Mania Opinion

The Genius of Morara Kebaso: Tom Mboya Reincarnated?

We analyze the political wizardry of Morara Kebaso's civic education and relate it to the political genius of the late Tom Mboya

David Mania

David Mania

— 19 min read
The Genius of Morara Kebaso: Tom Mboya Reincarnated?
In many ways, Morara Kebaso is emerging as the best depiction of the Kenyan youths' aspiration for a new era of ethical politics. In this post, we analyze the genius of Morara's activism. Source: Dall-E/Open AI.

Morara Kebaso, a young Kenyan businessman has been making waves in the political scene by conducting mass civic education about corruption in the current regime. He has been going around the country and uncovering the looting behind stalled government projects that were commissioned by President Ruto.

DALL·E AI-Generated Image - A mythical and enlightened scene of a young man, Morara Kebaso, greeting Tom Mboya, a dark-skinned African statesman and pan-Africanist, as Kenya gains her independence | Mania Africa
Is Morara Kebaso Tom Mboya reincarnated? Let's dive in! Source: Dall-E/OpenAI.

In his social media series ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Morara has been showing the neglected projects, some of which have been unveiled twice by President Ruto, in efforts to uncover the rampant corruption in his government. In this article, we analyze the genius of Morara Kebaso’s approach and ask whether he is Tom Mboya reincarnated.

Morara Kebaso is a great example of the third liberation of Kenya where the youth rise up and take the bull of bad governance by its horns. His courage and commitment to truth can only be likened to the political genius of Tom Mboya, Kenya's long-lost JFK. Source: Dall-E/OpenAI.

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Who is Morara Kebaso?

Morara Kebaso is a 28-year-old furniture shop franchise owner, a certified lawyer, and a Gen Z activist. He has been trending for most of the last few weeks, topping it up with his TV interview on Citizen TV’s JKL Live yesterday.

Morara Kebaso was fearless and unrelenting, calling President Ruto "a liar" and exposing government looting via stalled projects | The Genius of Morara Kebaso: Tom Mboya Reincarnated? | Mania News
Morara Kebaso was fearless and unrelenting, calling President Ruto "a liar" and exposing government looting via stalled projects. Source: Citizen TV.

Morara has been on a mission to conduct civic education, particularly on the rampant corruption characteristic of the William Ruto regime.

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Morara, a Gen Z, came to the limelight in the recent Gen Z Protests in Kenya and despite the protests cooling off, he has unilaterally gone on to audit the Ruto regime's development projects, pointing out its failings in his social media accounts (@morarakebasosnr).

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Morara Kebaso initially went viral when he did an imitation of the President’s political rallies, where Ruto, in his ‘Kaunda’ suit, addresses his followers hoisted up in his guzzler’s sunroof.

Watch Morara Kebaso's imitation of President Ruto, complete with a 'Kaunda' suit as he made his way to the JKL interview. Video courtesy of Citizen TV.

Morara Kebaso's JKL Live Interview: Morara Calls Out President Ruto for Being “a Liar”

During his interview yesterday on Citizen TV's JKL Live, Morara shared part of his biography saying that he studied law, as he comes from a family of lawyers, but instead opted to go into the furniture business—after trying out numerous professions.

Morara shared that his 'talking truth to power' started while he was still in school, with his speaking out leading him to be suspended in high school and even expelled from the university. Morara was a student leader at Kenyatta University.

He shared that his efforts to hold the university’s administration accountable led to his suspension before he resumed his studies and completed his Law Degree.

A Call from the Ancestors: Morara Kebaso Speaking On His Ancestors' Behalf

Morara Kebaso also shared his family background where he said that his great grandfather, and grandfather, George Julius Morara had been assassinated for questioning the Jomo Kenyatta regime’s assassination of Tom Mboya.

Tom Mboya was a Kenyan freedom fighter and astute politician, considered by many Kenya’s most revered political genius.

Tom Mboya with JFK back in the 60s | The Genius of Morara Kebaso: Tom Mboya Reincarnated? | Mania Politics
Tom Mboya was one of Kenya's greatest sons, often called "Kenya's JFK." He was instrumental in Kenya gaining her independence and became so popular that the regime felt threatened—so much so that they assassinated him. Still, he inspires all of us today to look forward and bring forth a new Kenya! Source: LinkedIn.

He was assassinated in the late 60s, due to political differences with the Kenyatta regime—as he was seen to be so popular that he posed a political threat to the country's leadership. Effectively, Tom Mboya could have easily become Kenya’s president but the regime then, decided to off him.

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Morara’s grandfather, George Julius Morara, was later assassinated when he questioned the government’s actions against Tom Mboya. Kebaso shared that his grandfather discovered that Tom Mboya’s killer, who the then regime had said was hanged, had been relocated to Zambia.

"I want to assure you, Mr. President, that the silence you feel today is not peace, but the silence before a storm." - Morara Kebaso to President William Ruto

Kebaso says that his grandfather met the man, previously thought to be dead, in a refreshment joint in Zambia "taking alcohol". That’s when he [George] came back to the country and demanded justice for Tom Mboya. He was then a District Officer, DO a provincial head. Before the 2010 constitution, Kenya was comprised of 8 provinces.

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Like his ancestors before him, Morara Kebaso is not afraid to criticize the government of the day. Morara is an accomplished Gen Z businessman doing what 50 million plus people are afraid to do: call out the Ruto regime for systemic corruption and embezzlement of public resources. Source: Morara Kebaso.

Morara Kebaso: I Received a Call from President Ruto and He Offered Me a Government Job

During the JKL interview, Morara Kebaso also revealed that he had received a phone call from President Ruto, and was offered a government job. In his words, he said that he was told “Serikali ni kubwa” which translates that the government is large and that they could find him a spot in it.

Watch Morara's revelation that he declined a job offer from President Ruto. Video courtesy of Citizen TV.

Morara says that the call, including other calls from Ruto’s aides, was to urge him to end his civic education and his activities exposing the regime’s failure to deliver on its promises. He, however, declined to share more on his phone call with President Ruto.

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Commissioned, Paid For, But Never Delivered: Taxpayer Billions Lost in Stalled Government Projects

The Kenyan taxpayer has been losing billions of Kenyan shillings in stalled government projects, reveals Kebaso, in his ‘Vampire Diaries’ social media series.

On top of doing a fantastic job at imitating Ruto, Morara has also been relentlessly speaking truth to power, something the Gen Zs call "injecting" | The Genius of Morara Kebaso: Tom Mboya Reincarnated? | Mania Opinion
On top of doing a fantastic job at imitating Ruto, Morara has also been relentlessly speaking truth to power, something the Gen Zs call "injecting". Source: Morara Kebaso/X.

Most of the projects that the president commissions, Kebaso says, are never intended to reach completion and are only commissioned for show.

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Morara, speaking in the interview, called President Ruto out for being “a liar”, saying that his government has paid billions to contractors for projects that have never been finished, with some having never even started at all.

Morara highlighted a number of these projects, including one where the government paid over 200 million Kenya Shillings to a contractor, as “interest for late payment.”

State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed Intervenes

Morara’s revelations seemed to reach State House Nairobi, with the State House spokesperson, Hussein Mohamed phoning in—to the interview—to intervene. Hussein urged Morara to be “truthful” and called out the show’s host, Jeff Koinange, and the station, Citizen TV saying that they should not let “anyone come on the show and tell lies".

Watch the State House Spokesperson, Hussein Mohamed's intervention following Morara Kebaso's revelations of 'the president's call'. Video courtesy of Citizen TV.

Hussein Mohamed demanded that Morara substantiate his claim that President Ruto called him, in a move that many saw as his attempt to divert attention from the key issue being discussed—government looting via stalled and incomplete development projects.

In reply, Morara showed Jeff Koinange the president’s phone number, with Hussein Mohamed replying that “many people have the President’s number.”

Hussein then went on to sarcastically say “we [State House] love what you do, holding the government accountable but urge you to remain truthful”.

Morara didn’t dwell too much on the president’s call and said that he would retrieve his call records given time and a chance for another interview another day.

Watch Morara's revelations on being called by President Ruto and the 'fake' government projects he's been auditing. Video courtesy of Citizen TV.

He urged the host to not dwell on the issue, instead choosing to focus on rampant corruption in the Ruto administration.

Activist Okiyah Omtata, urged the president to "address real issues" and that the "embarrassing exposure of projects relaunched by President Ruto should be the focus of discussion" | Morara Kebaso Interview on JKL Live | Mania News
Activist Okiyah Omtata urged the president to "address real issues" and that the "embarrassing exposure of projects relaunched by President Ruto should be the focus of discussion" and not the president's call. Source: People Daily/Threads.

“The People Sponsor Me”: Morara Kebaso in JKL Live Interview

Morara Kebaso also received a question from the audience via X, on whether he is sponsored, and if so, who sponsors him. “The people sponsor me”, he replied, pointing out that Kenyans, both those residing within the country and abroad, have been sending him some money to help [him] “fuel my car and pay my research assistant” as he goes around the country revealing the regime’s corrupt tendencies. Morara also shared that he has been also crowdsourcing knowledge on stalled government projects, urging his followers to visit government project sites, and document progress, if any, and share it with him.

Watch Morara's revelations on how crowdsourcing has helped him uncover government looting via stalled development projects. Video courtesy of Citizen TV.

Morara Kebaso On Vying For a Political Seat: Kenya Has “Commercialized Politics”

Asked whether he would vie for political office, Morara said that “we [Kenya] have commercialized politics” saying that it incentivizes those who get into political power to embezzle public funds to recoup their campaign spending. Morara, however, said that if the people were to crowdfund for his campaign, he would vie for President and challenge William Ruto in an election. “We would have a hell of a time”, he added, expressing optimism that he would be a formidable presidential opponent to the president.

I Am “The Leader of Opposition” - Morara On Citizen TV

Morara also said that he is “the leader of [the] opposition”, calling out the opposition party, ODM’s recent entry into government. “They have joined the executive”, Morara lamented, saying that despite the Gen Z protests—being a push for better governance and pushing the president to dissolve his cabinet—Ruto had reinstated half of the cabinet and joined with ODM, in what he [Ruto] calls a “broad-based” government. Consequently, Morara said that he is now the leader of opposition and will not stop holding the government accountable reiterating, “We need change”.

Morara also said that his courage comes from "my love for my country" and also out of "disappointment with how it is being governed".

Morara Kebaso on His Safety: "God Will Protect Me"

Asked about whether he is worried for his safety, Kebaso said that “God will protect me like he protected King David when he was being pursued by King Saul” because “I believe He has a great future for me”. Morara shared that, “I understand my wife, my lawyers, my parents, and my aunts and uncles are worried about me, but they know me and they know I must do this.”

Watch Morara Kebaso's comments on his family being worried about his safety. Video courtesy of Citizen TV.

Recent Gen Z Protests in Kenya have led to numerous abductions by suspected rogue police units—covered in masks and using unmarked vehicles. Asked how he manages to evade abduction, Morara said that he manages to stay safe by “being random”, adding that “if they [rogue police] are waiting for me outside, I will be sorry to disappoint them”.

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Nonetheless, he acknowledged the power of the state, saying that if they pursued someone, they would catch him. He, however, shared optimism that in the current state of affairs, it was unlikely that the Ruto regime would go that way; implying that his popularity and support from the people would make it difficult for the regime to harm him as it would be all too clear, it is the government who’s done it.

He also shared that, recently, he's had incidences when his phone has been "tracked", with "vehicles with untraceable number plates" hanging around his house.

Morara Kebaso to President Ruto: “Money Cannot Do Anything More For You”

While the interview was winding up, Morara called out President Ruto for being “corrupt” saying, “A fish rots from the head”. Morara pointed out that Ruto has a 900-acre ranch in Kilgoris, complete with "an airstrip where he lands", yet his next-door neighbor doesn’t even have electricity. “I have been there... and even the next-door neighbor has not been reached by the last-mile [electricity] project”, Morara said. The project was the previous regime’s flagship project to ensure countrywide electricity connectivity, providing household connection to the grid, for little to no charges.

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Morara capped the interview with a powerful message to President Ruto telling him that “money cannot do anything more for you” urging Ruto to stop the corruption in his government and stop being corrupt himself.

Morara shared that “it’s hard for politicians not to be corrupt if the president is corrupt”, saying that a corrupt president encourages other government officials to be corrupt as it indirectly “gives them permission to steal [from taxpayers] if the president is stealing”.

“The President’s Words Should Stand for Something” - Morara Kebaso to Ruto

Morara also called out Ruto for being “a liar”, urging him that he should do right by the people of Kenya or resign—shortly after calling him a “one-term president”. Morara also told Ruto that “the president’s words should stand for something” saying that Ruto should “stop lying to the people” and deliver on his campaign promises. Morara then ended the interview with a powerful message saying, "I want to assure you, Mr. President, that the silence you feel today is not peace, but the silence before a storm."

The Genius of Morara Kebaso: Is Morara Tom Mboya Reincarnated?

In many ways, Morara Kebaso can only be likened to political geniuses such as Tom Mboya. First, he is well-educated being a certified lawyer. His eloquence in articulating issues makes him a very good orator and he is able to air out his views in a manner that is easy to understand and relate to. That is why his videos have been doing so well.

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Second, like Tom Mboya, Morara is a 'politician' who is so relatable that they do not come across as a typical self-interested politician. Yes, I do think to some extent that Morara is a politician but his genius is being so relatable, eloquent, and courageous to the point that the people feel he is keener to represent their interests than his own.

Tom Mboya was regarded as the Kenyan J.F.K. for just how bright he was. Mboya was a flawless orator and author | The Genius of Morara Kebaso: Is Morara Tom Mboya Reincarnated? | Mania Opinion
Tom Mboya was regarded as the Kenyan J.F.K. for just how bright he was. Mboya was a flawless orator and author. Had he not been assassinated by the regime at the time, Tom Mboya would have spearheaded Kenya's emergence as a prosperous and independent nation free from British colonial rule. Source: MalindiKenya.

Third, Morara has that spark, or what some may call ‘charm’. He knows how to fire up an audience and persuade them that his cause is their cause, and their cause is his cause. This particular trait is what made Tom Mboya such a threat to the powers that be back then. He was able to speak in the local villages, as well as in international summits, with such charm that both audiences would get his message and relate it so deeply that they couldn’t help but support his cause.

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