Petty political fights meant to divert public attention from serious issues

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua addresses a past function. [File, Standard]

Leaders behave in strange ways and still think they make sense. They utter irrelevancies and at times entertain the public with calculated insults that are meant to divert public attention from serious problems afflicting the country. This happened when two men in Mount Kenya worked hard to undermine their own offices by ferociously going for each other's throats. This helped to divert public attention from the fact that Kenyan officials were helping Gautum Adani to take Kenyan airports and energy sector. The Adani saga is a national embarrassment that first undercuts President William Ruto's desire to lead and be seen as promoter of African interests and, second, it encourages extra-continental predators to pounce on Kenyan resources with impunity.

Deputy President (DP) Rigathi Gachagua and the National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah compete to be leaders and undermine their own offices with unbecoming utterances and behaviour that raised doubts about their maturity. Ichung'wah is bright, having gone to Alliance High School before national schools were adulterated with administrative slot allocation quarters that undermined merit. He knows he is bright and occasionally reminds listeners that he went to Alliance.