Raila Odinga's message gets lost in the revenge attacks between State and its enemies

On Monday, mobs descended on Uhuru's Northlands farm, burned structures, cut trees and made away with hundreds of livestock. Uhuru was caught in the war between Ruto and Raila, with government officials accusing the former Head of state of financing the opposition group's protests.

On Sunday, a day before Raila's protests, Ruto flew to German. Raila remained confident. Outwardly exultant and determined in his push to bring the government to its knee, he relished the sight of the crowds that gathered around his car and appeared to be looking forward to more run-ins with the police.

The renascent Raila seems to be playing the long game with Ruto, a man he accuses of stealing his victory. His demands-to open the electoral commissioner's servers, stop recruitment of new commissioners, and reduce the cost of living, especially maize, cooking oil and fuel-are backed by bi-weekly protests and boycotts.

To his chagrin, though, Ruto is still standing firm on his position that he fairly won the presidency and is sitting pretty in State House, even after more than six months of piling pressure on him.

Apart from the street skirmishes between the police and stone-throwing youth, shuttered businesses and blockaded roads, Raila's two protests in Nairobi and in other parties of the country were a far cry from past bloody confrontations that made international headlines and helped heap pressure on the incumbent. Security forces showed a lot of restraint, a marked departure from the past when they used live bullets and mowed down protesters.

Raila's protests have so far been fugacious, disjointed and too scattered to be effective or pose a grave danger to Ruto. Denied access to the city center, Raila had to drive around the city and deliver spur-of-the-moment addresses to higgledy-piggledy crowds that appeared to get a kick out of the din than harbor any conviction to stand with him in the long run.

If the August election was a stiff contest over Kenyans' votes, the post-election period is shaping up as a battle of wits-and, it seems, he who is in State House and has the machinery of government is likely to win. Raila's anti-government message seems to have got lost in the revenge attacks between his supporters and adversaries.

Police engage youths in running battles in Mathare 4A on March 27,2023 when the Azimio protests entered the second week over demands they want the government to meet. [Collins Kweyu,standard]

"The truth of the matter is that we have inherited a debilitated economy that is facing almost an economic shutdown," said Gachagua during President Ruto's inauguration on September 13, asking Kenyans to pray for the president to deliver his duties.

That message of taking charge of a wrecked nation was barely followed by actions and awareness campaigns to inform the citizenry about the mess left behind by the previous administration. The new government now appears to have inadvertently taken ownership of the blunders of the previous administration.

"The Ruto administration only shows its weakness when it decries the looting by former officials and yet does little to hold those officials to account," said Ms Chepkirui.

Indeed, Kenya Kwanza did little to get its message across to Kenyans. For example, it has not talked up its success and exposed the rot left behind by the former administration in a manner that ordinary Kenyan could appreciate the enormity of the task it is handling.

The empty rhetoric by Kenya Kwanza mandarins and their griping about the looting and abuses committed by the former administration have only elicited disdain from the former ruler.

"There are two types of people. There are people who talk a lot about what they will do and do nothing, and those are many. But there are people who talk very little but do a lot and their deeds are seen," Uhuru said in a veiled dig at the Ruto administration. He delivered the remarks at the home of Education Minister George Magoha after visiting his family to condole over his death.

The thanksgiving event was a reunion of sorts for officials of the previous government, displaying a sense of camaraderie and of being a politically endangered species. Uhuru happily shook hands with members of his Cabinet who have been out of sight since their favored candidate, Raila, lost the presidential election.

"We live in a country where people are so dishonest. They love lies. They behave as if there was nothing happening yesterday," said former Interior minister Fred Matiang'i in another attack on the current administration.

Ruto, Gachagua and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah have disclosed a wanton looting that took place days before and after the election.

"The HANDSHAKE regime was a ROTTEN administration, stinking to the high heavens," tweeted Ichung'wah on March 15. Ichung'wah recently told Parliament that two days after Kenyans cast their ballots "blatant looting of public resources" took place.

"When the rest of the country was counting votes, there were people in the former regime who were counting billions," he said.