OMWENGA: Political mines Matiang’i must watch out for in 2026

Holidays are behind us, and for many it’s now a question of how much longer before they break their latest version of a New Year Resolution. Here’s one we can all keep—well, a super majority of us and that is to never yet again let a sleek politician lie into our souls and we buy hook, line and sinker whatever lies he’s peddling.

That’s a resolution to keep in the New Year and double down on it in the next one God willing

If history teaches us anything, it’s the more things change, the more they remain the same.

We have had five new faces making State House their home every so many years since independence, but one thing has never changed, and that’s the proverbial system.

The system is not some imagined tricksters pulling their tricks behind the scenes, but live, breathing human beings deep in government whose job is to keep the current head of state in power no matter what.

At least that is what it was since independence—but more about “was” later.  

Their modi operandi is always the same though it has evolved over the years. During the Kenyatta time, they quietly exercised immense powers that had everyone toeing the line and any dissent or threat was simply answered with assassination.

At least six high profile assassinations were carried out between 1965 and 1975, with the most impactful and more memorable being those of Tom Mboya and JM Kariuki.

During the Moi era, the most prominent assassination was that of Foreign Affairs Minister Robert Ouko and even though there were not that many known assassinations during that era, the regime wrote a new book on political violence that was only upgraded during the post-election violence.

The Moi regime was also known for merciless authoritarian rule characterised with arrests, detention without trial, torture and in some cases death.

Although Mwai Kibaki was overwhelmingly elected in 2002, he quickly defaulted to using the system to remain in power in 2007 which almost plunged the country into a civil war.

Uhuru came to power in 2013 even though corruption continued unabated in his 10 years in office, the current occupant has taken corruption into higher, unprecedented levels.

In all these presidencies, one known staple of the system is use of close allies and trusted confidants to politically finish or altogether end the lives of real or perceived political enemies.

It is well documented that it was close confidants who delivered JM and Ouko to their deaths, other confidants participated in one or more ways in the other prominent assassinations.

With this history in mind, a few things can be said as free advice for Matiang’i.

The obvious from the vantage point as a former CS interior is not necessary to say, but the less obvious can be said as follows:

First, carefully choose who to have in your innermost and most trusted kitchen Cabinet. These must be tested and individuals you know without any doubt they are not hungry or broke, incorruptible and not gettable as moles.

Second, every campaign will always have moles; it’s akin to having roaches in a rundown shanty dwelling and I draw that analogy because these moles are themselves no different from cockroaches in as far as their uselessness and nuisance they are to their victims or targets.

Third, know and keep a close eye on known moles or those displaying qualities of one and make sure they receive no strategic information.

Fourth, recruit the known moles to be double agents so as to use them to get intel from the opponent. What we know about moles it’s that they have no shame or loyalty.

Containing these moles or those pretending to be with you while ready to sell you or your secrets to the other side at a moment’s notice must be one of your priorities in the next two years.

The others must be keeping one eye on your fellow principals in the opposition, and another—and an even keener one on every shenanigan, plots and ploys you can expect as sunrise from the State House occupant and his foot soldiers.