A Tale Of Two Presidents And Two Sons




Politically Speaking, we all have seen presidents groom their sons to take over when they retire. 1st president Kenyatta did it and now Uhuru is at the helm of the country’s politics. So what went wrong with Mr Moi and his son Gideon? Many have argued that Gideon cannot be compared to Uhuru when it comes to leadership. Let’s see what makes the two different:

1.      Articulation.

Unlike Gideon, president Uhuru can fully articulate himself in front of the people. He is the type of a leader who can rally the people towards a goal. Gideon lacks this. He can be described as the mamas kid in the estate who doesn’t want to get dirty while playing with other kids.
 

2.      Language.

 

 Uhuru speaks fluent Kikuyu, Gideon speaks fluent English, broken Swahili and totally clueless in Kalenjin. In politics if you cannot speak the peoples language you are an outsider. The two (Uhuru and Gideon) spend most of their youth outside the country, Kenyatta unlike Moi ensured that his kids never forgot their native language. Ever seen how crowds in Murang’a get wild when the president speaks Kikuyu? Am yet to see the young Moi try that.

3.       The Wanjiku.

This is the ordinary Kenyan. The everyday hustler who struggles to feed himself. Despite being a filthy rich Uhuru identifies with the Wanjikus very well. Call it PR and I will wonder where Gideon’s PR is. UK has branded himself as the boy from the hood, the guy who sees no trouble taking mutura or soup at the popular joint. Well for Gideon he projects the life of a CEO, the dude who cannot come down here and mingle with the people who coincidentally are the voters.

4.        The Backyard.

In Central, UK is the man. He is the king. In Rift Valley Ruto is the king. Gideon is a follower trying hard to outshine Ruto. You may argue that it is a matter of time before Mr Moi catches up with Kenyatta but how is that possible when Ruto fully capitalizes on the above 3 points?

Comments