Maraga is right, Kenya is at ‘the critical juncture’

I sat in former Chief Justice David Maraga’s meeting a couple of weeks ago. Well, the man is nobody’s orator. He’s not charismatic. You can say he is rather plain. Even uninspiring. Too ordinary, you could say. A simple Omogusi man. His message is equally uncomplicated. But he’s a guy on a mission. One would say a mission too big for him, much less so anyone else: To Reset. To Restore. To Rebuild Kenya.

I loved listening to the CJ Emeritus. The crux of his presentation was that Kenya had reached “The critical juncture” in our history.

Now, a “critical juncture” is what you would ordinarily call “ a turning point”, “a watershed moment”, a major life event in the existence of a country, an organisation or an individual. A mathematician would refer to such a moment as an inflection point.

Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

A critical juncture is a moment when the trajectory of a system or entity is redirected, and the future is no longer a simple continuation of the past, the outcome is not predetermined. There are multiple possible paths, and the choices made during this period always have lasting consequences. The decisions and actions taken during a critical juncture have a disproportionately large impact on future developments, shaping the long-term direction. The outcomes are often path-dependent, meaning that the choices made during the juncture create a specific trajectory that is difficult to change later on.

Such a moment leads to a total shake-up of existing power structures, leading to radical social-polito-economic change.

Kenya is at such a moment, I dare say.

During the State of Emergency, while we were a colony of the then Great Britain, rumours of possible self-rule and later, full independence were earth-shaking news. It was probably unimaginable that the colonial government could hand over power to Africans. Suppressed news of other African countries having gained independence sounded too good to be true. The build-up to Kenya’s independence was a critical juncture in the country, the first, of …… such junctures.

The second was the 1982 abortive military coup. President Daniel arap Moi seized the moment to redefine the country’s political direction. For the duration of the remainder of his rule, Moi took no prisoners. He dealt with dissent with an iron fist, literally and figuratively.

In 1990, Kenyans violently demanded multi-party democracy. Mr Moi grudgingly yielded and for the first time since 1969, parties other than Kanu were registered and fielded candidates to compete in the 1992 General Election. This was the third. Of course Moi won the election with a minority vote, thanks to a divided opposition. We had to wait another 10 years-2002, before Kanu was spectacularly vanquished by a united opposition under the National Rainbow Coalition. Kenyans handed Mwai Kibaki a blank cheque. It was a euphoric moment. This was the fourth “critical juncture”.

The 10 years of the Kibaki administration were as eventful as they were defining. The fifth critical juncture happened during the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. Methinks Kibaki could have done way better with the massive goodwill he enjoyed. Then the UhuRuto duo took us through 10 sleepy years laced with grand larceny and large-scale corruption.

Then, BANG! Ruto happened.

When Moi stepped forward in 1978, he presented the image of a God-fearing man. He never missed church. The African Inland Church almost became the national denomination. He sang hymns with moving solemnity. I say nothing about his 24 years at State House.

I don’t know any president who ever attracted as much negative debate and hullabaloo as Dr William Samoei Ruto, PhD. I am yet to see, hear about or even read about a president who successfully united his countrymen against himself in the second year of their reign.

While Moi was a religious man, Ruto spoke in tongues. As Moi carried the Holy Bible to Church, Ruto formed a State House Prayer Ministry. As Moi worshipped at AIC Milimani on Sunday, Ruto built a church at State House using his hard-earned cash. While Moi kept the company of religious men, Ruto has a resident bishop.

Recently Ruto told us that he is an abstraction (a fusion) of all our past four presidents – Jomo’s courage, Moi’s wisdom, Kibaki’s education and Uhuru’s Plan. It is true he abstracts each of them but what he abstracts are not these romantic qualities. If mega corruption happened during previous administrations, this one is on industrial scale. If incompetence were a person, Kenyans know where he lives and what he does for a living.

There is probably nobody on earth with as many colourful monikers. As soon as he arrived at State House with speed, his tax excesses earned him the moniker “Zakayo”. When his campaign promises fell flat, Kenyans decided he is “Jamaa wa kutenga”. They later thought he was Kaongo. When it got better, they agreed that his behaviour was akin to the legendary Kasongo of Super Mazembe Orchestra who abandoned his family in Eastleigh and went roaming the town, having fun. So he became Kasongo. Then El Chappo. Then Arap something. And Mambo ni matatu, most of which he has embraced. Except the now trending “Wantam”.

Back to the Maraga meeting. He made reference to the treatise Why Nations Fail: the origins of power, prosperity and poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson wherein the authors deal with concept of “Critical Juncture”. As a nation, we are at that critical juncture where something big is about to happen. A big-bang moment. We cannot afford this regime. This administration has presented the perfect opportunity. This (2027) is a God-sent moment that comes once in a long time.

Without appearing to hold brief for Maraga, my people have a saying; “He whom you despise, shares the bed with your mother”.

We are at the Critical Juncture. Seize it or lose it. Great speeches wachia Ruto. 

Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp