Between 2018 and 2022, Ruto very effectively used Mt. Kenya MPs to fight Uhuru. He kept them close, sustained them financially and flew them around the country.
History is repeating itself. Central Kenya MPs are now being used against Rigathi Gachagua, in another attempt to divide and rule. With all his shortcomings which are many, this is the only man from Mt. Kenya within government who seems to have some guts.
He is asking tough questions in regards to the removal of Kikuyus from senior parastatals and ambassadorial positions. He is also subtly pushing for the region’s interests, and it is a very lonely journey since our MPs (safe for Wamuchomba) are currently excited about their proximity to power, and they only care about money and flying around with the presidential chopper.
Ruto the tactful politician has already “promised” a few politicians the Deputy President’s seat. He will keep them busy obsessing over this and fighting each other, and the bigger picture will be lost. Meanwhile Mt. Kenya will continue to disintegrate, and finally become isolated.
Rigathi Gachagua needs to quickly change strategy. He has to stop living in the past, desist from antogonizing people from his community who he had marked as political enemies, and start creating formidable allies. He also has to work on his image and narrative, to appear more stately.
Through speech and actions, he should cut a national figure and start appealing to the erudite members of our society who he has failed to capture all along. A deputy president should never be seen as a clown or a stand up commedian who is known for village jokes and savagely. He should be polished yet approachable, intellectually appealing yet modest, firm yet malleable.
Finally, Gachagua should very fast realize that his support will not come from the MPs. These ones will be his aggressors. In this regard he is actually right in his intentions to reach out to Uhuru. I am sure by now he is wiser than he was a year ago, and is already seeing what Uhuru saw many years ago.
At this point, he needs Uhuru more than Uhuru needs him. He should therefore seek reconcilliation wisely, and avoid public statements that might antagonize people even further, and jeorpadise progress of the very unity he is talking about.
He cannot be pushing for unity on one hand, while antagonizing with the other. He has a new vicious enemy, and he will need a different map to navigate the unfamiliar territory he now finds himself in.
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