This time Ruto has gotten it wrong. His Deputy Rigathi and Leader of Majority Kimani Ichungwa say that Uhuru Kenyatta is the sole sponsor of the maandamano. What is not clear is what needs to be sponsored. Kenyans are in the maandamano for five main issues all of them related; 1. bei ya unga (the price of maizemeal) is unbearable, the cost of electricity and petrol is crippling. And David Ndii their economic adviser is telling us to put up with this suffering because UDA didn’t promise to alleviate the situation, they didn’t promise the hustlers any of these things we are asking for 2. the Ruto administration is stuffing the government with Kalenjins and Kikuyus in all positions that have tenders to raise campaign money for 2027 which is vile and unacceptable because all of us pay taxes; we are being told to shut up and accept this order because we have shareholders, directors and then us taxpayers without rights 3. The rule of law, constitutionalism and accountable governance are threatened and have been ignored; autocracy is coming back in floods; Azimio MPs have been bought in large numbers, democracy is in peril, constitutional amendments to remove term limits have been mooted; the way the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have let go all accused who had been caught with hands in the till is the confirmation of total State Capture. The Judiciary seems to be fully in bed with the executive, Parliament is a lapdog; 4. is the greed in privatizing our State Owned Enterprises (SOES), galloping billions for new cars, state house luncheons, prayers rallies hosting apostles and prophets, spouses bonanzas. We are being told that this is completely necessary for us to receive better services, and 5. is the issue of the 2022 presidential election which the Azimio supporters are claiming was rigged in favor of Ruto by IEBC commissioners and personnel working with foreign powers and with the connivance of the SCOK. The Azimio brigade is demanding that the servers be opened and a proper audit is conducted. Ruto and his brigade are saying that IEBC is an independent body that should open the servers not under the direction of the President. However, he has already suspended IEBC commissioners who seemed to be aligned with the Azimio side and who disagreed with Chebukati. These five issues cannot be glossed over. They are solid concerns that have stripped Ruto of the social license to govern because of how he has gone about responding to each and every one of these five issues.
In response to these five issues, the Ruto acolytes have invaded the Kenyatta family land and taken animals, and trees, and allocated themselves parcels of land in order to end the maandamano. They have ”suspended” the constitution by declaring maandamano illegal. Their strategy is to try and narrow the national crisis to frame it as a personalized grievance or issue .. in short, the government side is saying that the maandamano is simply about “Kenyatta who doesn’t want to pay tax, or Raila who wants his monopoly of gas cylinders undisturbed”. Both charges are actually baseless and empty claims. Shows the vacuousness of this regime. Others who want to distract us from the real issues are saying that civil society actors are agreeing with everything Raila does and against everything Ruto does. For example, one pro-government commentator has been asserting that the rioters who invaded a government function and ate food in Kisumu and also broke into Pitstop a business in Kisumu, and made away with edibles and drinks should be equated with the criminals who broke into the Kenyatta farmland and cut down trees using power saws, slaughtered and carried away livestock for ten hours undisturbed. Misuse and abuse of power to exact vengeance against a family or families (of rich former powerful men) are being likened to Kisumu citizens who invade a Chiloba function to eat the food (purchased by our taxes). That both groups are equally culpable. This is becoming interesting. Civil Society, religious, private sector leaders etc. with a soul and a heart for Kenya will continue to stand for the truth, for justice, for accountability, and for the COK 2010 that we fought for and delivered while Ruto and his gang fought against it.
Cyprian Orina-NYAMWAMU
