Thinking of William Ruto’s presidency two stories come to my mind; the story of the sword of Damocles and that of the axe and the forest.
In the first story, Dionysius II, King of Syracuse had a courtier named Damocles—who flattered the sovereign with compliments of how blissful kingly life must have been. Seeing that Damocles was delighted by the king’s life, Dionysius ordered that his courtier be seated on the throne and treated like a king.
As Damocles was relishing his glorified moments, he noticed that Dionysius had hung, with horsehair, a razor-sharp sword above his head. From that moment, the courtier’s fear for his life made it impossible for him to savour his newfound fortune and he sought to be excused, saying he no longer wished to be so fortunate.
President Ruto rose to power on the promise that he would annihilate what he called the kleptocracy perpetuated by the political dynasties of Kenya.
His campaign slogan 'freedom has come' meant Kenyans would, upon his attainment of power, be free from the shackles of misrule and economic plunder entrenched by a few political elites.
Like the sword of Damocles, the President promised to be the constant reminder to those in power that their positions came with great responsibility and great danger for those who would misuse their power for self-gain at the expense of Kenyans.
His immediate appointment of the judges his predecessor had refused to hire for almost two years, reverting of Naivasha inland port operations to Mombasa and financial empowerment of the National Police Service, were great steps in the right direction. An indication that freedom had finally come.
But, there is the other story; that of the axe and the shrinking forest. Apparently, the trees of the forest were looking for a representative among themselves and the axe offered itself for election, convincing the trees that its handle was one of them. The trees voted for the axe and the forest kept shrinking.
The hoi polloi voted for Ruto en masse because, like many of them, he is a son of a peasant who has risen to the top through sheer wit and grit, sweat and blood and the mercies of God.
For a long time in Kenya, the law has been like a cobweb; catching insects – weak and lowly – and getting trampled by high and mighty. With the election of Dr Ruto, the hustlers felt that it would be time for the high and mighty to be subjected to the wrath of the law for their economic crimes and historical injustices.
The Bottom-up sloganeering signalled economic redemption for the hoi polloi; increased government expenditure channelled towards them to boost their income, buying power and improve their lifestyles as well as widening the tax base.
However, Ruto’s appointment to the Cabinet of politicians fighting trials of serious crimes in the courts of law and the unexplained withdrawal of such cases of four of his close allies by the DPP has left many Kenyans with doubts about the President’s commitment to slay the almost insurmountable dragon of corruption.
During campaigns, Ruto promised that the hustler fund would attract zero interest. Now, the President says the fund will be dispensed at an interest that is less than 10 per cent. His promise to lower the prices of maize flour and fuel was not honoured. This moving of goalposts leaves the hustlers with dashed hopes of a better future and casts more doubt on his commitment to keep his promises to them.
President Ruto is undoubtedly a great politician and I doubt he wants the reputation of Alexander VI, of whom Nicollo Machiavelli writes, “There was never a man better at making assurances, or more eager to offer solemn promises, or who kept them less.”
Being the religious man he is, the President is well aware of King Solomon’s warning in Proverbs 25:19; 'Putting trust in an unreliable person in the times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot'.
A leader’s word is his bond and must be kept in good and difficult times. This inspires confidence and trust in the leader. He must not burden the hustlers with regret of the realisation that they aided their own undoing by trusting an unreliable leader.
Public administration and policy analyst @S_kimanimwangi
