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The true mark of statesmanship is magnanimity, standing above parochial and past resentments. Once you become a leader, you are a servant to all. That’s why there is a clear distinction between a politician and a leader. 

Politicians use instruments of governance to entrench themselves in power. But leaders are foresighted and focus on a legacy.

In his Angelus, addressing the congregation from the Vatican on Sunday 13, September 2020, Pope Francis stated: “We cannot demand God’s forgiveness for ourselves unless we are prepared to forgive our neighbours”. 

What we need now in Kenya is forgiveness, both from the political class and the voters. Elections are over, but people have the freedom to express and associate, and this should not be seen as casting aspersions against the current regime. 

Martin Luther King said: “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.” Politics should be like a game of rugby — play rough during the campaign period, then act like a champion and gentleman after winning the game. 

President William Ruto, whose political experience spans over 30 years, distilled through the experience of working in various appointments, should wear the armour of a statesman. If he and deputy Rigathi Gachagua are true Christians, they should not be vindictive.

Ruto campaigned for five years for the presidency, and this did not deter then-president Uhuru Kenyatta from delivering on his mandate. Therefore, Ruto should care less about Raila and his rallies as long as they don’t disrupt public order. 

All Kenyans have the constitutional right to picket. If Raila or any person states that they don’t recognise Ruto as president, the Constitution is clear that he is the President of Kenya. And even if some people say he used unfair means to ascend to power, it remains that, as per the Constitution, he is the president. 

Internal reflection

Picketing should not bother him unless, deep down his conscious, the criticisms are provoking internal reflection.

A president is like a brand-new car. On leaving the showroom; its value is no longer the same because of the burden of incumbency.  A government is an enterprise of going-concern, with different managers now and then. 

Likewise, Ruto should realise that blaming the former government will not solve the economic problems Kenya is facing. He should instead embrace goodwill and bring on board every Kenyan to realise national prosperity. 

When Mwai Kibaki came into power in 2002, his close aides wanted him to victimise former President Daniel arap Moi, who had demoted Kibaki from the vice-presidency. 

But Kibaki was a statesman. He rose above petty politics and set his sight on Kenya’s economic recovery.

Ruto will gain more political currency if he embraces the administration of the former regime, which constitutionally he was a part of. Kenyans will then see him as a leader who means well, one who has put aside his personal feelings and embraced magnanimity. 

Financial experts have pointed to a volatile economy in 2023 and 2024, worsened by the war in Ukraine and the after-effects of Covid. 

Disruptions have occurred in global supply chains, with increased fuel prices and high costs of living. 

Ruto should focus firmly on fixing the economy instead of involving himself in sideshows. In less than four years, voters will audit his performance scorecard. 

The political temperatures Kenyans are experiencing are the residues of last year’s elections. By next year, things should have cooled down. 

— The writer is a teacher in Hong Kong