Karen Nyamu didn’t just wander into contradiction she sprinted there.
She backed the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua while branding him divisive, reckless, and unfit to sit a heartbeat away from power. She didn’t hedge. She didn’t blink. She was loud, sure, and absolutely certain.
Now suddenly she “misses” him?
Please. That’s not nostalgia. That’s survival instinct.
She can see the political weather turning. The ground is restless. People are angry. And when politicians feel the wind shift, they don’t grow principles they grow caution.
This is about not getting booed in public. It’s about staying on the right side of the crowd for as long as possible.
And the private talk is even worse than the public speeches. When the microphones were off, she was emphatic contemptuous even. Now that the tide threatens to sweep away anyone too closely tied to the current centre of power, she’s rewriting her feelings in real time.
This is the real story:
When power is rising, many politicians chant loyalty.
When power starts slipping, they suddenly rediscover “concern,” “reflection,” and “regret.”
It’s not conviction. It’s calculation.
And the public is supposed to forget what was said yesterday as if screenshots don’t exist, as if witnesses don’t exist, as if we all have collective amnesia.
This isn’t leadership.
It’s political gymnastics and the only constant is self-preservation.
President William Ruto is playing one of the most sophisticated political mind games in recent Kenyan history. His statement that “many people told him Raila Odinga is not president and must not be accorded a state burial, but he dismissed them saying Raila was the people’s president,” is not an act of kindness it’s reverse psychology at its finest.
Ruto knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s speaking to three audiences at once.
First, he’s addressing the Luo Nation, sending a carefully coded message: “I respect your leader more than his own.” That’s emotional manipulation wrapped in flattery the kind that lowers resistance and wins sympathy. He’s turning the pain of loss into political capital.
Second, he’s speaking to Uhuru Kenyatta and the Kikuyu elite, saying: “I did what you couldn’t. I reached where you failed.” That’s a subtle taunt. He’s not just extending a hand of unity he’s reminding Uhuru that he now controls the emotional center of Kenyan politics.
And third, he’s messaging the international and national elite, painting himself as the “magnanimous statesman” who respects his enemies, a move meant to neutralize criticism and position himself as a national reconciler.
But the truth is, Ruto’s every gesture is a calculation. The man doesn’t speak out of emotion he plays chess, not checkers. By publicly “honoring” Raila Odinga, he is disarming opposition sympathy, rebranding himself as the healer of divisions, and preparing ground to raid Raila’s political base.
The same way he told Uhuru Kenyatta “I looked for you because we must build Kenya together” Ruto was not extending peace, he was collecting political collateral. He wants to appear above tribal grudges while quietly tightening his grip on every emotional fault line in the republic.
In short, Ruto isn’t just playing politics he’s manipulating perception.
He’s using mourning as marketing, respect as recruitment, and reconciliation as rebranding.
A trickster, yes but a genius one.
Thursday's Star
- Ogamba order: JSS teachers to remain under
- Revealed: EACC unending battle against forged academic papers
Grab a copy of our e-paper on https://t.co/WjZJr7g6QW
CS Ogambo, your push for comprehensive schools is a BETRAYAL! You sound more KNUT member than CS. What about QUALITY education? Are JS teachers still post-primary? What’s their CpG or is C4 the ceiling?
#JSAUTONONOMY#COMPREHIZIVELTAWE!
#CSOGAMBATAWE!
I'm weeping for my kids who are waiting for KJSEA exams. Wao wenyewe wananiambia watafurahi kutoka hii shule, they are just tired, no teacher is willing to motivate them. Wazazi wao hawafanyi any effort. Wananiskiza one hour wanarudi default. Headteacher kazi ni kukula Capitation
Serikali haifai kupea hawaa head teachers pesa ya Capitation. Inakuliwa yotee uuuui.
Unakaa ivi ati unaskia kuna mahali ulisign hio mambo ya JSS na ata hujui kitu ka hio ili happen. These guys are frauds. Actually no money should be disbursed without proper planning.