By Albert Nyakundi Amenya aka The Banana Peddler
I have seen pessimists backgrounding DP Williams Ruto. Those who know him not say he is a lame duck. Call him whatever you want but he is no fool after all. The Ruto of today is not that of pre-2007. The current William Ruto is a different man. He is a man of means. He has both the money and the power. You may say he stole but that is a non-issue.
Let me tell you about money and power. Money is like a woman. It does not care who owns it. An idiot can win a lottery or hold a bank but as long as he has it, he will be feared and respected by both enemies and friends. When you have power, you own the world.
I always tell Kenyans that for you to get something it’ll depend on what you know about who you know.
Every human being has a little skeleton buried somewhere. Yours is just to dig it up and they’ll be more than willing to help you with whatever you need from them. Kikuyus have their skeleton buried all over the Kalenjin land. DP Ruto happens to know that his Kalenjin Community hosts millions of Kikuyus who have madly invested in their land. Ruto is a Nandi and Nandis are the second largest sub-tribe in Kalenjins after the Kipsigis. Some say he is a Kipsigis who migrated to Nandi.
It is an open secret that the Kipsigis and Nandi communities command Rift Valley. Forget about Moi’s Tugen tribe. They are a politically inconsequential minority. Kalenjin love William Ruto unstintingly. They know he is the only current Kalenjin leader who has fearlessly fought for them. He took a bullet for them when he was taken to The Hague for defending the community.
When Kalenjins were accused of Killing Kikuyus during the 2008 post poll violence, the blame was put on William and he did not disappoint them. He fought all the way to ICC and won. Most significantly, Kalenjins did not neglect him. They stood with him all the way. To confirm their love for him, they voted for Jubilee in 2013 general election to the last man.
They did so because they were promised it’ll be their turn in 2022. Kalenjins knows that Gideon Moi is a dunderhead, unintelligent and obtuse. William is sharp and intelligent. He is the only Kalenjin leader that possesses the real character of Koitalel Arap Samoei. They love him to the last herder in the remotest village.
You may not like it but the lives of the Kikuyus living in Kalenjin-land are in the hands of William Ruto. That is the painful truth that every Kikuyu must accept. The other day I was making scrolls in Facebook, I saw a remark by an influential Kalenjin that said, “Tunaskia wanataka kuturuka vile walifanyia Raila na Kalonzo. Kwa sasa wacha tu tufanye kazi mpaka 2021, siku hiyo ikifika, we will take them head on without contraceptives” Those words have a lot of weight. Only a fool can overlook them.
To the Kikuyu community, that William Ruto is quiet does not mean he is a fool. Neither does it mean he is a coward. Luos and Raila might have kept quiet because he loves peace. Kambas and Kalonzo might have accepted and moved on when he was allegedly betrayed by the Kikuyus because he is naturally meek. Trust me, Kalenjins and Ruto will not take it lying down if betrayed.
One of the gravest mistakes that the Mt. Kenya Mafia can do is to turn their support from William Ruto to Gideon Moi. They think if they dump Ruto for another Kalenjin like Gideon Moi, Kalenjins will celebrate and throw a party for them. That will be a dangerous gamble to take. Truthfully, William Ruto is the King of Rift Valley and North Eastern where Duale comes from. Gideon Moi commands a few Tugens in Baringo County.
William Ruto is a self-made politician. Gideon Moi is just the son of his father. In my view, he is not a politician, let alone leader. If you want to know who commands Kalenjins, let William Ruto and Gideon Moi give Kalenjins orders separately and see who they will obey. Gideon Moi goes to Kericho or Eldoret; denizens might not even know that he was there. If Ruto visits even secretly without escort, word will spread faster than the bullet fired from an AK-47 that our leader is here.
Well, you can see what will happen if someone presses the right button at the wrong time or the wrong button at the right time. The Kikuyus who understand well what I am saying are those that have lived in Rift Valley during elections. Those that are encouraging the betrayal of Ruto are those living in their comfort zones in Nairobi and Central Province. They don’t know what the situation is like when the going gets tough. Kikuyus in Rift valley are hoping and praying that Mt. Kenya hierarchy does not betray Ruto.
Let us pray for this country.
albertamenya@yahoo.com
((The writer sells bananas in the streets of kisii Town))
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