This is an open letter to H.E. President William Ruto, but also open to my fellow Kenyans.
Dear Sir,
I accord respect to you by virtue of the office you occupy.
So I come in peace.
But beyond the peace that I wish upon you, I come carrying a burden.
Nearly 3 years ago, Kenyans queued to elect your into office.
Whether your promises enticed them or not isn’t the point.
The point is many of us feel disillusioned by your leadership.
For your information, I’m not a GenZ.
I am a 45 year old Kenyan who began my years on earth under the late President Moi’s regime.
We were raised under the ‘baba na mama’ slogan where we shouldn’t complain or raise a finger to leadership because it’s ‘ordained’ by God.
This was at the backdrop of the Nyayo House chambers, the Mwakenya movement crackdown to name but a few.
We saw our parents shrink even at the thought of criticising the government.
Fear was the currency of operation and it worked.
But suddenly things changed in 2002.
We remember artistes like GidiGidi and MajiMaji with their signature ‘you can’t buogo me’ tune.
Well this didn’t just happen overnight.
In the 70s, 80s and 90s, many paid the ultimate price to get us here.
J.M Kariuki, Kenneth Matiba, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Masinde Muliro, George Anyona, Charles Rubia, Koigi wa Wamwere, James Orengo, Martin Shikuku, Mwandawiro Mghanga, Ahmed Bahmariz, Raila Odinga, Davinder Lamba among other stalwarts softened the Moi regime over time.
It wasn’t easy for them because they got the short end of the stick – beaten, persecuted, tortured, detained, and even some killed.
Even church leaders played their rightful role.
We remember Bishop Alexander Kipsang arap Muge, Bishop Henry Okulu, Rev Timothy Njoya, Rev Mutava Musyimi among others.
And when the centre couldn’t hold, Mzee Moi had no option but to repeal section 2A.
Enter multiparty politics and the playing ground was leveled for the likes of Rala Odinga and the late Mwai Kibaki to lead from the front.
My point is, it was a process which paid dividends in due course.
Fast forward to 2007/2008 and Kenya was steeped in a post election crisis you know too well.
Records tell us that about 1500 people lost their lives but the numbers were definitely higher than this.
Nearly 1 million Kenyans were displaced in this mayhem- and some of them haven’t even returned to the farms to date.
But did 07/08 happen out of the blue?
Definitely not..
In 1992, people were evicted from Molo, Elburgon, Njoro and Olenguruone.
In 1997, people were evicted from Likoni and Kwale at the Coast.
Was it a government strategy to relocate them?
I don’t know.
But there were armed militias.
Their goal was to commit acts of ethnic cleansing in the Rift Valley and to leave it ethnically ‘pure’.
Result?
Even priests like Father John Anthony Kaiser weren’t left unscathed.
Of course during the post election violence, we had golden people who went against the tide and did the right thing under difficult circumstances.
Bishop Cornelius Korir comes to mind.
My point is… 2007/08 didn’t just happen.
Waters were being stirred in 92 and 97.
Then the real thing erupted in 07/08.
The process.
Over time, we learnt from our mistakes.
This led us to try to curb future ethnic tensions.
So in 2010, we promulgated a constitution.
One that we believed would change the course of the nation.
It started well.
Counties, IPOA, Controller of Budget, Auditor Generals office, EACC, among other constitutionally established institutions.
However, sooner or later, we started finding ourselves in sort of familiar territory – only that now, it was delocalised and more widespread.
Counties became devolved crime scenes – governors and their surrogates embezzled until they could do it no more.
Institutional offices became lame ducks – many of them could only assume the role of whistle blowers because they cornered crooks but they couldn’t take any action because they were ‘covered’ by the powers that be.
During the term of President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya started to witness cases of abductions and extra judicial killings.
Besides that, mass evictions were also the order of the day.
Yala river bodies, the death of Willy Kimani, evictions in Ruai, deportation and mishandling of Mr Miguna Miguna among other vices.
This was another process which would culminate into an outcome.
But just not yet.
You came into office riding on many promises, among which ending of extra judicial killings was a top priority.
You started your term with many expecting positive change – based on your pronouncements.
But instead, change came through hyper taxation coupled with more mismanagement of public funds.
This came at the backdrop of dwindling employment opportunities which couldn’t absorb graduates.
Besides, quite a number of companies were sent packing due to taxation excesses.
This meant that jobs were hard to come by.
So what about the small businesses?
As you well know, the health of small businesses tells a lot about a healthy economy.
However, draconian approaches by KRA and local county authorities handicapped many small businesses.
Many were forced to shut down.
Diverse dissenting voices started popping up.
Local activists were ardent.
They used available means like social media to give their criticisms.
However, your lieutenants were fast to counter them.
Case in point is Mr Dennis Itumbi who rivals Mohamed Saeed Al Sahaf, Saddam’s former propaganda minister.
He has his online group of paid contractors to counter hashtags ventilating on failures in your regime.
People expected problems to be addressed and not some keyboard warriors surviving on meagre pay to sweep them under the carpet.
Several cases in point that don’t need elaboration:
SHIF/SHA…
Adani…
Housing levy…
Among others.
But when the dissent on social media became too strong, your government resorted to strategy you had learnt all along while serving under President Uhuru.
Mass abductions.
Need I say more?
And to pour salt to injury, your government fronted a venomous finance bill 2024 loaded with all sorts of taxes meant to strangle people.
Your parliamentarians turned a deaf ear to complaints by professionals, industrialists, and common Kenyans.
Kenyans felt ignored.
An army of online commentators made sure to continue to ventilate on social media.
They distilled their views for the masses to understand and connect with.
They became more popular than the paid hirelings under Mr Itumbi’s payroll.
To counter this, your government resorted to mass abductions and murder.
These were meant to curtail growing discontent that seemed to be gathering as we geared towards the passing of the finance bill 2024.
But it didn’t.
You see, now, you were not just dealing with a laid-back and compliant generation.
You were dealing with a generation that were pioneers of free primary education.
Young people who had seen a father figure in the easygoing administration of President Kibaki.
Young people who had seen good economic times while growing up.
Yet now they were the primary recipients of economic malpractices, exvessive debt, and blatant thuggery coated with a false piousness rubberstamped by brown envelope bishops who made frequent state house visits to legitimise your government’s incompetence.
As I said before, a PROCESS always leads to an OUTCOME.
We are still in a process…so you get the drift.
June 25th, 2024, happened.
A new generation made a grand entry into the arena.
They fought for accountability and a working nation.
Many lost their lives.
Despite this, only rhetoric and defiance came from your ranks.
But this just didn’t stop these fiery guys.
They were fuelled with a desire to make their nation work.
Not immigrating to other nations but to get opportunities in their nation, Kenya.
Their online presence was matched with real presence on the ground.
Let me conclude by saying this sir.
I respect you and really wish you well.
I am a product of a generation that respects leaders irrespective of their failures.
But please be assured that this process, engineered by these young people, must have an ultimate outcome.
And the truth is, you can’t stop it.
Not even the under the table cards being played by your newfound ally, Raila Odinga.
Some of these legacy politicians associated with Raila are trying to Balkanize this nation by stating that this movement is about Mount Kenya.
These political scavengers have been hallucinating all along from the time they kept layering Raila with false promises about him becoming president.
Today, their show is top notch and we know where it’s heading.
These are political orphans in the making and can’t stand on their own if Raila is out of the picture.
They stand to lose if a movement for justice and accountability gets a life of it’s own without the man from Bondo.
In short, you are president at such a time as this.
I know you read the bible daily.
So do I.
So picture this:
You see, the biblical Esther seemed reluctant to intervene on behalf of the threatened Israelites.
However, her uncle Mordecai once faced her and told her this:
Esther 4:14 NIV
[14] For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
https://bible.com/bible/111/est.4.14.NIV
Today, President William Kipchirchir Samoei arap Ruto.
I echo the words of Mordecai.
If you remain silent at this time, relief will come for Kenyans from another place.
But who knows that you have come to that palace (statehouse) for such a time as this…
The choice is yours Mr President.
Again, I sign off by wishing you well.
God bless you.
Mr. John Mmbaga
