It is the turn of the Kalenjin ethnic group to ‘eat,’ contends Okello Oculi

William Ruto’s disputed victory in Kenya’s presidential election (of 8^th August, 2022), rests on Jomo Kenyatta’s plan to create an aristocracy and his betrayal of the MAU- MAU war for retrieving land grabbed by British invaders. It also rests on Oginga Odinga’s angry declaration that Kenyatta’s rule was ‘’NOT YET UHURU’’ for land-hungry Kenyans.

Cynical British officials falsely accused Kenyatta of leading MAU- MAU warriors and threw a halo over him with detention in KAPENGURIA in far-away northern Kenya. As British troops massacred, raped, and buried alive Kikuyu communities accused of supporting the war, Kenyatta was sipping Whisky in political isolation. British propaganda vigorously painted him globally as an African warrior for freedom from colonial exploitation.

Oginga Odinga fell for the falsehood and campaigned resolutely for Kenyatta’s release from detention as the symbol of independence. He rejected the Governor’s offer of becoming Kenya’s Prime Minister; failing to heed the Governor’s warning that ‘’YOU WILL LIVE TO REGRET your decision’’.

Kenyatta struck a deal with colonial officials. In a speech to ‘’White Settlers’’ in Nakuru, he proclaimed the doctrine of ‘’SUFFERING WITHOUT BITTERNESS’’. He regarded veterans of MAU MAU as vermin to be left landless and impoverished.

When in 1965 China’s Foreign Minister, Chou en Lai visited Kenya and declared that ”Kenya IS ready for REVOLUTION”, Kenyatta dismissed ‘’socialist’’ Oginga Odinga from Vice Presidency: considering him as an ally of Communist China and the Soviet Union. In 1966 when it was clear that disillusioned Kikuyu voters would support Odinga’s party was banned and Kenya legally became a ‘’One Party State’’.

Kenyatta replaced Odinga with Daniel arap Moi, a Kalenjin ethnic political leader. Their land was grabbed by British invaders. He was also in charge of Police and Prisons forces. Under his gaze Tom Mboya, a brilliant and charismatic Luo Secretary General of the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU); and J.M. Kariuki, a personal Secretary to Kenyatta, were assassinated because of being widely considered as potential successors to an ageing Kenyatta.

When Kenyatta died in office in 1978, Moi had not only weeded out potential contenders for power, but also tutored William Ruto into the art of Kalenjin ethnic control of power and its use for acquiring property and wealth.

Jomo Kenyatta had distributed land in the Rift Valley region to cooperatives by Kikuyu immigrants. The Kalenjin resented this as a case of ‘’Black Colonialism’’ replacing British land grabbers. Following the 2007/2008 post-election violence, William Ruto was accused of directing angry Kalenjin mobs to slaughter Kikuyu farmers; burnt their homes and crops ready for harvest. In so doing, he was fired by Oginga Odinga’s combative slogan of ‘’NOT YET UHURU’’.

Raila Odinga led a campaign to ‘’RESTRUCTURE’’ the monopoly of power within Kenyatta’s presidency and the tool for corruption by a troika of Kikuyu, Embu and Meru elites. William Ruto came under his umbrella: the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). In 2010 President Mwai Kibaki joined with ODM to pass into law the crowning of that ‘’restructuring’’ reform drive into a new Constitution. Raila had, thereby, answered the call to arms by his father’s shout of ‘’NOT YET UHURU’’.

The 2022 election of Governors of 47 Countries manifested the plan in the 2010 Constitution to ensure balance of representation in Parliament. In KIAMBU County, for example, Kimani Wamaitangi received 348,371 votes to beat Wanaina Wa Jungle who received 237,361 votes. In contrast, LAMU County had Issa Abdullah Timamy win 24,198 votes, to beat Fahim Yasin Twaha who won a 16,054 votes. In Kisumu County, Peter Anyang Nyong’o received 319,957 votes against his opponent’s 100,600 votes. As a contrast, in WAJIR County, Ahmed Abdullahi Jiir won 35,533 against the incumbent Mohamed Abdi Muhamud winning a modest 521 votes.

President Mwai Kibaki, a descendant of the MAU-MAU war, would respond to Oginga Odinga’s wrath by favouring economic development on alliance with China. In courting Euro-American backing for his election campaign, Ruto openly attacked Chinese economic presence in Kenya. It was instructive that ‘’AFRICANEWS’’ – an affiliate of ‘’EURONEWS’’- reported only William Ruto’s election campaign news. VOA, on its part, reported that the American Government had warned its citizens to stay away from Kisumu, Raila Odinga’s home base. It was unlikely that President Barack Obama would cast an ethnic vote. A top military general had promised the American Senate a resolve to chase China out of Africa.

Ruto lamented attending school on bare feet. He begged not to be judged harshly for following the familiar dictum that ‘’IT OUR TURN TO EAT’’. He did not mention that Mwalimu Julius Nyerere of Tanzania went from walking on bare feet to living an ascetic family life. He retired to a house built by the Army’s Engineering Corp as a gift despite his protests.