The power struggle between President William Ruto and his opposition rival Raila Odinga following the election has taken a significant turn.
Raila Odinga has previously organized large-scale protests against election results.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta formed an alliance with him in 2018 and went on to support him in last year’s election.
Unlike in previous post-election protests, Mr. Odinga and Mr. Kenyatta became targets of violence.
The looters at the Kenyatta farm claimed it was in retaliation for business losses caused by Mr. Odinga’s protests, which they claim are sponsored by Mr. Kenyatta.
Those remarks and actions appeared to echo the words of the majority leader in parliament, Kimani Ichung’wah, who stated over the weekend that Kenyatta’s property was in jeopardy: “That is my message to none other than Uhuru Kenyatta, the sponsor, sole sponsor, singular financier of Azimio and mercenary that is Raila Odinga.”
Mr. Kenyatta does not appear to be funding Mr. Odinga.
The offices of a factory associated with Mr. Odinga and his family were also targeted.
Mr. Ichung’wah did not provide any evidence that Mr Odinga and Mr Kenyatta instigated violence or that Mr. Kenyatta was financing Mr. Odinga when I spoke with him after the attacks on Monday.
Ichung’wah then denied that people were acting on his words, claiming that he simply stated that the “choices” Mr. Kenyatta makes will have “consequences at the end of the day.”
I also told him that the attacks appeared to be planned, but he said that only the people who carried them out could tell you who planned them.
All of the men involved in this political squabble have previously worked together. Mr. Ruto was Mr. Odinga’s running mate in 2007, and he later became Mr. Kenyatta’s deputy president for ten years. Mr. Odinga and Kenyatta are now allies.
After all, Kenya’s political and business elites are small and frequently intertwined.
After each election cycle, opposing parties often reach a sort of gentleman’s agreement.
Individual property attacks, even if we don’t know how they were carried out, call that general understanding into question.
