DD rightly notes:
What we saw today is both President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga trying to challenge Rutoism at its crudest, the idea that somehow, the last five or so years has been so magical that no change is needed; and that the future is defined already, and more so, cast in stone
The Arap Doyo Says:
I remember months to August 8 elections, we begged on these streets Ruto to support Baba.
Why? We argued Baba is the only one who can keep the promise and genuinely return the hand. Ruto allied guys trashed us. The people from the mountain branded us with the propagandists tags, dismissing our call on Ruto as crap. Our North Rift people reminded us how tight the bond between Uhuru and Ruto is. Perhaps the bromance cemented the view.
Fast forward to 2018, Baba pulled a first one on Ruto. He brought the fight to his doorstep albeit unexpectedly. From the prima facie look of it, Ruto shall pay a coin by a coin. And from three fierce fronts. Fronts that have ruled this nation for a cumulative 45 years.
I am not celebrating what is happening to Ruto. If anything, he is a guy whose tenacity and audacity I highly approve but politics is altogether a complex game.
Niccole Machiavelli once opined; Men must either be caressed or else annihilated; they will revenge themselves for small injuries, but cannot do so for great ones; the injury therefore that we do to a man must be such that we need not fear his vengeance.”
Ruto is a revengeful man. His ability to settle scores with his enemies cannot be understated. Raila and Uhuru understand this too well. Will they cause a small injury to Ruto’s political bid or they will annihilate him completely to extinguish any chance for a future revenge? Time will tell.
I shall be here watching as the House of Cards, Kenyan version, Season 1 unfold.
