Welcome To My Homepage
REALPOLITIC KENYA!
We introduce you to the real politics of Kenya- past, today and tomorrow. We will say it as it is! Welcome.
Deputy President William Ruto's woes self inflicted, political pundits say
By Kipchumba Some
As Deputy President William Ruto fights to reassert his
political supremacy in his Rift Valley backyard, political
observers say most of his current political woes are self-
inflicted.
They say his poor relationship with other leaders in the region,
poor media relations team and non-strategic political advisers,
are to blame for his current problems.
Ruto uses and dumps
Close allies accuse the DP of arrogance and “use-and-dump”
mentality in his relations with friends, some who he has
bitterly fallen out with in unclear circumstances. For instance,
it struck many political observers as odd when the DP
accused his former ally, Joshua Kutuny, as being among the
adversaries praying for him to be jailed at the International
Criminal Court (ICC).
The Kutuny factor
Kutuny, currently President Uhuru Kenyatta’s political
adviser, is Ruto’s protégé and was one of his fiercest
defenders until their surprise fallout. The DP heavily financed
Kutuny’s campaigns for the Cherangany parliamentary seat in
2007.
Kutuny has repeatedly declined to speak on the source of bad
blood between them, but those in the know say the fallout is
linked to how he (Kutuny) got his current job.
“The person who gave Kutuny the job is the President himself.
When he was defeated in Cherangany, he hung around the DP
hoping he (DP) would reward him with some job, but it never
came. One day, the President met him in a political function
and Kutuny told him (President) he was jobless. The President
told him to report to work the next Monday. The DP, it seems,
did not take it kindly,” said a source who knows the genesis of
the fallout. Matters are said to have been aggravated in 2013
when Kiplimo Rugut was removed as commandant of the
National Youth Service (NYS) and Dr Nelson Githinji appointed
in his place. Kutuny is said to have had information on
Kiplimo’s impending transfer but could not reach the DP to
relay it in person. He apparently made this known to other
people.
Cheruiyot
Kuresoi South MP Zakayo Cheruiyot, another of Ruto’s allies-
turned-enemy, has accused the DP of funding opposition to
him in his constituency.
These accusations have created bad blood between the DP
and a section of senior politicians from Rift Valley, especially
wealthy ones from the Kanu era.
Lightweight advisers
This group feels the people the DP appointed to strategic
posts, such as his political advisers, are not up to the task.
While President Kenyatta appointed seasoned politicians and
career civil servants to his side, Ruto’s advisers are largely
lightweight in comparison.
For example, the President strategically appointed Joseph
Kinyua, an experienced hand in government, as his Chief of
Staff and head of Public Service. He also retained career civil
servants Mutea Iringo and Francis Kimemia as principal
secretaries, thus tapping into their extensive experience in the
civil service.
Ruto’s suspended chief of staff Marianne Keitany is supposed
to be the equivalent of Kinyua. She was tapped from Kenya
Railways Corporation and lacks the kind of experience Kinyua
has in high levels of government.
People who have interacted with her at the DP’s Harambee
House Annex office complain that she is brash and lacks the
art of delicate diplomacy required of such a high profile job.
The same claims have been made against the DP’s combative
personal assistant Farouk Kibet, as illustrated by an incident
told to The Standard on Sunday by a former influential civil
servant from Nandi County.
“Recently, a former influential DC from Baringo County came
to the DP’s office for a scheduled meeting. It was in the
evening and the DC was all alone in the VIP reception. The
receptionist was waiting to usher him in when Farouk came in
with a person he wanted to take to Ruto, but who was
unwilling to wait. Bossily, he asked the DC what he was doing
there and they soon quarreled. Farouk called the guards and
the old man was thrown out,” said the civil servant.
“The problem with these guys is that they think everyone is
coming to seek handouts from the DP. That DC is an old
gentleman who is well off and I know for sure he was coming
to say hi to the DP and probably offer whatever bit of advice
he has, not ask for favours. How they treat people in that
office has discouraged many of us,” he said.
Generally, the Jubilee government’s relationship with the
media has been acrimonious at best. Both the President and
the DP have repeatedly shown their disdain of the media by
uncharitably claiming that newspapers are for nothing more
than wrapping meat.
However, while the President keeps a robust media team
despite his acerbic statements against it, Ruto’s team is less
active in articulating his policies. Even in the wake of the
latest corruption scandals and the onslaught by political
rebels, there has been little effort by his media team to
manage and repair the public damage.
“His media team is the most docile I have ever seen. This
was the subject of a meeting the DP recently held in his office
with the team,” said our source.
The JAP
The surprise creation of Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP), a party
yet to gain traction and acceptance among supporters in Rift
Valley, confirmed to observers that the President and the DP
place little premium on public dialogue.
The rebellion facing the DP is partly caused by the reluctance
by URP supporters to wind up the party and join JAP ahead of
2017. The intention of creating JAP, according to the party’s
chairman David Murathe, was to make it easier for the DP to
capture the Mt Kenya vote when President Kenyatta retires.
However, the manner in which it was clandestinely set up and
forced on to supporters has fostered doubts in the minds of
the DP’s followers about the sincerity of the move.
Notifying Visitors of Site Enhancements
Need some extra help building your site? Here are some topics that may be helpful.
Just Being Esteemable
You are probably not rich ,but you have this gift of a radiant face and you light up the world when you smile . You are blessed.
You are probably not rich, but you have this beautiful personality . You are charismatic and strong in your interactions with people . Yours is a firm and warm grip as you greet people. You are blessed.
You are probably not rich, but hauna kisran mingi. You don't hit people with your bicycle or mysteriously lose things. You are blessed.
You are probably not rich, but............
Behind the Scenes of My Home Page
