Omtatah has won many battles, but can he win the Presidency?

There is no human rights defender-cum-litigator in Kenya who can hold a candle to Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah. He has cut a special niche for himself from which dislodging him will be difficult. Omtatah is a darling of the downtrodden and voiceless in Kenya. 

It is from this enviable niche he now seeks to carve yet another niche by going for the presidency, a precarious dig that could result in either of two outcomes; he will succeed and step into the new niche, or he will slip and tumble into the abyss below. The former will derive from an inner force, and the latter from malevolent external forces that his 'demons' have inadvertently disturbed.

Omtatah is a government critic par excellence, and not just for the fun of it. He is yet to pick a fight he has not won. He often takes the fight to the government and never once has he experienced role reversal. Thus, it is not easy to gauge his strength, resolve and courage under duress. A pertinent question arises; can Omtatah deliver as a president without destroying a reputation he has built over the years? 

Not that he is incompetent, far from it. There are two things to consider: The Peter principle, which states that some people rise through the ranks to a level of incompetence and the analogy of football fans. There are no better tacticians than football fans in the terraces. Very critical, clinical, observant and precise. 

They see mistakes even renowned coaches could easily miss. Interestingly, they are often right. The real entertainment would be in someone randomly picking a set of 11 from the terraces, putting them on the field and goading them into action. The resultant comedy of errors and laughter would provide global relief from depression and the economic pressures for hours on end. 

Lech Walesa, an immensely popular unionist in Poland rode to the country's presidency in 1990 on his own steam because he carried the hopes of people weary of the failures of communism. He, however, left in near ignominy when he couldn't transform his promises and lofty ideas into action and reality.

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President William Ruto took a similar route in 2022 and now that the difference between fact and fiction has become stark, must rue the populist route he took to the presidency. Kenyans, Omtatah included, won't give him peace. His refrain, 'Ruto must go', continues to echo across the valleys and hills of our motherland. 

Omtatah is categorical that Ruto must go because he has failed Kenyans. The latter, however, believes he is God's answer to the cries of Kenyans who, conversely, believe he is the embodiment of all their problems, and all that is wrong in society today. It's an interesting game of perspectives in which the concepts of right and wrong are relative. 

When, however, Ruto delivered his State of the Nation address last week, many could not shake off the feeling he had reached the Damascus moment. The President, who until then could hardly be bothered by a crescendo of public complaints against a government considered insensitive, took an unexpected turn and lampooned the Judiciary for delaying and thwarting the war against corruption through anticipatory bails, letting cases drag on for eternity until evidence is obscured.

Taking issue with the instruments of violence and disowning them on abductions, disappearances and extrajudicial killings was refreshing. Ruto also took on a lethargic Parliament over the delayed passage of two critical Bills: the Conflict of Interest Bill and the Two-Thirds gender representation rule in elective leadership positions. No doubt, parliamentarians are conflicted. Some of them are major partners in deals with the government and secure lucrative contracts from the government for themselves and their families or cronies using shady companies.

Capping it all, Ruto canceled the obnoxious Adani deals through which Kenya was most likely being mortgaged. A new Ruto, perhaps? Time will tell.