Hurling a shoe at President is primitive and dangerous action that must be condemned by all.That is a popular saying by the former Vice-President George Saitoti at a national KANU party elections at Kasarani Basketball arena eons ago when the ruling party made strategic leadership decisions that saw a new breath of fresh leadership competed from the National Democratic Party.
In as much as Prof Saitoti didn’t agree with the decisions to have him step down the party leadership, he accepted it as a patriot knowing the country interest comes first before any individual’s.
This is the mark of a mature democracy and a modern society where elections are held and those elected given a term to serve. The ugly incident of a random person hurling a piece of shoe at the President if the Republic of Kenya in Kehancha yesterday must be condemned in the strongest terms possible.
It is threat to nationhood, peace and tranquillity that this country has achieved in the past 60 years and setting her apart from her neighbours. The President is a symbol of nationality unity and must at all times be treated with utmost respect and with decorum.
The fact that President Dr William Ruto has decided to come out of the comfort o the lawns of State House and meet the people in their neighbourhood’s assessing and launching development projects is not only a good thing, it is desirable.
Kenya as a developing nation is faced with numerous challenges and with scarce national resources, prioritization and a steady monitoring an evaluation of numerous national development initiatives in water and sanitation, healthcare, education, infrastructure, energy including power connectivity are vital steps towards achieving collective national and regional specific development projections.
As such, the move by President Ruto to tour every corner of the nation is a welcome initiative that must be encouraged and protected jealously by all. To have someone throw a projectile at our President is uncouth, primitive, insolent, dangerous and to say the least precarious.
Kenyans must guard jealously our peaceful democracy where every five years we have successful elections because those country’s that don’t have this, have shown to live a life of perennial conflicts leading to deaths, mayhem and anarchy. Our security agencies must move with speed to isolate the culprits and make them face the full force of the Law.
It will be useful to establish if the actor was alone or if it was premeditated and organised with accomplices ahead of the President’s visit. Those responsible must be subjected to the harshest punishment allowed by Law as a lesson to the rest.
This country cannot afford such especially at this time that national cohesion and integration is at the heart of our collective psyche. President Ruto visit to Nyanza is a particularly crucial coming against the backdrop of a recently secured MoUs with China to help the underdeveloped lakeside catch up including extension of the SGR from Naivasha to Malaba via Kisii, Kisumu and Western.
In the meantime, those with opposing views to the current administration can channel them through established channels such as the Legislative Assembly and can as well await the democratically set date of 2027 when General Elections are due and where they can express their will on the ballot.
For the nation is bigger than any individual. As we speak, H.E President Dr William Samoei Ruto is the duly elected President of the Republic of Kenya and must be allowed to serve his term peacefully and with respect.
