Deputy President William Ruto and Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru have been rated by a recent Ipsos Synovate poll as the most corrupt people in Kenya.
The poll that was released on Wednesday ranks Ruto at 33 per cent closely followed by Waiguru who ranks at 31 per cent.
Both have since trashed the poll and defended themselves saying the poll is a scheme by their political detractors who are out to portray them in bad light. Whether true or not, the two politicians blundered tactically by commenting on the survey.
The best thing the two would have done was to keep quiet and continue with their day-to-day business as if nothing was said about them. Here is why the two erred big time as they will realise sooner than later.
1. They added fuel to the fire. By not ignoring the poll and choosing to defend themselves, just served to fire up and prolong the debate. There will be more attacks and the people who will get dirtier are the two. Their attackers who will be like the pig that drags one into the mud will be enjoying the moment to the fullest.
Imagine a situation where the duo had not yet commented on the poll. The debate would have gone for two or three days and thereafter die a natural death.
2. Sometimes it is more powerful to get others to agree with you through actions without saying a word. The fight against corruption is on a high gear. If the two decided to keep quiet and ceased the moment to demonstrate through actions that they are neither corrupt nor do they condone corruption, the results would have been impressive.
3. You cannot challenge public opinion but you can change it. If Kenyans perceive Ruto and Waiguru as the most corrupt for whatever reasons, challenging that perception is counter-productive. However, if the two had decided to work towards changing that perception, they would have won the day leaving Synovate with egg on the face.
4. Surrender is a tactic. When you know you are fighting a losing battle, it is foolish to go on with the fight for honour's sake. Choose surrender instead, as Robert Greene would put it in his book '48 Laws of Power'.
Ruto and Waiguru know pretty well that this will be a hard fight to win going by the kind of corrupt deeds Kenyans have been associating them with. But if they kept quiet, they would have infuriated their political enemies while denying them the honour of winning the argument of whether they are corrupt or otherwise.
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