The raging war of words between the Deputy President Dr. William Ruto and former Prime Minister Hon. Raila Odinga over the corruption allegations, investigations concerning the Kshs 28.5 billion Arror Dam and Kshs 23.1 billion Kimwarer Dam all within Elgeyo Marakwet County and under the auspices of the Kerio Valley Development Authority leaves no doubt in any discerning observer the politics in the duel that one will be forgiven for drawing the inference that President Uhuru Kenyatta has either sub-contracted to the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga the role of waging the propaganda war on his behalf in the fight against corruption or that by keeping silent as Raila muddies his Deputy President then he is reading from the same script as Raila Odiga.
Raila Odinga is a political fox through and through. Never take what he says at face value. And it is for that reason that Deputy President William Ruto who was once his ally (Raila’s) has never swallowed the bait that the March 2018 handshake was a symbol of peace. The Deputy President knows that Raila having ensnared President Uhuru Kenyatta, having wrapped himself around the President he (Raila) can cheekily dig at the Deputy President and the Deputy President’s hands are tied at the back for he cannot be seen to hit back at Raila without at the same time being seen as hitting at his boss, the President.
Make no mistake Raila calculated that if he aligns with the President and selectively frames all the corruption in the Jubilee Government from 2013 to 2018 around the Deputy President and his allies he will strike a mortal blow against the Deputy President’s political stature and neutralize him as a front runner to the 2022 succession race. Is it any wonder the corruption that is the corruption of this decade (2010-2020) in the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is being glossed over? What is the single most wasteful project, rip off Kenya has experienced in the Jubilee Government’s tenure than the SGR? Who is selecting what corruption to be investigated? Who is framing the corruption question? Who is to be made the fall guy? Who is to be the dog to be given a bad name and hanged? Your guess is as good as mine. While ODM is strengthening itself, Jubilee is being fractured, weakened.
Those who are keen students of the history of Kenya and more particularly Hon. Raila Odinga know that when Raila declares peace if you are his opponent then know he is arming himself howsoever and you better arm yourself. If he says you both go West know he is aiming to go East. He is a master of subterfuge, distraction, double speak as he moves his pieces on the political chessboard.
Is the corruption war calculated to emasculate the Deputy President and then bring in the killer blow of the Constitutional referendum to redesign the political architecture of Kenya?Yes the political times ahead for Kenya are going to be riveting, intriguing, perplexing but so far the grand master of the orchestra is Raila Odinga. Time will tell whether this time round he will wind up on the throne that has eluded him since 1997.
The political game in Kenya as things stand now is being played between Central Kenya, Rift Valley and Nyanza. Our beloved Western Kenya notwithstanding its being populous is a spectator. It must go back to the drawing board and re-invent itself so that it may become a heavy weight in the political game that is going to shape Kenya in the next 10-15 years. Whoever frames the question has the answer? For now it appears President Kenyatta and Raila Odinga are framing the corruption question and woe unto you if you their target?