You cannot be more direct than what President Uhuru Kenyatta told the clergy members at State House when he addressed issues on the upcoming elections and the ongoing duel and fights between him and his deputy William Ruto.
“You have already introduced rebellion and you are roaming across the country saying you have been wronged. A deal is between two people. If I am wrong you are also wrong. You have no right to seek leadership by lying, insults and theft,” the President said in reference to an unnamed politician.
He emphasized the importance of peace, unity and cohesion during this electioneering period, and regretted that some politicians were engaging in deceitful, divisive and misleading campaigns.
Once again, the President counseled Kenyans to exercise their constitutional right by electing genuine and progressive leaders whose motivation is to build a strong and united nation.
“We are on a journey which will not end here. We have made a lot of progress in terms of development. We have built several roads. We have issued title deeds to many Kenyans who are now proud owners of their parcels of land.
“We have connected electricity to many homes besides ensuring 100 percent transition of our children from primary school to secondary school. We launched cash transfer program to cushion the elderly and put up modern health facilities to cater for Nairobi residents through NMS,” the President enumerated.
On his political choices, the President said Kenyans have an opportunity to elect leaders who have a proven track record of championing for the interests of all Kenyans rather than those who are only seeking leadership for personal gain.
Read: William Ruto on his painful Saba Saba moments in the hands of President Uhuru
“Despite the fact that we have never been on the same side politically with Martha, she is just and principled. It is better I follow someone who is principled. Who is just, truthful, and led by the desire to serve people but not self,” the President said in reference to Azimio La Umoja’s presidential running-mate.
Uhuru’s speech at State House opened our eyes to a lot of things that were happening after the Supreme Court ruled that the Jubilee victory of the 2017 presidential elections was not conducted according to the constitution and nullified the results.
Uhuru says that he was ready to leave politics and go home if that was the only way to avoid turmoil and complete meltdown of the country as people fight for power. Uhuru said he was not going to cling to power and plunge the country into bloodshed.
Apparently, this is what got William Ruto mad with Uhuru where he threatened to slap the president. It seems Ruto was of the opinion that if it was going to take bloodshed to keep power then so be it.
That may very well be what Ruto is contemplating right now as we approach the election day and things don’t look too good for him. The only good news now is that Ruto has no access to the Kenyan army and Uhuru has cut him loose.
Then came the swearing-in of the “People’s President” which was very tense and lasted a few minutes. Miguna Miguna now a big Ruto supporter is the one who swore in Raila Odinga as the People’s President.
Uhuru is now telling Kenyans that some of his co-leaders wanted him to send the army there to deal with those people. If Uhuru agreed to that request it is very likely people would have been shot, killed, and charged with treason. I wonder where Miguna would be now if Uhuru made that choice.
“When things were bad and some people went to swear themselves in, there are those who wanted me to send my soldiers but I stood firm and said no,” he said.
The president said his aim was to ensure peace prevailed and he achieved that goal despite stiff opposition to his resolve.
“I let them be and there was peace. I still reached out to them so we could talk. There was a lot of opposition to the talks by the chest-thumping team and even after I pleaded with them, they made it their job to always attack me,” Uhuru added.
From what the president is saying it is clear that rebuilding a peaceful co-existence between political adversaries after the Supreme Court for the first time in the history of our country nullified the results was not a snap job.
It was a painstaking job of rebuilding trust between leaders and putting the interest of the country and the lives of Kenyans first as opposed to just grab power and shout around the country which would be burning.
There is quite a huge difference between Uhuru and Ruto in terms of their political priorities for the Kenyan people and building a united and peaceful country. Kenyans can now see clearly why and how these two leaders went their separate ways. Now Kenyans will have to decide which direction they want to go come August 9, 2022.
Adongo Ogony is a Human Rights Activist and a Writer who lives in Toronto, Canada
