Rutomania and Rutonomics

 CONGRATULATIONS IN COMING PRESIDENT WILLIAMS RUTO  OF KENYA, 

By Miles B. Sampa 

A fairy tale. He supported Raila before and helped him become Vice President. Then he backed Uhuru Kenyatta in 2012 as running mate and helped him win. He supported him for the second term as runningmate again and had a gentleman agreement that he would take over in 2021.

His Boss then dribbled him and instead endorsed their opponent Raila Odinga hoping that their combined numerically bigger tribes Kikuyu and Luo would trounce Ruto. 

Ruto then spoke to the conscience and heart of ordinary Kenyans especially the youths. His campaigns code named ‘The Hustler’  was launched with him being pushed on a wheelbarrow focusing on economic issues and not tribal lines.

The West (America,  UK et al) supported Raila Odinga and I am speculating here that Russia supported Ruto. 

Raila  (77) and Uhuru (60) went round the campaigns all cocky champions and unleashed their massive social media warriors on Ruto (55) calling him ‘ power hungry’ as if they were not power hungry themselves. Incidentally all politicians are power hungry by the way and that's why they joined the political arena. 

Ruto was focused with his rutonomics of bottom up economics (resources to move from youths or ordinary people to the top rich clans) and not top to bottom flow of resources.

All results counted he beat both Raila and Uhuru in first round knock out amassing 50.4% of the votes compared to 48%.

In 2014, I met Ruto when he visited Zambia on family Christmas season visit to Livingstone. Guy Scott as acting President invited me to join him receive and see him off via the KK airport. Jovial and easy going Kenyan that Ruto turned out to be and we had good laughs. 

The Kenyan dynasty that relied on tribal votes had a shock of their lives. Ruto won in both Uhuru and Raila so called tribal strongholds. Kenyans especially the youths said no to being swayed by tribalism. They looked and voted for a man that gave them economic hope regardless of his tribe or background.

This trend and pattern is emanating in most African countries where now voters are going for individual merit and not party or political names.

Congratulations William Ruto. You are indeed a breath of fresh air in African politics. They will petition you but nothing can ever change the Will of the youths and more so when someone’s time has finally arrived. 

As matter of caution, the same youths that have put you in power, can be very impatient if you don’t actually fulfill your rutonomics of empowering them bottom up. The same wheelbarrow they have used to take you to statehouse, they can use it to lick you up if you fail to deliver. You have 5 years Sir. On your marks...

Together Africa Can

MBS15.08.2022

The opinion expressed is strictly that of the author