Don’t be guided by bitterness if you win, Njiru tells Raila, Ruto
Lee Njiru, former President Daniel arap Moi's press secretary during the interview at Ngata in Nakuru County on July 5, 2022.
Retired Head of State's Press Secretary, Lee Njiru, has predicted what the presidency of Raila or Ruto portends for Kenya ahead of the August 9 elections.
He said if Raila becomes the fifth President of Kenya, he should show the people of Kenya and especially the people from Mt Kenya region, that he is not as bad as he was depicted.
He said he should not look at tribal alliances even though his father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and himself suffered and were persecuted by the subsequent regimes of Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Moi.
“Raila suffered but millions of Kenyans hope that if wins, he should not be guided by bitterness,” said Mr Njiru at his Ngata home on the outskirts of Nakuru City on Friday.
“This will be in the interest of Kenya. People feared he might want to be like the founder of modern Germany, Otto Von Bismarck, who was instrumental in the creation of a unified German state and one of the most influential politicians of late 19th-century Europe and nicknamed the 'Iron Chancellor',” said Mr Njiru.
The longest-serving presidential press secretary in the history of Kenya added: "Raila might want to embrace other East African communities of the region to support him in his political career. Looking at matters geopolitics, you should realise that Raila, with his political acumen, enjoys massive support in this region.”
Mr Njiru said the Deputy President, William Ruto, has been described as a "temperamental, a looter and a bitter person as vindicated."
Prove accusers wrong
However, he said Kenyans are highly educated and they know how to analyse.
He added: "If Ruto wins, Kenyans would want to see him prove by action that he is not as bad as he has been depicted by his opponents, just like Raila."
He challenged the two politicians to prove their accusers wrong if either becomes the fifth president of Kenya.
"Raila and Ruto should avoid revenge if one of them wins. They should completely forget revenge because, whether we like it or not Kenya, politics is ethnic-based to a very high degree. Therefore, the two leaders should not try to persecute each other after winning the elections as that will have bad backlash in their political backyard because they are viewed as kingpin leaders,” said Mr Njiru.
He added: “If you persecute Ruto or Raila, their communities will feel offended. It is like an insult to them. We cannot afford to have communities riot and cause trouble. The two communities will keenly be watching to see how their leader is treated by the next government.”
He said the two leaders, depending on who wins, should try as much as possible to avoid the perception bias amongst their supporters who are highly sensitised and can hear a pin drop.
“My plea to whoever will win the hotly contested elections is to create a political environment where their supporters will not feel their leader is in danger. They should avoid, at all costs, persecution because their supporters' perception bias is very high," said Mr Njiru.
He added, "The two leaders should know they command a lot of support from their home base and we cannot afford a costly riot and instability in the country."
