Kenya will be built and defended by the people of Kenya. No foreign entity will save us. It is therefore very ridiculous when former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua speaks about Kenya in the United States (US) in a manner that fundamentally undermines our sovereignty. As Kenyans, we might have frustrations with William Ruto, not as an individual but as the Commander-in-Chief.
We might yell and do all manner of things to express our displeasure with the President but we do so knowing that this is borne out of our collective desire for a better country. But to go and discuss the President in the US, like a snitch reporting colleague to a master, is juvenile at best.
Mr Gachagua’s experience as the second-in-command, even though short-lived should have taught him that the collective interest of a country supersedes any individual ambition or grievance. If anything, he cannot be an option even if Dr Ruto were to go.
If anyone has observed keenly, Gachagua has tried, hopelessly to fashion himself as a Raila. But he lacks every positive trait that made Raila, a darling of so many for so long. One, he fundamentally lacks in national unity credentials that, so many Kenyans will remember Raila for.
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If you remember the days of the Grand Coalition, you can remember that there was a stand-alone ministry to speed up the development of the marginalised Northern Kenya. Yes, that was one of those instances when political brilliance was matched with opportunity. When Gachagua came into office, what he is remembered for his now disgraceful shareholding remarks.
In a country whose politics is still organised around patronage, we hold him politically responsible for the Kenyatta family farm raid of 2023. As a member of national security infrastructure, what did he do avert the criminal raid?
A young Kenyan in the US recently confronted him over his overly ethnic rhetoric. In that moment, the whole world told the DP, that we see and hear what he was saying. While we are hungry for change, that Gen Z told him in the most eloquent way that that he is yet to internalise the change that we are seeking.
A wide chasm might be developing daily between the people and the Kenya Kwanza administration but that is not a ticket for anyone of us to subject us collectively to shame on the world stage. We are not a colony of any country. We are a sovereign state. We can only ask for international help in shedding a spotlight on human rights violations here.
We are not looking for a saviour outside of our borders. We will emerge as a proud country in the community of nations. That will not happen by acting like a collaborating native telling on other natives. As we seek change, we must comprehensively examine what that change constitutes. One of the things we must reject is coloniality of power.
One wonders, during his long tour of duty around power, what has Gachagua done to ensure that Kenya is respected so that in the next 50 years, politicians from other parts of the world would come to Nairobi to complain about the misdeeds of their colleagues?
Americans, out of enlightened self-interest built Europe after World War 2 and that propelled it to the super power status. China is today a global player and has joined 65 economies to its economy through the Belt and Road Initiative. What blue print has the former DP helped to develop that would ensure Kenya is a global player in the emerging multi-polar world? Mr Gachagua is out of order.
Mr Kidi is the convener of Inter-Parties Youth Forum. [email protected]
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By Kidi Mwaga