By Anderson Ojwang
After 38 years, dark clouds of the curse in the office of vice presidency is back once again, hanging and fast descending into the mountain and threatening to consume its leadership.
The thick, dark political clouds have engulfed the mountain with tremors threatening to rupture anytime, while sparks of thunderstorms sweep through the once sleepy and united East and West villages of Mumbi’s house.
After nearly four decades, of good tidings, sitting on the country’s white house in the Mountain, the House of Mumbi now has to contend with the curse that fell their son in 1988.
The axe of curse first fell the Mountain, when their son the late Dr. Josephat Karanja was hounded out of the office with impeachment and offered to resign and was subsequently relegated to political obituary.
Interestingly, Karanja was appointed to the seat to replace another mountaineer, the late Mwai Kibaki who later became the country’s third president in the 2022 elections.
But today, the country’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is under siege and faces the curse of the office and could easily step into Karanja’s footsteps if all factors remain constant.
Rigathi, the Truthful Man may soon have to come face to face with his political destiny and historical moments replaying itself.
Rigathi is currently watching history replay itself and threaten to forestall his politics just like it did to Karanja.
Rigathi just like the country’s fifth vice president the late Karanja who served for two years under former President Daniel Moi, is a man under siege.
While Rigathi is the country’s ninth deputy president, his boss President William Ruto is the fifth president of Kenya, what a historical coincidence.
Similarly, President Moi, from the Valley was the president when Karanja from the Mountain was hounded out of the office and subsequently resigned, and today history could be replaying President William Ruto is from the Valley and his deputy from the Mountain.
Karanja too was felled by his own sword, opting to resign as the vice president serving between 1988 and 1989 rather than be dragged through political muck. He was accused of behaving like a demi-god by the late Kuria Kanyingi, a lowly motor vehicle inspector.
Then the cantankerous Embakasi MP, David Mwenje, assigned himself the role of bringing down the bespectacled giant. He named Karanja in Parliament, leading to the formation of a commission of inquiry to hear how Karanja had misused his powers.
Last Weekend former UDA secretary General Cleophas Malala claimed the impeachment motion against Rigathi was to be introduced by ODM MPs and cautioned the president from falling into the political trap.
On Monday, Tana River Senator Dunston Mungatana filed a censure motion against Rigathi in the Senate, claiming the Deputy President had engaged in divisive politics and betrayed his oath of office among other claims.
Similarly, Valley’s Iron Lady Gladys Shollei, who is the deputy speaker of the assembly said Rigathi should be ready to be impeached.
Shollei, who is the women’s representative of Uasin Gishu county, the President’s homeland told her people that they should not be worried about Ruto when she was around and would protect him.
“ I want to tell Gachagua, I will take you home. I want to put Rigathi Gachagua on notice. You are going to be impeached. I am the iron lady. Nobody can touch Ruto when I am there,” she said.
Senator Ledama Ole Kina, who is currently in the USA with President Ruto and immediate former ODM leader Raila Odinga posted on his X handle “ It seems your goose is cooked Mr. I hate to break the News to you Mr. Truthful Man, the decision has been made. Waiting to vote”.
Last week when he visited Marikiti market in Nairobi, Rigathi warned “ Those who are planning my impeachment, please don’t try me. Impeachment is only meant to sell for me fear,”.
Gachagua asserted that the legislators are among his political detractors, claiming that they have been bribed by influential figures in government to tarnish his reputation and hound him out of office.
“Nilichaguliwa na wakenya; sikuchaguliwa na wabunge. (Lakini) nyinyi mnakusanya wajumbe, mnawapatia pesa na kuwahonga, ati wauzie Rigathi Gachagua uoga. Nilichaguliwa na Wakenya na wao ndio watanitoa kwa kiti, wakati ukifika. ( I was elected by Kenyans and not the legislators. They cannot sell fear to Rigathi Gachagua. I was elected by Kenyans and they are the ones who can remove me) he said.”
Analysts agree that it is a do-or-die battle for both President Ruto and his deputy as their political careers hinge on the outcome.
They said either Ruto or Rigathi would try to outfox one another in the battle of the Titan and the consequences will be far-reaching.
Political analyst Mr. Billy Mijungu said the sword is heavy on Rigathi and he has to do everything to survive or else he will fall into the path of Dr Karanja to the obituary.
“This is the battle of life for Rigathi. If he is impeached, politically, he becomes a past tense in the country matrix. But if he survives, he is the man to beat in the 2027 presidential elections,” he said.
For Ruto, this is a battle that he must win. He must be shrewd like his mentor former president Daniel Moi to survive the political storm from the mountain.
“With Raila on Ruto’s side, he has an edge to affect the impeachment. Because if he fails, he shall have been weakened ahead of the next presidential elections. It’s like playing a final match. There must be a winner whichever way,’ he said.
