By Oginga Randiki
As the most genial face of a greedy, corrupt, fraudulent, dishonest and thieving leadership, landed in the Coast for a tour of Kilifi, Mombasa, Kwale and Taita-Taveta Counties last week, it was not surprising that crooks, fraudsters, conmen, drug smugglers and thieves have all become experts and superstars in anti-narcotic war overnight.
Let me be perfectly straight about this , and please, no giggles. DP Ruto is a leader who has always had an awful image and integrity problem. I think he does have a problem with his image at the moment. I don’t think he has got a very clear idea of the image he is trying to project by targeting an individual for political assault for choosing to remain in the Opposition.
Ruto’s tour was strategically planned by State agencies to coincided with a spate of rumours manufactured by the same State agencies linking Gov. Joho with drug trafficking. It has, of course, been with us some time, but it seems to be spreading alarmingly.
Let me describe the symptoms. Because it is short name with only four letters and short names make bigger headlines, Ruto assumes that some of his weird propaganda against Joho, will have seeped by osmosis into CORD supporters’ general awareness. If not, no matter.
The point of all this is really too obvious to need stating. But it is simply; how could any one of Ruto’s stature have the faintest clue whether or not a personality like Joho is engaged in serious crimes like drug trafficking but still let him walk the streets a free man?
Has it ever occurred to you that not a whisper of scandal has ever attached itself to Ruto wrongly, including the recent damaging disclosure of ‘Mpango Wa Kado’ affair? What does this mean? It means with such reputation you do not have to hazard guess.
You see, newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations all thrive on kidding their readers that their views on particular issue are worth while, until the drug trafficking issue crops up.
You will notice often, when you see the word drug trafficker printed, it has those quotation marks around it. Or else it will be prefaced by ” so-called” or “alleged” or “self-professed”. With a complicit government, character assassination is king.
It brings fame and popularity to the accuser in his own political party, especially when the person being accused is of the stature of Gov. Joho. But even if your are deputy president the old rule applies; it’s not simply being famous that matters; it’s what you are famous for. And we’ll know what DP Ruto is famous for. Ruto should attempt to strangle Gov. Joho’s character when he has none.
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