Deposed Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is caught between ‘Duck’ and ‘Hen’ strategies of responding to aggression.
The ‘Truthful Man’ knows neither one of these ways, on its own, will score decisive political mileage against the target.
The effects of the blend of the two strategies is showing, and may explode between now and New Year.
When it does, the ruling United Democratic Alliance party will regret defying vibes from the Mountain.
The tale of the riotous hen and the sulking, silent duck, in the face of aggression, is illustrated in Abagusii folklore. Hens and ducks respond differently when eagles and other predators invade.
The mother hen squeaks to curse the meddlesome eagle. It will even fly as if launching a counterattack against the sharp-clawed predator. Ducks don’t fight back when eagles seize their ducklings.
Ducks observe a silent sulk, like mourning the death of the unlucky ducklings. The duck’s silence worries the predator, while mother hen’s riotous reaction frees the eagle from guilt.
Mother hen’s revenge is immediate. The duck’s usual silence in the face of aggression inspires guilt in the eagle. The Abagusii folklore explains why eagles prefer to raid quarrelsome hens for chicks, while cautious with silent ducks.
Gachagua, a former Mathira MP, reminds his former ally that he warned him not to antagonise the Mountain. There are likely to be many ways of dealing with his prediction.
The assault on the former DP at a funeral in Limuru last week is a reaction the impeached leader should expect so long as he continues to play mother hen. His enemy is not only the President he promises political end-times. He also has to contend with Central Kenya MPs who supported his lynch.
The MPs will fight back before they lose their parliamentary seats to allies of the former DP. Hen strategy exposes Gachagua to goons, now that he is vulnerable.
Hens are coming home to roost. They come in different forms. The uproarious welcome Gachagua got, in the presence of the president, during a religious function in Embu last month, was a signal of the future.
Gachagua’s choice of seat, sequestered between Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, and Murang’a Woman Representative Betty Maina affirmed the real time narrative of the ‘persecution’ of the kingpin of central Kenya.
DP Kithure Kindiki, who is yet to settle, sat where Gachagua used to be two months ago. He was wearing a crown that is yet to fit. The rejection of Kindiki’s condolence message to the family of a member of the Murang’a county assembly, showed the community is yet to embrace the man from Tharaka Nithi County as Gachagua’s successor.
The nostalgic welcome for former President Uhuru Kenyatta during the function, at Embu University, was one of regret. The audience was saying, ‘We wished we acted on your counsel ‘Mwana Wa Ngina.’
Days after his impeachment, Gachagua promised to give President William Ruto time to deliver on the UDA promises to the Mountain. It appeared he would not want to be blamed in 2027 for the failure to complete, say the Mau Mau Road.
But, again, the former DP fears playing duckish may be mistaken for acceptance of his eviction. Silence in the face of aggression also mean the Mountain may forget, or forgive, the rejection of their son. Their son supported the President with ‘hali na mali’ during the 2022 general election.
Playing hen and duck, at the same time, will keep the betrayal of ‘our son’ and the sense of victimhood in the minds of the electorate, while they await Gachagua’s political direction.
The former DP’s promise of a UDA-shaking movement by New Year is a situation to watch.
Meanwhile, the Mountain is boiling, according by the evidence of the incidents in Murang’a, Kiambu and Embu counties.
The people are promising to reject a government they sponsored to power. They feel betrayed. They feel insulted. They are emotional and will be decisive in their spurn of the Kenya Kwanza government.
The anger in the Mountain has boiled over. Anyone who cares to see and hear the sounds and sights from central Kenya, can feel the rage on not only the learners but the community.
“The community has already embraced this project. We are ready and willing to try the same in our homesteads and farms,” he said.
