By Wahome Thuku via Facebook Verified account
I LISTENED to William Ruto’s speech on Thursday. Yes I listen and follow him just as I liaten and follow Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila Odinga, even Khalwale and Kimani Ngunjiri.
I listen to Ruto’s words – even to what he is NOT saying in words
On Thursday he made a very long speech to a very small audience in a very small event at his Karen residence. Actually the speech was not addressed to those present but those absent.
It was crafted to tell someone out there that, “Iam working with the low masses”. He repeated “mtu wa salon, mtu wa car wash”…25 times.
Those of us who studied literature know what repetition even in a poem is meant to achieve.
In this case it was the best bait.
The salon, carwash, bodaboda….are the tag words and they will be the campaign tools going forward.
Now this is it: Ruto has no other forum to make speeches and attack his adversaries. Churches are closed. No political rallies. No roadside gatherings. Nothing to launch. No daily briefings on anything like Covid. Jubilee meetings on take 15 minutes. No burials to attend. No media interviews.
What to do?
Organise for a forum in Karen. Call it an equipment handing over to “watu wa salon, watu wa carwash”….
Sure invest a good loot in it. Then the media. And that becomes the event to remind the world that you are still around.
See, I can call 20 young people in my Nyeri home and give them some working tools, talk to them and end it there.
But if I make a looong speech addressing some imaginary rivals who are not in my home at that time, then any brilliant mind can see what Iam doing – creating a platform for political speaking. It works by the way.
This is what an intelligent mind should see. Anyone can loot money, call watu wa saloon na watu wa carwash and give them handouts.
Waluke stole 300 million from NCPB. That was enough to finance 1000 watu wa carwash. Is that what we want?
