Kenya’s President-elect and his running mate Rigathi Gachagua receive a certificate at Bomas of Kenya on 15th August 2022. Photo Credit to East African
By Rogers Olare
The just concluded Kenyan election saw the two veteran politicians lock horns in a closely-contested exercise. William Ruto (the President-elect) and Raila Odinga were compelled into a heated political contest, which kicked off on Tuesday 9th August 2022.
The race remained heated as the current president-elect differed with his colleague and Boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta over corruption allegations and early campaigns. While his win can be attributed to his witty and unrelenting agility, some believe that his former Boss had orchestrated this a while ago.
Even though Raila Odinga his closest competitor amongst the four contenders has rejected the election results, all indicators from the past favor Mr. Ruto. On Tuesday 16th August 2022, Mr. Odinga called a presser where he outrightly dismissed the election results. A look into what he said in his presser includes suggestions of going to court with hopes that the supreme court shall annul the results of August 9th, 2022. Nevertheless, as it stands, Kenya has a new President-elect Mr. William Samoei Ruto.
Today, the Department of Justice has made an arrest involving Ilya, a part-time rapper and a serial entrepreneur who has been hiding from the justice system for years. According to news reporters, the Russian-US citizen was involved in cryptocurrency laundering where he is accused of stealing bits of cryptocurrencies using fake transaction accounts.
At the time of the theft, the US-based coupled were alleged to have stolen USD. 71 million worth of bitcoins. The Department of Justice now claims that they have seized up to USD. 3.6 billion worth of cryptocurrency. It is still unclear how much the couples had stolen, but the Department of Justice has noted that the investigations are still ongoing.
Member of Parliament for Malindi Hon. Aisha Jumwa is making her last kicks as the murder case slowly seals the fate of her career. Hon. Aisha Jumwa has had turbulence in her career since she decamped fromODM, the party that propelled her to the August house for the Tanga Tanga wing of Jubilee Party. A few have read politics in her woes, but truth be told, the honorable MP has had one-too-many err on her CV.
Aisha Jumwa in Court over the Ganda Ward murder.
Although there could be a pinch of witchunt that comes with her spiraling downfall, the murder at Ganda Ward has been, allegedly committed by her, has damaged her political image to the core. While comparing her murder case to Hon. Babu Owino‘s shooting case, Jumwa noted that there was a selective administration of justice on partisan basis. Jumwa who added that the President and his Deputy should be re-united, faced outpouring criticism from the tweeps. Some Kenyans bashed her for comparing Hon. Babu’s shooting case with her murder case. While Babu’s shooting did not lead to death, Jumwa’s shot killed a man in Ganda Ward.
I wish to welcome the efforts being made by both religious and political leaders, business leaders and the international community in a bid to reconcile the President @StateHouseKenya and Deputy President @WilliamsRuto.
In what seems to be her downfall, the embattled Member of Parliament demonstrates vigor and strength in facing those who are against the Deputy President head-on. One tweep called Frank Mtetezi (BAF) told her off by stating that, “The Downfall of Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa commenced immediately when he started disrespecting the ODM Party and it’s Leader Hon Raila Odinga ,Later mistreating the SG Edwin Sifuna in kilifi by taking away the Microphone while giving out his speech, Ganda ward murder Sealed it!”
After several weeks of tussle with the court over far-fetched corruption allegations and an assault case, the court has allowed the governor to access all his bank accounts. On his bail terms, the governor was barred from access his office, asked to deposit his passport at magistrate’s office and also had his five bank accounts frozen. However, the court ordered that his five bank accounts be unfrozen to allow him access to his money. The order by the court is perceived as an indicator that cases that the DPP had against the governor lacked foundation. Even as one case collapsed, the DPP has maintained that he will continue to pursue evidence linking governor Sonko to corruption allegations.
In Africa, there are many legislation yet to be put in place to help reduce unscrupulous political activities. Every country has policies that seek to regulate the political activities of the politicos every election cycle. However, there are fewer-to-no policies that help advise young citizens to avoid politics. Whereas there is need to control campaign finance in many African countries, it is critical to note that a majority of candidates still struggle to raise large sums of funds to remain formidable in their quests for political offices.
Needless to say, young people are not better poised to raise such large amounts of money. While there is need to have a significant proportion of leadership given to youthful adults, it is imperative to note that this might not help them in future. History reminds us of many leaders who have suffered more after coming out of their offices.
To the young aspirant, think before you invest in politics. One of the biggest concerns hidden from young individuals include amount of funds, time and social capital needed to propel a candidate to a formidable position. Many young people tend to think that politics is an investment whose returns are reasonable. Lo and behold, politics is a bottomless pit that will sink you into the abyss.
I have come across many politicians, who in their prime, were flourished and accomplished. Nevertheless, time has proven to me that politics does not guarantee you a good afterlife. Good examples include Cirus Jirongo, a renowned Kanu leader who was considered a magnanimous behemoth at his prime. In spite of his good deeds, he has yet to pay for his misdeeds dearly. Moreover, many Ex-honorable members live in abject poverty, begging incessantly to survive. While it remains difficult to dissuade young individuals against such consequences, legislation on campaign fund gives a leeway to young citizens.
Cyrus Jirongo. Former Billionaire Politician
Ostensibly, a majority of young people who join politics already have established livelihoods. In many cases, political brokers target young citizens with stable livelihoods and good income. It is often their wish to gain access to the finances they have, and to further ride on their political fame. Without a shadow of a doubt, nothing is free in politics. An aspirant who gets support from a god-father will definitely pay later. On the other hand, an elector who gets a handout from a politician must be ready for payback once the “honorable” is elected.
As such, if you truly want to preserve your integrity and safeguard your future, use the little resource you have to make impact on the society. There are a bunch of individuals who have impacted societies without venturing into politics. A good reference is Dr. Darshan Chandaria of Chandaria Industries.
His influence goes far and wide. Nonetheless, he has yet to express interest in politics, but the moment he does that, his fortunes will sublime into thin air.
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