If there is a leader who has enjoyed unfettered media coverage in this country, it is none other than Deputy President William Ruto.
From Uhuru-Raila handshake in March 2018, which he trashed and labeled disruptive, Ruto has attracted media attention more than any other leader has done in recent times.
The less said about social media the better.
Indeed, this attraction has been so intense any researcher can attest there is no one single day Ruto has missed mention in the mainstream Radio, TV and daily newspapers.
Long before his main political competitor, Raila Odinga entered the Presidential race, Ruto gobbled media limelight, largely portraying himself as a victim of the handshake.
It is unbiased media, which has accorded Ruto acres of coverage to propel this confessed chicken seller-cum deputy leader of a country to international status.
It is the same unbiased media that has generated lively debates to raise awareness about Hustler versus Dynasty and Bottom-up economic model.
Those familiar with media will concur with me that even the Royal Media Services, whose owner is Samuel Macharia (Member of Mt Kenya Foundation) has not shown any bias against the DP.
This is partly because like any media company, RMS cannot afford to do so in a liberalised media environment, not to mention the financial losses that it can incur for doing so.
Media love underdogs as well as oddity and Ruto’s is a perfect study case of a personality who cannot be ignored by media.
In this regard, it has come as a big surprise for Ruto’s media advisers to announce the DP may not participate in the forthcoming presidential debate.
If there is one leader who Kenyans would love to interrogate and understand, it is DP Ruto and such a forum would be appropriate to quench their curiosity.
Why would Ruto shy away from such a debate? How would the DP be treated unfairly in an open multimedia setting?
Is it possible there are issues that the DP feels uncomfortable to discuss at an interactive forum with fellow competitors, the public and media?
During Madaraka Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, the DP was denied a chance to introduce the President and his supporters have been extremely frenzy about the incidence.
It is therefore intriguing that a media-craze DP’s minders would advise him to avoid the national debate, where the ever eloquent DP would gain many bonga points.
Truth be told, Ruto is a cut above many when explaining himself and the issues that he is passionate about.
Therefore, it is hard to lay a finger on the real reasons why this foremost debater would keep off an opportunity when it represents itself.
Why would the DP use media, especially RMS and Nation Media Group as scapegoats? My view is that the DP could be doing so to avoid entrapping himself.
The DP has severally been on record lying through the nose on so many issues and this is why he would probably keep off such a forum.
Some of the questions that I feel Ruto could find difficult to express himself on are; corruption, land matter, political party (coalition alliance democracy), bottom up economic model, class struggle (Hustler versus Dynasty) and double speak on development (debt, SGR/port and roads).
The above topics are very dear to voters and Ruto could be tactfully evading the debate by throwing the media under the bus.
Nonetheless, blaming the media or anticipating media bias is in itself unfair and completely unnecessary.
On the other hand, if the DP’s advisers think that by keeping off the debate it will generate public sympathy for him or the debate might collapse, they better think again.
In the absence of the DP, his erstwhile competitor, Raila Odinga will shine, while the DP will be viewed as a coward, mysterious and loser.
My advice to the DP is to ignore his advisers. He should take the bull by the horn and participate in the debate because it is in his best interest to do so.
Failure to participate could inflict serious damage to the DP’s reputation so close to the election because his opponents would successfully portray him as a leader who has already sensed defeat- on second thoughts has he?
Kaunda wa Muchunku
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