Opinion by Elvis Kosgei
With all the power William Ruto has in his hands or wields in this country, just imagine he has not invented anything worthy of being recorded in Kenya’s books or world history! Yesterday while speaking on citizen Tv, William Ruto tried all he could to appear good yet from an independent STANDPOINT William Ruto is really not what he claims to be.
William Ruto believes in polarity motivational politics and throughout his political cycle he has promoted a polarity based narrative. He knows how to cut a clear divide between you and me, the haves and the haves not. This nature of politics is raw and condescending. On one hand he wants to strike a posture of a good guy but since he was given the responsibility as deputy president, William Ruto has played his politics according to his book of good and bad, right and wrong rules.
According to undertones from his statements on Citizen TV last night, William Ruto blamed his boss, blamed everything, and tried hard to absolve himself from the blame and the mess the country finds itself in. He rehearsed to look cool, warm, and neutral, to talk of grand plans, grand projects, grand visions, foundations, and monumental projects, but in the midst of it, Dr. William Ruto failed to take responsibility for poor leadership and mushrooming public debt.
It was evident from a psychological STANDPOINT, William Ruto is a man under siege, there was a big disconnect between his thoughts and his body. Though his conscious mind was saying one thing for public consumption, his body was not feeling it or project the same thing. The resistance that was coming from his body composure was so big and glaring and it was impossible for the cameras to hide.
Watching the entire engagement with Linus, Wiliam Ruto projected a subtle fear for his future, he is not certain whether he will win the next general election or not. He resorted to soft propaganda, using glittering generalities when he claimed that in private men and women of importance in this country are all moving towards his Axis. If you have followed Ruto’s politics, one will forgive him for saying that he does meeting with these people in private. William Ruto loves publicity. He loves cameras and flash. How could he catch a big fish and fail to parade it to the public? Claiming EACC, KRA, and DCI will come for them was an understatement.
William Ruto is out of touch with reality. He really doesn’t understand challenges ordinary folks are living through. He has converted the plight of ordinary folks into his tool of campaign. Today in Kenya, William Ruto counts as a billionaire but he wants to blind sight hopeless mama mboga that he is one of them. He only wants to underscore the struggle while sitting in leafy ends but if you give him a single day to carry the burden the ordinary folks are living through, William Ruto will not enjoy the pain.
Bottom line, William Ruto is deceitful, boastful, and self-centered. Yesterday he projected his personal interests and promoted his personal agenda above anything else. He failed to explain why Kenya has the biggest debt in the world, he failed to give clear mitigation plans as to how he will deal with the debt when he assumes power. His solution is Raila to be on the ballot. He really wants Raila Odinga on the ballot so that he can beat him easily and ascend to power easily. He fears a challenge from a candidate he doesn’t understand or predict the outcome. William Ruto knows, with Raila on the ballot, he will easily sail to the statehouse.
As a deputy president for the last 8 years, William Ruto has not elevated millions of Kenyans out of poverty, he has carried handout propaganda in the disguise of empowerment. Today there are no statistical numbers of the people he has empowered or lifted out of poverty, he has taken care of himself first before taking care of the people he purports to lead. The million of poor folks who have filled his rallies is an eyesore. While he has arrived in flashy high-end fuel guzzlers and choppers, the people he is promising heaven on earth have arrived on foot and even gone home to sleep hungry. He has mastered the art of double speak. Will Willy become your next president?
