MR. WAFULA CHEBUKATI MUST STOP THE MONKEY GAMES

On 11th August 2022 at about 1400 Hours, the provisional results across mainstream media outlets indicated that Raila was leading the pack with 6,452,516 whilst Ruto had 6,404 755, Wajackoyah had 56,620 and Waihiga had 29,072 votes translating to 49.5%, 49.12%, 0.43% and 0.22% respectively. The number of votes among the 4 presidential candidates stood at 12,942,963 against the 13,037,506 total votes cast. This meant that only 94,543 votes were yet to be counted. Essentially, the 94,543 votes that were yet to be counted amounted to a paltry 0.7%. Even if the entire 0.7% was to be given to Ruto (never mind the impossibility), Ruto's percentage would have stood at 49.7%. How Ruto jumped to over 50% at the tail end of tallying can only be attributed to Itumbi chronicles. But even more intriguing is how Wafula Chebukati, the IEBC Chairperson has kept the whole country guessing as to the total number of people who cast votes in the just concluded general election. At one point, he was heard saying that about 12 million cast their votes. On 11th August 2022, he abandoned that position and said that about 14 million out of the 22 million registered voters cast their votes. Take note that information from the IEBC portal puts the number at 13,037,506. Indeed, tabulation of the votes cast for the 4 presidential candidates shows that the total number of votes cast is 13 million. If Mr. Wafula Chebukati's figure of 14 million is to be acceptable, then it simply means that the sum total of the spoilt/rejected votes stands at over one (1) million! This would be the highest ever! Mr. Wafula Chebukati must stop the monkey games. What is at stake is the democratic health of Kenya.

IEBC PLANNING TO FAIL KENYA YET AGAIN

Kenya’s elections have always been a flashpoint for conflict and violence on account of the electorate's huge trust deficits. Why has this become a perennial problem? The answer is that IEBC has time and again failed to organize transparent elections that reinforce the electorate’s trust in its electoral system. We expect IEBC to inspire confidence among Kenyans and other stakeholders that it can deliver a free, fair, credible, and peaceful poll in 2022. It must therefore take leadership of the electoral preparation process, increase its engagement and communication with the public and relevant agencies, and generally make critical decisions to secure the credibility of the election. Unfortunately IEBC has done very little on this front. Much of the preparations leading to the 9th August 2022 poll have not only been opaque but suspect. Latest is the election materials being found in the wrong hands. It is IEBC's response to this unfortunate incident that has worsened the situation. Reading IEBC's latest presser, is Chebukati telling the public that Smartmatic International simply handpicked its local partner (Seamless Limited)? Does it mean that IEBC had no role in vouchsafing the integrity and competence of Smartmatic's local partner? No wonder, election materials were sneaked into the country by foreign nationals and stored in private apartments. With such complacency how do we expect a free, fair, credible and verifiable election?The contradictions and outright lies by Chebukati is not something that can be glossed over. It is even appalling that a leading presidential contender has come out to defend that which is indefensible. As a consequence suspicions of a licentious affair have arisen. Given such a climate, it is unlikely that anyone will accept the outcome of this election. This non-acceptance will not only be at the presidential level but across all elective positions. Should we proceed to hold the 9th August Poll amid a potentially violent contestations? Chebukati must accept culpability and stop churning pressers that are obviously worsening the situation. Chebukati must stop digging the hole if he cares about Kenya's safety.

WILLIAM RUTO AND IDOLATRY IN CHURCH

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me" is the first among God's ten Commandments. A departure from this is known as idolatry. It is by far the greatest sin. It is when we put someone first in our lives before the living and true God. In Kenya, we have time and again reminded pastors that politics and politicians must be kept off from the pulpit. Unfortunately, some pastors, for their love of earthly possession have fallen into temptation. And Now William Ruto has become the object of worship in some churches.

SAKAJA: ON THE FAST LANE TO MORAL DECADENCE?

On 17th July 2020 Senator Sakaja was arrested for breaching Covid-19 containment rules. He not only owned up for the mistake but he also went as far as resigning as the Chairperson of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Covid-19 Response. Here was a young leader who despite being caught on the wrong side of the law, he awoke the National psyche regarding leadership and integrity. Kenyans (and especially tens of millions of young adults) were hopeful that such crop of leaders would be trusted to implement Chapter 6 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the Leadership and Integrity Act (LIA) 2012 especially with regard to respect for and adherence to the Constitution and the law as well as the observance of moral and ethical requirements. They had no doubt that the likes of Sakaja will put Kenya back on the right trajectory. In fact shortly after Sakaja declared his interest for the Nairobi County Gubernatorial Seat, there was no doubt that the Seat was his for the taking. He had won millions across the political divide given his moral high ground. Hardly one year down the line, Sakaja has become a crude caricature of his former self. He is now a symbol of moral decadence courtesy of his academic credentials. Having previously made utterances in public to the effect that he has never undertaken studies outside Kenya and that he is a graduate of the University of Nairobi (Actuarial Science), it is shocking to say the least that he presented to CUE and IEBC a Degree Certificate from Uganda's TEAM University. Besides, there are no records to back up his claims of having pursued a degree course in Uganda. Rather than adducing evidence to defeat accusations levelled against him, Sakaja has chosen the well known path of politicizing the issue in question. He has not even spared President Uhuru Kenyatta for his woes. What explains this rock bottom fall from the moral pedestal? New political association? The situation has become even more messy when a whole Presidential Contender one William Ruto has wilfully chosen to join the fray in defence of Sakaja. The question that begs is what the future portends for Kenya in terms of constitutionalism and the rule of law if William Ruto clinches the presidency? What, I pray, becomes of the practical and moral foundations of a good government? Will he be on the fore-front in the enforcement of chapter 6 of the constitution of Kenya 2010? The jury is out there.

THE COMMON DENOMINATOR BETWEEN RIGATHI GACHAGUA AND KENNETH LUSAKA

Speaker Kenneth Lusaka is on the ballot to try and recapture the Bungoma County Gubernatorial Seat having lost it in 2017 to H.E Wycliffe Wafula Wangamati. His loss was attributed to a well coordinated multi-prong attack led by Senator Moses Wetangula who accused Lusaka of looting the Bungoma County coffers dry. Of the many scandals, the infamous "Wheelbarrow Scandal" was Lusaka's Achilles' heel. However unbeknown to many, the Wheelbarrow scandal was a pale to a litany of of others. Among them was a tender won by one Rigathi Gachagua to supply medical equipment to Bungoma County Referral Hospital. On 24th December, 2014 (the eve of Christmas Day), Encartar Diagnostics Ltd (owned by Rigathi Gachagua indirectly) delivered an invoice of Sh123,175,000 to Bungoma County. This was slightly under one and half years after the 2013 elections. According to the invoice, Encartar Diagnostics Ltd, indicated that it had supplied: (1) Anaesthetic machines (2) Advanced anaesthetic machines (3) Operating tables (4) Theatre Operating light (5) Delivery Beds (6) Modular Patient Monitor (7) Multi-Parameter Patient Monitor (8) Intensive Care Ventilator (9) Hospital Beds and Mattresses. To date, none of the aforementioned items have been delivered. Interestingly, the tender was awarded in 2014 but was financed over three financial years. The first payment of Sh40 million was made on December 24, 2014, while the last payment of Sh19 million was made on April 15, 2016. As you may be aware, this is one of the more than 12 such transactions that the DCI is investigating. Three issues have been raised thus: (1) Was the process manipulated to award to Encartar? (2) Was the tender price exaggerated? (3) Were the equipment actually delivered? An interesting thing from the above document is payments being made on Christmas eve. Most Government offices are shut by then. Many prolific scandals in Kenya were committed on such days when everyone else is away. Rigathi Gachagua and Kenneth Lusaka were both District Officers (DOs). In fact Lusaka has been heard saying that they were deployed on the same date. Several years down the line, when Lusaka vied for the Bungoma Gubernatorial seat in 2013, Rigathi Gachagua supported him both materially and financially. Rigathi donated a truck/campaign caravan to Lusaka. Could this fictitious payment have been compensation for Rigathi's investment in the campaign? At the very least, Lusaka and Rigathi Gachagua owe the people of Bungoma and by extension Kenya at large an explanation on this scandal that stinks to the high heavens. Had the above equipment been supplied, Bungoma County could not have lost so many lives nor could we be having our people seek medical attention in neighbouring Counties on ailments that could easily be managed at the Bungoma County Referral Hospital. Fast forward, none other than Senator Moses Wetangula has hit the ground running in support of Lusaka's second bid for Bungoma gubernatorial seat. Having seriously decampaigned Lusaka in 2017, Senator Moses Wetangula owes the people of Bungoma an explanation. What changed? In my honest opinion, there is absolutely nothing to be excited about Lusaka's candidacy.

TRUSTING A HYENA TO TAKE CARE OF SHEEP?

Basil Criticos took a loan from Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) using his swathes of land in Taita Taveta as collateral. When he failed to service the loan, AFC was forced to take over a portion of the said land. In 2007 the government bought part of the Criticos land (which then was under AFC) through settlement Transfer funds: 24,000 acres under Jipe Settlement Scheme to resettle squatters, 15,000 acres under Taveta Settlement scheme for the same purposes. From the foregoing, a total of 39,000 acres of the parcel were hived off through this sale to the government. In February 2017, AFC announced that it would sell a further 7200 acres of Criticos land to recover its money. The government moved in to acquire the land to further settle squatters in the area as an addition to the 39,000 acres acquired in 2007. As a result, the government issued 148 title deeds to squatters on the 7200 acres AFC land in January 2018. It was during this period of squatter resettlement that William Ruto (christened Arap Mashamba on account of his huge appetite for land) acquired his initial 1000 acres Kisima Farm which was part of the 7200 acres AFC land handed over to government for resettlement of squatters. From documents available, it is clear that William Ruto did not acquire the land from Criticos as he belatedly claimes. The transfer of initial 1000 acres land was from AFC. He further acquired 1536 more acres from the remainder of Criticos land, through unclear circumstances. Two days ago,William Ruto promised the people of the four Coastal Counties (Mombasa, Kwale, and Lamu Kilifi that he will buy large swathes of land to settle the landless. However, the people have been very fast to realize that this is yet another scheme by William Ruto to accumulate more land for himself, by forcing them to sell their ”idle” land at a throw away price (compulsory acquisitions). They reasoned "If William Ruto has benefited from land meant for squatters as a sitting Deputy President, how much more would he take advantage of, if he was to become president"? With the cases of Langata primary land, Muteshi land, ADC mutaara land, Ruai sewerage land, Taita Taveta Criticos land, Weston land Dolphin hotel land and Masaai Mara land still fresh in the people's mind, can they trust a hyena to take care of the affairs of the sheep? The jury is out there. *Edited, originally by Pauline Njoroge.*

IS RUTO THE GREATEST POLITICAL CONMAN PER EXCELLENCE

Five years ago, Deputy President William Ruto strongly supported the Government decision to create a dry port in Naivasha as a means to decongesting road traffic from Mombasa to Nairobi and from Nairobi to Naivasha. Whereas Hassan Joho was opposed to the same ostensibly because the move would inter alia give rise to unemployment at the Coast, DP Ruto scorned Hassan Joho and even went ahead to call him an "academic dwarf". Yesterday, William Ruto made a 180 degree turn. He promised the Coastal People that Kenya Kwanza (read UDA) will upon taking the Presidency immediately relocate the Naivasha Dry Port back to Mombasa. This is not the first nor will it be the last time that William Ruto has exhibited inconsistency on critical issues affecting the Nation. He has always been consistently inconsistent. He opposed the enactment of the 2010 Constitution. Recently he opposed BBI. According to William Ruto, BBI was all about creating positions. A couple of months later, William Ruto said that he will create the position of Chief Minister among others to accommodate his allies within the National Government. It should also be remembered that when Raila Odinga was cobbling a coalition, William Ruto asserted that UDA will go it alone to the ballot. Weeks later, he quickly abandoned that position and entered into a pre-coalition agreement with other political parties yet we all know that he will vie for the presidency under UDA. From the foregoing, to say that William Ruto is the King of Flip Flop would be an understatement. The question that begs is whether such a person can be entrusted with the affairs of this great Nation? We expect that individuals should go into politics to provide leadership. We expect that individuals will seek for the presidency to provide solutions to the challenges facing the Nation. Politics and especially the presidency should not be about political expediency. Unfortunately for William Ruto it is all about political expediency. He will consistently lie hoping that the lie will somehow crystalize into truth. He will shift positions in quick succession for his own convenience. Five years down the line William Ruto wants to politicize the Naivasha Dry Port as a means to getting a sizable votes from the Coastal region. Ruto has on many occasions fired salvos at his political competitors for their"political conmanship". I suggest that he finds a mirror to look at himself. He will discover that since Kenya's independence, he is the greatest political conman per excellence.