SOCIETY TALK: Bleak year as Ruto tops global ranking
Dubious honour comes as Western allies are ousted
16d agoNABILA HATIMYSociety
People not only watch Trump in real time because of his unpredictability, his vulgarity and his ability to dig a hole, bury himself and somehow emerge victorious. But also because of the highly controversial presidency.
Who will attend, who will not? What will the other presidents do? Of course the critics and the comedians were hanging on to every word and every camera angle as the man who makes up 90 per cent of their content returned as the most powerful head of state.
A lot of things happened on the night of the swearing in. Amid awkward salutes and speeches of sovereign infringement was the billion-dollar question: What were the country's top billionaires doing at Trump’s inauguration?
Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Shou Zi Chew of TikTok, Sundar Pichai of Google and Elon Musk were among the billionaires in the room. It is also noteworthy that these guys belong on the Forbes Top 10 richest people on the planet. Not only did they attend but they were seated together. It is no secret that Elon Musk was the force behind Trump’s campaign and re-election. The tech billionaire, who owns the social media platform X, also enjoys multiple government tenders for his outer space exploration with his company SpaceX. Musk is currently the richest man in the world.
It has become apparent that these guys are joining forces with the new government for their own agendas. For example, Chew had a terrible time with the American Senate last year before they decided to ban Tiktok in America. Chew said in a video that he has spoken to Trump about lifting the ban and allowing TikTok to continue being used in America. Zuckerberg had previously faced several sanctions from the Senate as well.
The correlation between the deep state and politicians has never been a secret. We have always known that the rich control the political sphere. They use money, influence and power to put leaders who serve their interests behind the scenes. In recent times, however, the deep state is becoming more visible and audible. Not only do we see these guys openly supporting politicians and controling the voters, we also hear their blatant opinions and objectives once their candidate of choice enters office.
Often, you will find heads of states committing serious transgressions against their laws and constitutions in the name of appeasing their financial backers.
Just before Trump's inauguration, I was scrolling X mindlessly when I came across a thread of a person who had linked President William Ruto and the Mombasa tycoon Imran Khoslla. Some time in December, the wedding of Khoslla's son went viral over social media and all media outlets in Kenya as a result of its extravagance and opulence.
The wedding convoy was made up of luxury cars that one never sees in the streets of Kenya. The President and the Mombasa governor were among the politicians in attendance, and the cherry on top was the confirmation that the tycoon had paid Tanzanian musician Diamond Platnumz a whopping $1 million (Sh129 million) for a 10-minute appearance.
Let's put all aside for the time being and discuss how a sitting President attended the wedding of a businessman’s son in a different city wearing traditional garb. The said businessman maintains such a low profile in Mombasa that it was the first time for many to hear of him.
Personally, I felt a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment on Ruto's behalf. It was clear as day that his attendance was a result of the strings on his back being pulled by the deep pockets that control a third of the country's economy.
The Kenyan deep state has always been a secret. The secret millionaires with their government tenders, shares and undocumented wealth have always been the makers of the politicians. They have always stayed in the dark by avoiding having the spotlight on them. Smart as they know Kenyans are quick to point out any questionable affairs.
Recent events have proven that the deep state is now far hungrier. Not only do they want to be popularised by their wealth, they also want to be known for their political influence.
