The bare-knuckles war pitting President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy was slotted in the political calendar seven years ago.
Whereas the masses are shocked, the political class and the deep state knew it was a matter of when the President will whip his smouldering political gun- By Henry Kimoli
So when exactly did the symptoms of the demise of the bliss begin to manifest?
To rephrase the narrative, when did President Kenyatta begin to deem DP William Ruto as dispensable?
Their often touted bromance dating back to the unveiling of the first Uhuruto cabinet was fake.
But DP Ruto was too consumed by fake trappings of power to notice when the political fox that is Uhuru Kenyatta began to consume him….peace meal.
From the day the famous Uhuruto cabinet was unveiled, the DP was given a branded political rope to hang his political future.
His URP party was on paper an equal partner to the Party of National Unity(TNA). And do the deep state allowed the DP to feel and behave like a co President.
In the process, the DP made his first blunder…..
• Ngilu, Balala cabinet ordeal
During the constitution of the first cabinet in April 2013, DP Ruto blatantly announced that the Cabinet will have no politicians on board…other than himself and the President.
It so happened that Charity Ngilu had been promised a cabinet slot by forces higher than Ruto. And Najib Balala too had his political compass right. And so Ruto’s early attempt to flex muscles made him to recklessly declare the duo as unfit for cabinet appointment.
He was forced to swallow humble pie when the duo were appointed and sworn in by himself and the President.
Never mind the circumstances, but the end justified the means.
Ruto had procured two high profile enemies for free.
• War chest
On assuming office, DP Ruto and his closest advisers decided that they needed to quickly build a financial war chest to underwrite future political duels. Their naive advisors, then labeled sky team made him believe that cash can buy power…and neutralise the power of the Moi dynasty in Kalenjin country.
Naively, they reckoned that with mountains of cash, they could outmaneuver President Kenyatta and the Odingas.
And do a deal was hatched to ensure all procurement deals worth more than Sh.100million were given to the cronies of the DP and the President.
Their waterloo however came when they targeted paraststals in the energy sector controlled by powerful cartels. This led to vicious tuff wars that were neutralised by the DCI through prosecution.
But before tonnes of cash worth of contracts were made.
• Long rope
During his first term, President Kenyatta sold to the public a fake demeanor of a powerless disinterested President, a go easy persona.
The DP fell for the trap and assumed he was Uhuru’s equal.
Rumour has is that prior to cabinet meetings, he waited for quorum at Uhuru’s office over a cup of tea.
To confuse the man from Sugow, the President feigned an hangover on many occasions to give the DP fodder for small talk with his power hungry supporters.
Ruto thought and felt so powerful that his supporters started boasting in bars that he was the one running the affairs of the Government.
State agents allowed him to overshadow his boss as they sharpened the political knife, ready for the post surprise 2017 attack.
• Jubilee election board
To confuse the DP further, the agents allowed him to constitute, appoint and control the Jubillee Election Board.
His handpicked team kicked out loyal Kenyatta men such as Jamkeck Kamau from contesting on DP tickets.
Ruto was allowed to dictate who became the Governor, MP, Senator and Women Representative in Nairobi and Central Province.
His advisors imagined that by so doing, Ruto will control Central province and Nairobi.
Both are the nerve centres of the Mount Kenya political system. Naively, they imagined they had arrived.
And so, the election board fixed the chairman of the substantive Kikuyu Council of Elders, one William Maina Kamanda on instigation of Ruto. The battle before the war had begun.
• Peter Kenneth factor
DP Ruto was made to believe that the Kikuyu community was grooming Peter Kenneth to succeed Kenyatta. And so, his advisers neutralised Kenneth and chose to work with Sonko.
Ruto fell for the expensive blunder, backed Mike Sonko for the seat and drew a further wedge between himself and the Kikuyu community.
• Kalenjin bigotry
To appease his backyard in 2013, Ruto pushed for the appointment Five cabinet secretaries from the Kalenjin community.
They were:
- Felix Koskei – Agriculture.
- Davis Chirchir – Energy.
- Henry Rotich – Treasury.
- Physis Kandie – Tourism.
It is imperative to note that since independence, no single ethnic community in Kenya has received so many slots from Cabinet. More so after the promulgation of the constitution in 2010.
State agents noted the greed but played the DP on, with fake arguments that this was a coalition Government.
Ruto failed to reckon that he will require the support of other communities for future political insurance.
To make matters worse, 90 per cent of all parastatal appointments were reserved for Rift Valley, against the spirit of the constitution.
