“RUTO CAN BE A GREAT LEADER…BUT”

Charles Lwanga Orioki Aberi at Radio Amani Offices

About a week or two before the Holy Week – the week that precedes Easter – I received a call from a man who claimed to have a very special message for Eldoret North Member of Parliament (M.P.) William Ruto. 

 

It was just a random call, one of the many that I receive while hosting Taswira: Mambo Yalivyo, the morning show at Radio Amani, Nakuru. At first I didn’t quite understand why such a call had to be directed to me. I mean I have never in the past behaved in a manner likely to suggest that I have a close working relationship with Ruto. I have for instance never hosted him or anyone close to him. Not that I haven’t tried inviting him before. No. It’s only that my efforts have not borne any fruits. I have tried getting in touch with his team, tried calling him and sent him a text, but all has been in vain. 

So when this particular guy I am to tell you about insisted I get hold of Ruto for him I got surprised. I mean I would have understood had he insisted I get, for instance, Raphael Tuju for him since I have had live interviews with him at least twice and know how to get him when I want his comment on a particular issue. Or Martha Karua – I have also hosted her; or Stephen Ooko the one who claims to be the G7 flag bearer for I have also hosted him; or even Gatanga M.P. Peter Kenneth, he is one man who will get back to you even if you are a strange caller, plus, he is very active on facebook and twitter.

Anyway I guess it’s just the sheer belief about our being ‘connected’ as journalists that made this fellow conclude I can be of help. Still I neither looked for Ruto immediately nor took any other step on his behalf. I wanted to see if he would ‘nag’ me the more on the same…and sure enough he did. 

He called me the next morning “to remind you bwana Kioko about that issue.” (Sometime I laugh at the way people insist on calling me Bwana Kioko on air). He has since been calling and this morning (10^th April, 2012) he simply read my mind. “Bwana Kioko,” he called, “I am reminding you about that issue, just inform me even if you have published it on the internet” (sic). 

Who told him, I asked myself after he hang up, that I was to blog what he had shared with me about the fact that “Ruto can be a great leader but he has to tread with caution.” I mean it’s the easiest way of taking his story to the next level. 

Well maybe it’s because, as he alleges, he is a ‘dreamer’ literary like the biblical Joseph of the seven fat bulls and the seven thin bulls’ story whose interpretation was given as seven years of harvest and seven years of hunger. Yes Joseph of the days of King Pharaoh.

Perhaps I should tell you this is the main reason I spared a minute or two for him, that which takes the biblical angle is always sweet to listen to. You can frown or grin on that as I am doing right now. 

I wanted to invite him to our studio for a live show but two things: the context of the talk and its impact to my radio audience plus he stammers in his speech. Please get me clear, I have no bad feeling for people who stammer, only I feel having a live show with them would be to give them a high toll. You will ask me, how come he calls you. I say I don’t know how he manages, but when I talked to him one-on-one I didn’t have the confidence of taking him live-on-air.

His identity as a radio caller is “Baba Bena.” He resides in Kaptembwo, a village in the outskirts of Nakuru town known for all the good and bad things but more specifically as one of the hot spots in the Rift Valley during post election violence (P.E.V). Among the stories I have covered on P.E.V two were from Kaptembwa. They were on forced circumcision and rape. Should I tell you about them? Mmmhhh…may be in another post.

Baba Bena is a 39 year old father of two and his real name is Charles Lwanga Orioko Aberi. Formerly a Jesuit Seminarian, Aberi is now a businessman. He sells mtumba – second hand clothes – in Kaptembwo. Previously though, he has worked as volunteer with Jesuits and Comboni Missionaries in Nairobi. Let us also not forget to say he is a dreamer even if no one pays him for that. 

So what does he dream about and what exactly is his allegedly revelation about one William Ruto? We start with 2007 P.E.V.

2007 P.E.V: He says he saw bulls in a field ‘beating’ (sic) and or chasing Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki in different directions. The bulls left a trail of blood. He says he shared this dream with his wife. 

Note that for the visions to stop he says he has to share their content – if that’s how we call the stuff we see in dreams – with someone. It pays more however if he shares with the concerned, the specific individuals a particular dream targets. I guess Raila and Kibaki were out of his mind as tangible targets. 

He speaks with a lot of conviction that this is the best of his dreams that proves he has a prophetic eye. “On the day the presidential results were being tallied I woke and when I saw the small margin between Kibaki and Raila I told my wife there will be a problem.”

Well, was there a problem after the last general election? You can fill in the blanks for yourself. 

Prof. George Saitoti in Defending his seat as Kajiado North M.P. in 2007: Prof George Saitoti is M.P. for Kajiado North and Minister for Internal Security. He is surely one of our seasoned politicians having served as Daniel Moi’s vice president for more than a decade. Now the Mathematics professor is running for presidency on a Party of National Unity (P.N.U) ticket. 

Aberi says of him, “I saw him almost slip off into a ditch…diving towards the bottom of the valley…then towards the midst his cars turned and started going upwards.”

I didn’t ask him where the cars came from. For sure you won’t be surprised that someone of Saitoti’s stature goes down a valley in an entourage of several cars. It’s upon you to fill the blanks on whether Saitoti had it smooth to parliament or if it was a tough battle for him. Has he tried reaching Saitoti, (especially before the voting) I think he said so, but he has not succeeded to date.

Musikari Kombo: Musikari Kombo is a nominated M.P. A former cabinet minister Kombo lost his Webuye constituency seat to Alfred Sambu in 2007 general election. 

One wonders, “Was it prudent for Kibaki to give him a nominated seat to appease the Luhya electorate?” Mmmmh…serves as an entry point to another debate, another day.

Aberi says, “I saw two cups, one was big and the other was small. Kombo was given the small one while Sambu got the big one. Kombo started pointing to the one that was big. He got very dissatisfied. I would later see him on T.V use the same sign he used in my dream, i.e. brushing off everything from the point of his face.” 

Now do you still remember how Kombo behaved when he lost his seat? Fill in the blanks. He said he managed to share this vision with either directly or indirectly with Kombo.

Raphael Tuju: Tuju is the former M.P. for Rarieda constituency. He is famed for his development record. Well, at least you have heard about the Rarieda Mobile toilets of his time if not everything. 

Never mind in 2007 voters seemed to have a special dislike for all those who had a development record. Can you imagine even the guy who introduced the much acclaimed Constituency Development Fund (C.D.F) was sent home packing. He is the former M.P. for Ol Kalau, one Kariuki Murue. Even Koigi wa Wamwere who had also been in the top list of clean C.D.F spenders was also denied a chance by Subukia Constituency voters. All this you know better was about whose drum beats and tunes you were dancing to, politically.

Now, I may not be sure about Murue but I am sure about Wamwere and Tuju. While the former (my former employer for that matter) felt he could sell Kibaki’s P.N.U while selling his own Chama Cha Mwananchi (C.C.M), or what some people made fun of as Chama Cha Masikini (party for the poor), the latter simply and squarely refused to “sack up to Raila.” Tuju lost to one Nicholas Gumbo in 2007 and one may still say he is still acting the devil’s advocate in Nyanza, as far as Railamania/Railaphobia is concerned in the Nyanza region.

Says Aberi, “I saw him arguing with Raila, I saw some men in white robs who told him that if he wants to remain in the open field he should shake hands with Raila. He didn’t listen. So he left…and lost.” 

You need not any explanation on this at this point. I am writing about a prophecy, remember?

William Ruto:  William Ruto is the man Aberi wants to meet like yesterday. He kept on telling me he is not doing so to get any fame or money. He only wants to get peace of mind. Not before he shares his dream with Ruto will the dream go away. (Emphasis is mine…but this is how I read the urgent need in his eyes). 

Ruto needs no introduction, really. You know this hustler whose name found its appearance in the International Criminal Court list in a ‘movie-like manner’. I also don’t know how that happened and why now him, and Uhuru Kenyatta, Francis Muthaura and Joshua Sang. I don’t know. 

What I know is it might be a little bit tricky for the KAMATUSA to convince I.C.C to delay the case before it until we conduct our elections. One would describe what they are rallying themselves to do as one of those scenarios that Chinua Achebe aptly describes as being “pregnant and nursing a baby at the same time.” Still, I wish them luck and my prayers.

I met Ruto once in a ‘close up shot’. He was doing rounds in Nakuru and its neighborhood and we (journalists) trailed him the whole day. We went to Eldama Ravine, Mogotio, all the way up to a place called Poror. He was in the company of among other people then Minister for Higher Education and M.P. for Mogotio Prof. Hellen Sambili. Those days Ruto and his clique of M.P’s were in United Democratic Movement (U.D.M). As it is U.D.M is represented by Sambili in parliament to date. How Ruto and friends were toppling her in recognition for the party I don’t know but it was evident they were getting more focus than our learned professor. 

Of course that was partly the reason I had opted to follow them, so as to get a chance to read the behind-the-TV- political scenes between the lines. So in the evening we had a meeting with Ruto at one of the hotels in Nakuru town “to evaluate the day”, as he said. 

It occurred to me that Ruto is a very…I repeat…very humble politician. Plus the guy is very smart. He explains policies, and gets you facts about food security which our nation direly needs from his fingertips. He has experience from the Agriculture Ministry which he held before things started tumbling down for him, in a way politically. In short Ruto is a very convincing politician at a personal level, ceteris paribus. 

Now should I still remind you he is eyeing the presidency?

Aberi dreams of him, “I have seen him surrounded by seven planes on either side. He is in a transparent plane himself, so you can see him. That makes fifteen the total number of his plane entourage.  These planes are very high and flying at very high speed. I see him becoming a very great leader.”

Aberi says he has had this vision at least four times. He then goes on giving prescription for Ruto’s political dose if he envies the prophesized greatness. “He should not talk about Raila, Uhuru, O.D.M or P.N.U. Every time he talks about someone the planes get lost. If only he can keep quiet when in the public domain, or talk positively about other people. He should not take sides; he should have facts to back what he is saying, then keep quiet. He should be someone ready to reconcile. 

He adds, “If he does so even the I.C.C may pardon him (sic). But if he doesn’t then he goes nowhere. As long as he keeps hitting at Raila he goes nowhere.”

I ask him, “Do you also see Raila, Tuju and Uhuru anywhere?”

He answers.

Raila: “I have not seen Raila’s dream. I saw him last time weeping,” (insisting) “and he cried.”

Tuju: “Tuju is not appearing anywhere for now.”

Uhuru: “I see him just getting angry every time he wants to talk. He just wants to fight all the time.”

He is not yet through until he concludes “If I could get a chance to have Raila and Ruto face-to-face and at once tribal hatred will be gone forever.”

“Why do you say so?”

 “Whatever Ruto says he has a chance to change the face of Kenya…so much.”

…and there you have it. The alleged prophecy of Charles Lwanga Orioko Aberi, the former seminarian turned business man, turned dreamer. For your information his wife too also has dreams…prophetically.