Deputy President William Ruto occupies the second highest office in the land. His words and actions carry a lot of weight. For him, there is simply no room for recklessness or anything that may demean the dignified office he occupies. However, his public statements, which are routinely chorused by his acolytes, are increasingly divisive, threatening and galling.
Saturday, he shockingly made a claim that his life is in danger – that the killers of Sergeant Kipyegon Kenei, who worked in the Deputy President’s office, were actually after his (Mr Ruto’s) life. Accordingly, the fallen security officer was supposedly a mere collateral in a big war that targets none other than Mr Ruto. But, he declared, such plots will not derail his quest, interpreted as ascendancy to the presidency.
He also stated that the “system”, presumably meaning the government or sections of it, had been mobilised to discredit him. These are weighty statements and cannot be taken lightly.
For one, they suggest he knows Kenei’s killers. Second, he also knows those plotting to kill him. To suggest that his life is under threat is chilling. Indeed, that is a threat to the presidency and national security.
By virtue of his position, Mr Ruto sits in the national security council and all other top organs of government. He presides over the administrative structures of government just like the President. Which is why it is baffling when he makes claims that his life is in danger or that the “system” is mobilised against him.
If Mr Ruto knows that his life is in danger, has he reported to his boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta? Has he reported to the Inspector General of Police or other security agents? What is it that he knows but cannot tell the relevant authorities? What does he expect the citizens to do or make of his statements? Is he that helpless? And who are these being referred to as the “system”?
Mr Ruto is not an ordinary citizen like the rest of us. He is the second in command in the republic. He has unfettered access to the Head of State. He has access to instruments of government and power. He knows structures and systems of handling such claims. So, he cannot turn around and feign helplessness or play victim.
The death of Sergeant Kenei has gripped the nation. Narratives around it have been distressing, with a section of investigators initially pushing the theory that the officer had killed himself.
But the Directorate of Criminal Investigation boss, Mr George Kinoti, has since clarified the matters. Mr Kenei was right at the centre of the controversial illegal arms transaction that played out at Mr Ruto’s office last month and masterminded by the disgraced former Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa.
Evidence extracted from security monitors showed Mr Kenei was involved, in one way or the other, in the deal. Thus, he had crucial information that would have helped the investigations. So his death was directly linked to the deal.
Yet, since Mr Kinoti made that information public, Mr Ruto has been on the warpath, using all means at his disposal – social media, political rallies and any available public platform – to chastise the DCI and the investigators.
A Deputy President cannot castigate civil servants in public. That demeans the office and the officers and collectively undermines confidence in governmental institutions. It is counter-intuitive because the DP is at the centre of the very government whose offices he rebukes.
Mr Ruto has publicly declared his interest in the presidency in 2022 and like any other Kenyan, that is a constitutional right he enjoys. And having served as Deputy President, the logical step is to aspire for the big office.
CAMPAIGNS
However, his quest for the presidency is no reason to cause a national crisis. That is a personal pursuit and there is no reason he should create such urgency and make everyone feel that life is coming to an end unless Mr Ruto becomes the next President. When the time comes and subject to how he campaigns, Kenyans will vote for him or any other candidate.
But the citizens should not be railroaded to a Ruto presidency. And for that reason, he should stop this sense of entitlement and endless threats to perceived enemies.
The whistle-start and whistle-stop campaigns he has embarked on with a retinue of praise singers are not helpful to the national cause.
Because of his quest for the presidency, anything that does not emanate from his corner has to be fought.
Mr Ruto holds a critical office. It behoves the holder of such a high office to always comport himself with dignity. He has to measure his words and never make thoughtless statements, display unbridled ambition or make senseless attacks on imaginary enemies, including the media.
He should not use the death of Sergeant Kenei to score political points.
