Samson Cherargei is not the person that comes to mind when one pictures a “Samson”.
The Nandi senator may share some qualities with the Biblical figure - they have both rocked a hairless head, with Cherargei’s baldness being more of a fashion statement - but Cherargei is no Hercules.
Boasting a one-pack, the senator fits the description of a Mulmuwas, “kijana fupi round”, more. It is doubtful that his Middle-Eastern namesake would need to stand atop a stool to be noticeable. A more suitable first name for Cherargei would, perhaps, have been Zacchaeus, but that name has since been taken (Zakayo).
The melanin king has been in the news recently for his benevolent heart. Concerned that politicians were getting a raw deal with a limiting five-year term in office, the man from Nandi proposed to have it increased by two years.
A Senate committee recently conducted public participation hearings, with Kenyans, according to Cherargei, overwhelmingly endorsing his proposal. In their report, the Senate committee said Kenyans hated Cherargei’s guts and want their colleagues to shoot it down.
Who to believe? Here’s a quote from one of the Kenyans who turned up at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, you be the judge: “You are talking about increasing the term of office when we want to reduce your numbers. We don’t have the money to pay you.”
Cherargei, the bubbly lawyer-cum-lawmaker, is largely an optimist. In the wake of a youth-led uprising and amid evident backlash against the Kenya Kwanza government, with some declaring it “one-term”, he believes that Kenyans want to add them more time in office.
It is not the first time the 36-year-old has made the proposal. Last year, wearing sunglasses matching the colour of his face, Cherargei announced his plans to extend limits, arguing that the five-year term made it hard for the government to deliver for its people.
For a man who swears loyalty to President William Ruto, it is strange that Cherargei doubts the President’s ability to achieve anything substantial in five years. He is not alone. Assessing the last two years of the Kenya Kwanza regime, many Kenyans have concluded that they are only efficient at kicking unwanted persons out of office.
Making such proposals takes confidence, given the changes can only be made through a referendum. Confidence is not in short supply to Cherargei, who never misses the chance to speak at the Senate.
“To the critics, lets meet in the contest (referendum),” he said then. When he uttered those words, the situation was different for the ruling party. Generation Zs and Millennials were still preoccupied with fried chicken and taxis, as National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah once said. They have since gained the energy to pursue other interests that involve having lawmakers dump their fuel guzzlers for ambulances, escaping for dear life.
Cherargei has been a senator for two terms, having been elected in 2017. He is no stranger to controversy, making remarks that have often led to his colleagues disowning him. His colleague senators have branded him a “clout chaser” for his latest proposal.
They could be right. The Nandi senator has made a name for promising to do one thing and doing the other. It was the case during the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua. Moments after attacking his colleagues and describing the motion as a “witch-hunt”, he would vote to send Riggy G home. Perhaps he was only curious about what would happen if he did, as he has been accused of testing the waters with the plan to increase the presidential term.