THE RISE AND FALL OF WILLIAM RUTO:
By Kiberenge Jnr
There is this saying that “lightening strikes the tallest object in it’s path”. In my political perspective, the SYSTEM destroys those it has made to rise too high..The Okonkwo, character in Things Fall Apart, Kenneth Matiba and William Ruto have one thing in common – RISING TOO FAST AND FALLING TOO FAST. The SYSTEMS that made them destroyed them as well. In politics if you have been created by the SYSTEM, you owe your political life to it. Not only your political life alone, you also owe them anything you own.
Let me draw similarities between the characters I have singled out above. Okonkwo was a man well known in the nine villages of Umuofia and beyond. He had wrestled Amalinze the cat and for that he was revoured and became too famous. He owned large tracts of yams. In Umuofia a man was considered wealthy by the amount of yams he owned and the number of wives. He had washed his hands and could eat with the Kings on the same table. Okonkwo made one big blunder. He thought that by eating with the Kings on the same table he could also become a King. He ended up hanging himself.
Matiba’s and Ruto’s lives read exactly like Okonkwo’s script in Things Fall Apart. Matiba was made a Permanent Secretary by Jomo Kenyatta at a tender age of 29. He was the youngest Permanent Secretary. Jomo really loved him. The boy was smart and creative. He was the most powerful permanent secretary with unlimited access to statehouse, powerful than some cabinet Ministers. He had Jomo’s eyes and ears. Matiba used his creativity, power and influence to amass wealth and build an empire for himself. He had vast interests in the hospitality industry, banking, education, insurance among others. He was one of the biggest shareholders of the then Kenya Breweries. It is said that at one time his networth was Ksh600b. He had washed his hands and could eat with the Kings on the same table. He wrote his Political orbituary when declared his interest in the Presidency. He had every thing and what he needed was power to protect his empire. He forgot that he owed his political life and resources to the SYSTEM. There is an unwritten law- that you cannot use their money to fight them. Either Matiba was ignorant to this, or he simply chose to dare them.
The scheme to dismantle him politically and economically was mooted. First, his detention was very fatal. It almost cost him his life.Whatever happened to him behind the high perimeter walls of Kamiti will always remain a mystery.Anyway he came back from a London hospital a completely different man. The political bit had been executed successfully. The next phase was to dismantle his vast empire. His luxurious beach hotels and schools evaporated in thin air. Everything he owned disappeared, just like that. He spend the last bit of his life in court corridors , trying to salvage the little that was left. The rest about him is history. He had dared them using their money. Raila has never had their money that is why it is never possible to finish him. He doesn’t owe them anything.
William Ruto’s first occupation after graduation was appointment on the YK92 Leadership in 1992. YK92 was a lethal grouping of youthful leaders that was formed to make sure that Moi retained the Presidency in the first multiparty election against a formidable opposition that was threatening to end his reign. Their terms of engagement were clear – Moi should retain the Presidency by hook or crook. They had unlimited access to public coffers in order to execute their mandate. Their activities brought the Kenya economy on its knees. From that point Moi had made William Ruto. The sky was to be the limit for him. Later on, he floored Moi’s man for the Eldoret North Parliamentary seat. Moi appointed him an Assistant Minister. He was a powerful Assistant Minister- the only Assistant Minister who was allowed to attend cabinet meetings. He rose and rose very fast.
In 2007, Ruto did a short stint off the SYSTEM to support Raila in 2007. The ground in Rift Valley had already tilted towards Raila, so he had to dump Kalonzo and toe the line. Later on the SYSTEM had to reward him handsomely by making him Uhuru’s running mate. Uhuru delegated to him sufficient power, and he used it to the maximum to amass wealth. He dipped his hands in every pot and in five years he had build a vast empire.Simply put it, he made in five years what the Kenyattas made in 50 years. A palatial home whose worth is said to be 1.2 b stands out as a monument of his vast empire, complete with an airstrip and surrounded by shanties. The only problem is that he took seriously a podium joke of “yangu kumi yako kumi”. No sooner had Uhuru took oath for his second term, the SYSTEM seriously embarked on an elaborate scheme to dismantle him. And the dismantling is proceeding with massive success, so to speak. He had washed his hands so he could eat with the Kings on the same table. By eating with the Kings on the same table, he thought he could also become a King. Lee Njiru, who was Moi’s long serving Press Secretary while appearing on a TV interview (JKLive) said “Today , there are people in this country who think that being close to the Presidency makes them to be part of the Presidency”.
Lightening strikes the tallest objects in it’s path.
Source: KENYAGIST.COM