OMWENGA: Why Matiang’i is the beat candidate to defeat Ruto in 2027

One of the greatest impediments to progress is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different outcome. Unless one is willing to change ways and take new approaches to achieve desired outcomes, one cannot escape the state of quagmire or doom they always find themselves.

In 2002, this is exactly what voters did to free ourselves from the Moi era rot, namely, breaking with the past and ushering in the Kibaki era with the rejection of status quo.

We’ll need and must do the same thing in 2027 to free ourselves from the failures of the Ruto government, but even more importantly, to free ourselves from historical tendencies and habits that have not served any public interest but have been exploited to the detriment of our interests. 

At the top of that list is tribalism and negative ethnicity.

To be sure, there’s nothing wrong and we all must take pride of who we are as a people and that includes cultural pride steeped in our individual customs and practices, though some are antiquated and are abandoned in due time. 

That’s not the problem.

The problem when people allow politicians to exploit their blind allegiance to tribal affiliation as to deny a good presidential candidate votes to their detriment but as a community and individually.

Former Raila Odinga (now deceased)—hard to believe we’re now saying that—was denied the presidency at least twice because he was a Luo. More specifically, most of our sisters and brothers from Mrima either hated him or would just not bring themselves around to voting for him and many openly and publicly stated so.

Even the thought of him being president was nauseating to them. But others from the region—few as they were relatively speaking, disagreed and openly showed their love and support for Raila.

If that was true in 2013 and 2017, the situation dramatically improved in 2022, especially when Raila announced Martha Karua as his running mate and this following the dalliance with President Uhuru Kenyatta leading to the historic handshake of 2018. 

This, however, was not enough to overcome what Ruto cunningly had in mind and brilliantly executed to plow his way to State House as our fifth president.

I have deliberately left out 2007 because I don’t and wouldn’t fault Kibaki carrying Mrima votes to the man and woman no different than I would fault Matiang’i carrying Gusii votes to the man and woman.

Why? Because such vote was not and would not be against the respective voters’ interests for one, and even more importantly, it wouldn’t be denying or rejecting an even better candidate solely because of their tribe as was the case for Raila.

Put Matiang’i in a comparison chart and compare him to Ruto and Kalonzo—the only other two candidates from among which we’ll have our next president, the former Interior CS objectively ticks more positive boxes than either of the two and is therefore objectively a better presidential candidate than either of the two.

It is for this reason that Matiang’i rejected moves to box him in a tribal party for Abagusii and instead has commendably chosen Jubilee to reinforce this noble notion that it’s time to move away from tribalism driven politics.

Uhuru started us in this direction when he openly made it known and did his best to have Raila succeed him in 2022.

This is unfinished business and the person to finish the business is Matiang’i.

Put another way, Matiang’i is as good a candidate for Mrima akin to her own son and nobody comes even close, and that includes former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka who if pride were to step aside and let him be, he would make an excellent running mate for Matiang’i.

Although the other way is theoretically possible, we’re far beyond theories and must address the elephant in the room and that is, who is best suited to make ‘Wantam’ a reality among those who could potentially vie.

That candidate is Matiang’i and this will be true regardless of whether or not the entire opposition rallies behind him.

Most will.