Stop attacking Uhuru for failing to congratulate President-elect
The outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta. Photo | Courtesy
By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- You can understand where Dr Ruto is coming from. He knows Uhuru is human being just like him, you and me. So, he feels it when things fail to go his way.
- But this would not make some of the diehard supporters of Ruto to cede the hard line stances. The presidency symbolizes peace and unity of our country.
- So, for them, the outgoing President appeared not to believe in these virtues. This is because apart from failing to congratulate the President-elect, he reiterated. I will pass the baton of power to the winner but Baba, Raila Odinga, is my leader going forward.
The outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta has in the recent days come under a barrage of attacks because of failing to congratulate President-elect William Samoei Ruto.
While attributing this to his ‘uncontrollable anger’, the diehard supporters of Dr Ruto would tell him. We know the President-elect was not your choice and during the campaigns you openly campaigned for your favorite candidate Raila Amolo Odinga. We however rejected your candidate at the ballot.
Hon Raila and his running mate Martha Karua did not believe they have lost and that is why they filed a petition at Supreme Court. Again, the judges of the highest court in the land dismissed their case and upheld Ruto’s win.
For Ruto, his position on this matter has remained clear. We know the President was not supporting me. So, maybe he was a bit disillusioned after I defeated his candidate. But this is the nature of politics.
In same breath, he would praise the outgoing President for promising a peaceful transition. He has said several times that he would undertake his constitutional duty of handing over the instruments of power to me.
You can understand where Dr Ruto is coming from. He knows Uhuru is human being just like him, you and me. So, he feels it when things fail to go his way.
But this would not make some of the diehard supporters of Ruto to cede the hard line stances. The presidency symbolizes peace and unity of our country.
So, for them, the outgoing President appeared not to believe in these virtues. This is because apart from failing to congratulate the President-elect, he reiterated. I will pass the baton of power to the winner but Baba, Raila Odinga, is my leader going forward.
I want to say this. There is no law compelling the outgoing President to congratulate the incoming president by mentioning his name. You can only do it on your volition.
Again, since Ruto was declared the winner by the IEBC, the country has remained peaceful. So, the concerns raised by Ruto allies do not hold any water.
It should be noted Uhuru’s status will change after handing over power. As a citizen of this country, he will be free to exercise freedoms bestowed on him by the 2010 constitution and other laws of Kenya.
I have heard his critics telling him to go to his rural home, Ichaweri, in Gatundu and take a rest there. We want Uhuru to emulate his predecessors-Presidents Daniel Arap Moi and Mwai Kibaki-who quit politics after retiring.
Could this be borne out of fear? If I borrow the words of Cotu boss Francis Atwoli, Uhuru is still young and vibrant. So if he is not handled properly, he was capable of giving the new government a lot of trouble if it fails to meet public expectations.
Well, Uhuru is free to move straight to the opposition if he so wished. It is not right to say this would amount to demeaning and downgrading his status. The opposition is an alternative government and it plays a critical role of ensuring the government in power adheres to the norms and values of checks and balances.
Sometimes back, the outgoing US President Donald Trump snubbed the inauguration ceremony of the incoming president Joe Biden. This however did not stop the swearing-in because the US constitution allowed the ceremony to take place in his presence or not.
I don’t know whether the same case applies to the Kenyan constitution. We are not however worried because our President will personally pass the baton to President-elect William Ruto. This shows that he is a statesman and peace-loving Kenyan. As a retired President, I wish him well and God’s grace.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a Political Analyst based in Nairobi
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