Maurice Odhiambo: Why Eldoret North MP is not fit to be president

WHY ELDORET NORTH MP IS NOT FIT TO BE PRESIDENT

Not every politician who uses democracy to get elected is a democrat. Many deeply anti-democratic politicians have abused democracy to get to the top. Such wolves in sheep’s clothing are deeply entrenched in Kenya’s political elite.

When Kanu was the sole political party, they were menacing sycophants. They denounced human rights groups as treasonous and called democracy a foreign ideology.

To them multipartism was un-African. They are opportunists who never miss an opportunity. Many are flying high harvesting the bounty of the freedom for which their victims fought. None of these converts to democracy is amazing than Eldoret north member of parliament William Ruto.

The genius of Christian faith is salvation. That is why many people believe that even those with the darkest of hearts can be redeemed. In secular logic, people are dynamic and can be transformed.

That’s why it’s difficult to irrevocably condemn someone, lock them up, and throw away the key. Not unless they are the worst of the worst. The human proclivity is to give the sinner and offender a second chance.

In my view Mr. Ruto and other anti-reform “graduates” of the Kanu regime must stay on the road to Damascus. But again we have a large body of evidence that Mr. Ruto has been unable to find the road to Damascus. That’s because he hasn’t wanted to find it.

Let my jog your mind on Mr. Rutos exploits in Kanu under president Moi which is not debatable. Ruto was Kanu’s blue eyed boy and this came when he was the organizing secretary for the notorious youth for Kanu 92 which was accused of ethnic violence against the kikuyu and other opposition groups in rift valley ahead of 1992 elections.

In 1997 Mr. Ruto was elected Eldoret north MP. His career then had a meteoric rise. At the young age of 31, he was appointed assistant minister in the office of the president. In 2002, elected Kanu’s director of elections and in quick succession Moi appointed him minister for home affairs and elected Kanu secretary general in 2002. He had a visceral hatred and disdain for reformers and human rights activists.

I will forever remember Ruto as a rabid Kanu defender even as the party disintegrated after 2002 polls. Ruto is no one’s dummy, he knew Kanu was dead and that Moi his former master was history. He then teamed up with Mr. Odinga to ‘bury’ Moi.

That’s how Ruto slew the former head of state and blew his towering legacy. Such a destructive man does not fit the bill to be president of this country in the new dispensation. I believe he is in the same mode of people like Hitler if given power can destroy a country. He must be stopped.

Mr. Ruto led the Reds, a coalition of churches and politicians, against the new constitution. He opposed accountability for the post election violence and has bitterly attacked the Kenya national human rights commission and international criminal court over his alleged role in post election violence.

Eldoret north MP should not at any moment be allowed to dine with reformers because he does not fit the bill to be president of this great nation.

 Maurice Odhiambo.

The writer is a young ambassador for world peace under United Nation

And youth federation for world peace.

Email:morriskings@gmail.com