Is Uhuru planning to hang on to power for a third term?

 It's downright dangerous for the government of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto to be floating “third term for Uhuru” nonsense

Wananchi are tired of the government and its useless sidekick, the opposition. These two alleged protagonists pretend to tussle and fight over ostensible democracy and the delivery of “development” to wananchi.

The truth is that the joke is on the wananchi – because the politicians have absolutely zero interest in delivering anything other than corruption and scandals to this country. If you think a politician is bad, wait for his second term.

Everywhere in Kenya, second-term politicians see their remit not as anything even remotely resembling representing their electors – they see it simply as yet another opportunity to steal whatever funds they can from the public purse.

It’s a free-for-all when public money is at the mercy of a re-elected politician, for most know that their second term is their last.

Even where they’re allowed to contest a third term, Kenyan politicians are so inept and useless in office that the vast majority are kicked out after two terms. And hence the grab-fest as that second term winds down.

It’s, therefore, at first laughable, and then downright dangerous, for the government of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto to be floating “third term for Uhuru” nonsense at this point.

Various would-be manifestations of such an arrangement have been proposed by this and that leader here and there, but last week the first concrete attempt materialised in the form of a bill by Tiaty MP William Kamtet. A bait that Nasa might just swallow hook, line and sinker.

The bill proposes what Jubilee have always opposed all along: a ceremonial presidency and an Executive Prime Minister. This arrangement has been the desire of opposition stalwart Raila Odinga for decades.

The elites of Jubilee’s two tribes – the only ones to have produced presidents in Kenyan history – quite cleverly saw this as an assault on their domination of the presidency, and opposed it at every opportunity.

But change is afoot now. Deputy President William Ruto is focused on becoming president, and has made some fairly consequential enemies in the time that he has been Uhuru’s deputy.

As Uhuru’s last constitutional term of office draws to a close, there’s worry within some connected Kikuyu circles that a Ruto presidency would be similar to the Moi presidency 30-something years ago.

At the time, Moi purged the government of Kikuyus and related tribes, replacing them with Kalenjins to ensure loyalty.

When Kibaki took over as president in 2002, he reciprocated in style – sacking Kalenjins en masse and replacing them with Kikuyus everyone one looked.

A third term for Uhuru would prevent the prospect of Ruto returning the favour come 2022, or so the Kikuyu political elite think. Scared that no one will be around to take care of their interests post 2022, having destroyed what would have been hopefuls like Martha Karua, Peter Kenneth, Paul Muite and William Kabogo, some Central Kenya elite are scared.

Their only hope is Uhuru hanging around. Some have even let the cat out of the bag by suggesting he will remain in the party leadership. Others, desperate to see him hang around, have asked him to be a dictator.

Desperate that he is running out of time, with no legacy worth writing home about, he seem to have embraced the dictatorship as path to third term idea. See the anger, tantrums and persecution directed at rivals? The Media, Judiciary, Civil Society and Opposition before finalizing with the enemy within- DP Ruto.

While this two-tribe game of musical chairs goes on to the exclusion of the other 40-odd tribes in Kenya – the country is rapidly descending into chaos. Criminal gangs literally rule Nairobi.

The minister in charge of internal security, so efficient and effective dealing ruthlessly with opposition rallies and protests, is nowhere to be seen as criminals unleash a reign of terror on residents of Nairobi and other cities.

As he uses police to harass Nasa leaders and desperately try to manufacture crimes by them, terrorists from Somalia own most of North Eastern Kenya. The economy goes from low to crushing low, and debt owed to China piles higher and higher.