Uncle Has Played Us, Yet Again

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On 8th October 2023, the late General Francis Omondi Ogolla hosted president Ruto for dinner at his rural home.

It was a highly classified dinner with no photos taken and no politicians invited, except a select few.

That Sunday President Ruto had spent initiating development projects in Migori County before retiring for dinner in Siaya. The president left the general’s home very late in the night.

A friend of mine has been asking questions which I now require your indulgence to repeat here.

What if, as Joel proudly says, his father and the president were actually the greatest of friends? What if the helicopter tragedy that killed the general was just that, an accident? What if Kenyans on social media are just exercising their licence to dream and indulge in wayward speculation?

To this barrage of questions I had no answer but to reiterate Oburu Oginga’s words – let the agencies conduct their investigation.

Then he gets at me again that the outcome of investigations can be manipulated and so on and so forth.

But once my friend left I moved to that corner of my bedroom where I’m guaranteed a draught of fresh air from Lake Kanyaboli and I begin asking myself personal questions.

What if Raila Amollo Odinga did not get State support in his bid for the Africa Union Commission post; would farmers have been sold rocks and soil for fertilizers? Would the government have blatantly reneged on the collective bargaining agreements signed with Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU)?

Would General Francis Omondi Ogolla have died?

Again I have no answer to this barrage of questions but to revert to the wise words of the sage Ng’onga Molo Oburu Oginga: “Leave my brother alone. He has done enough for this country but when it comes to the Presidency five times Kenyans said no!”.

The ring of truth in those words does not stop me from marveling at the wisdom of another sage in history called Frank Herbert Dune. He said: power attracts pathological personalities!

So I close my window and retreat to a fitful sleep. I’m disturbed to realise that we are alone and the journey ahead is treacherous, uncharted and disturbingly similar to what happened to our neighbour, Uganda.