On Tuesday 13th September, 2022 at around midday, Kenya’s new president, William Ruto was sworn in after winning the tense August election as well us winning the supreme court’s favour.
Obviously, the topics of analysis on talk-shows in East Africa that day and throughout the entire week were fixed on the highly contested election, the losers’ camp next move and what next for the new president. Many Ugandans, as usual, took sides – majority on the Opposition in favour of Baba Raila Odinga while the NRM-leaning were in approval of Ruto.
Is it because Ruto’s camp donned the yellow colour typical of NRM? Were they the friendly ties with Ugandans Ruto recurrently talked of? Or it was Odinga’s numerous failed attempts to become president that makes him unappetising to NRM devotees who loathe associating with failures?
Anyway, as I was glued to my TV screen watching the ceremony live, a lot crossed my mind.
Without heaping praise on the new president, I see the new man in the big office faced with the challenge of uniting the nation of Kenya whose people are largely divided now after the election not forgetting the tribal politics in East Africa’s most developed country.
What is important now is Ruto’s presidency and what it means for Uganda, East African community and the youth most of them hustlers like what he wants to be identified.
Many ‘hustlers’ dub this victory as triumph for them and that to them, nothing is impossible. Ruto’s unpleasant childhood and background is something to reckon on. To many young Africans, such leaders demonstrate a resilient spirit of ambition, trusting the process, honesty and faith.
Nonetheless, such achievements are to be detached with false hope if not can be interpreted otherwise. A hustler who sold chicken for tuition and trusted God for everything he’s meant to become, runs away from false hope orchestrated by horrible leaders they deem as role models.
Finally, we are on tenterhooks for a hustler president who shares the same EAC vision with his neighbours; the likes of veteran Yoweri Museveni (‘father of the region’ according to Ruto), Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Samiah Suruhu of Tanzania and others in the region.
With that spirit of a hustler coupled with the fear of God and patriotism, Ruto has conceived the idea of setting up a giant matrix East African Community project of transforming the region spanning years.
The entire EAC region from western DR Congo to the East African Coast, is like a fertile grove which can bear fruits of high value to sell in both small and large quantities within the East and Central African Region and outside world as well.
It’s up to the partnering farmers (the seven EAC member states) in the realization of this noble idea, that will vigorously put the garden to perceptible activity in so as to realise a good harvest.
It’s therefore President Ruto’s obligation together with leaders of the EAC member states to create a comfortable destiny for this region, and this is the perpetual hope we have in his new presidency.
Kazibwe Jamil
National coordinator Generation 1986*
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