Watching the fallout between President William Ruto and his ousted deputy Rigathi Gachagua is beyond surreal. Notably, Gachagua’s comments offer confirmation that Kenya’s pre- and post-independence politics remain predicated on ethnic loyalty, fake appeals to patriotism/nationalism and populism. For my American friends, what’s currently happening between Kenya’s deputy president and his boss, is akin to a public spat between Kamala Harris and Joe Biden or then-VP Mike Pence and then-President Donald Trump. In Kenya, public spats between occupants of the two top political officers have been de rigueur throughout the country’s 60 plus years of independence. It not only pits Ruto against Gachagua but also appears to have an intra-regional angle.

Source: Daily Nation October 19, 2024 06:50 UTC