President William Ruto's first months in office were compounded by the return of his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta who termed the new regime as clueless and a bunch of noise makers.
Uhuru's return created ripples around the nation, especially after responding directly to his former deputy president, again recreating their animosity.
With his legacy under attack by Ruto and his juniors, who alleged that Uhuru was among the financiers of Azimio La Umoja's anti-government, the former President clawed back, a move which analysts argued would shape the country's politics in the coming days.
Foreign Power Influence
According to renowned lawyer and political pundit, Dunstan Omari, Kenya Kwanza launched a smear campaign to disparage President (Rtd) Uhuru Kenyatta and his family.
On Wednesday, February 1, Omari cautioned President William Ruto to handle Azimio La Umoja leaders, Uhuru and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, with utmost care since he controls significant systems and structures of both local and foreign politics.
"Mwai Kibaki (the late President) assured that he won’t provoke Moi when he assumed office. Kibaki retired. Uhuru promised he wouldn’t interfere with the life of Kibaki.
"We now have a new regime that wants to drag Uhuru to court. But what will be the impact?" Omari wondered while speaking on NTV.
The Lawyer warned President William Ruto against underestimating Uhuru and Raila's foreign influence. Uhuru serves as a special peace envoy to Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - a role he was appointed to by Ruto.
He also served as the Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) and chairperson for the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC). On the other hand, Raila currently serves as the African Union (AU) High Representative of Infrastructure and Development.
"The retired president has a lot of force globally. We are looking at two serious international figures. Raila combined with Uhuru globally they control 80 per cent of the networks," Omari added, opining that Ruto's power is largely local, unlike Uhuru and Raila, who have major foreign accolades.
"Ruto is a local president and the members of his Cabinet and allies like the leader of the majority, Kimani Ichung’wah (Kikuyu MP), are known up to his constituency," Omari argued.
Political analyst Ahmed Hashi added that the Kenya Kwanza government lost focus when it was dragged into a war of words with the opposition.
"We have to tell this government they have better things to do than talk about Uhuru Kenyatta," Hashi noted while speaking on KTN News.
He also warned Ruto against politicising taxation since such a move would work against his government. On Monday, January 30, Nyandarua Senator John Methu wrote to the taxman, requesting an audit into all Kenyatta family business deals.
"The issue of taxes should be looked at in terms of spending. Taxes should be spent where they are needed, not to go into the pockets of a few individuals," Hashi explained.
In the same breath, Prof Peter Kagwanja asserted that taxes often form a delicate discussion that could easily spiral into anarchy.
"Taxes have always been behind revolutions. What we are witnessing now is the dynasty vs hustler struggle, in this case, the weaponisation of taxes by going for the big guys," Prof Kagwanja noted.
However, Dr Hassan Khannenje differed from other analysts and called on President Willaim Ruto to go after those who evaded or avoided paying taxes.
"There has been a practice of people in power not paying taxes. If we can seal these loopholes, we can get even triple what we are currently collecting," Dr Khannenje stated.
However, as analysts argue on the influence of the West, Ruto may be buoyed by the fact that his nemesis, Raila Odinga, alleged that foreign powers rejected his bid in favour of the President.
Raila claimed that the foreigners were cautious of his policies which they argued would have ended their monopoly and domination of markets. Ruto has also been on a charm offensive to consolidate the support of the West and the East.
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