second most powerful man in the country, he used these Machiavellian tactics on his then party leader Raila Odinga.

Thus, I find it strange that this time round, he expects President Uhuru Kenyatta to endorse him and inherit his Central Kenya voting block after his term. How naive! Again, I don’t know of any former Kenyan president who has ever remained influential after leaving office. So expecting son of Jomo to order the sly Jubilee brigade to vote for him is naive of the DP.

Look, around here, the drill is, immediately after elections, we cut the kingmaker to size and, if possible, finish him politically. So immediately after 2017 general election, Ruto will have outlived his usefulness in Jubilee.

Painful but true. It is at this point that the Jubilee brigade will drop him like a hot potato, link him to every available scandal and start destroying him. And, boy oh boy, it will be vicious! Those Mt Kenya mafia, who operate with ruthless efficiency of a German machine, will work on him proper.   

He, however, won’t be the first one, anyway. Around here, history always repeats itself. Those who are older say, for instance, Jomo Kenyatta could not have been President, were it not for Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. Summoned by the Brits to cobble together a government with himself at the helm as Prime Minister, Jaramogi told them to go to hell. “No Jomo, no Uhuru,” Jaramogi protested.

Jomo, by the way, had spent years cooling his heels in detention and, in his absence, it is Jaramogi and others who kept the fire burning. Jaramogi, therefore, had national recognition, respect and political clout. Thus, he could have easily strolled into Government House and started grabbing plots. Instead, he fought for Jomo. But when Jomo ascended to power and thundered three “Haraaaambees”, the first person he kicked in the nuts was his kingmaker, Jaramogi.

Project peter keneth

It is a painful lesson that Tom Mboya, who was as sharp as a squirrel, never learnt. A couple of years later, when Jomo was beleaguered by a tummy upset that Jaramogi had instigated within Kanu, it is Mboya who came to his rescue and scattered the madimoni (dark forces) of that time. That enhanced his stature tremendously. It is probably just a coincidence, but a year or so later, he stopped a bullet.

Enter Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi, him of the long neck that sees far like a giraffe. He could not have ascended to power without the support of the then very powerful Attorney General Charles Njonjo, GG Kariuki, and Finance Minister Mwai Kibaki. Of course once the Professor of Politics was firmly in the saddle, he flung those three musketeers out of his limousine — chap chap.

At the run-up to the first multi-party elections of 1992, President Moi, as wily a fox as they come, got bored of all that opposition noise Raila Odinga was making and co-opted him into Kanu, appointing him to the Cabinet to boot. But just when Raila was beginning to sniff the sweet aroma of coffee wafting in from the presidential succession kitchen, the old professor rudely flung him and Saitoti — the whole lot — out of the tent.

Which is why I got tickled when Raila, after practically wheeling President Kibaki to State House after declaring “Kibaki Tosha”, caught feelings and felt hurt when the old man wasted no time cutting him down to size. Haha! Remember how he was used to do the dirty job that was flinging people out of Mau Forest? A scandal that still haunts him today. Come on Tinga, didn’t those Marxists teach you that old trick?

But actually they somehow did because when William Ruto handed Raila Odinga the Rift Valley on a silver platter, enabling him to bargain for that half loaf in 2007, he too wasted no time cutting Bill, that brash, ambitious kingmaker, to size. It’s only that Bill is way smarter; he turned tables on him and emerged the winner in the nasty divorce and became DP. Raila, having learned his lessons, had a nice born again running mate who wouldn’t hurt a fly.

But the son of Jomo? Tricky, very tricky. He campaigns in the shadow of a kingmaker – William Ruto – who is busy hatching Rift Valley votes. Should he win his second term, Ruto will have to go, as some loud mouths have already verbalised it. Meanwhile, need I mention project Peter Kenneth?