Uhuru, Lupita in Africa’s most influential list

President Uhuru Kenyatta combined political shrewdness and the power of a suave public relations machine to overshadow his pending trial for international crimes at The Hague and emerge as one of Africa’s most influential personalities this year.

London-based magazine New African says Mr Kenyatta made it to the exclusive list for successfully employing a smart political strategy that has turned Africa against the International Criminal Court (ICC) and away from the serious crimes he is accused of committing during Kenya’s 2007 General Election.

Mr Kenyatta was recognised for skilfully exploiting the ICC charges, which initially threatened his leadership ambitions, to make ICC Chief
Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda among the continent’s most reviled personalities.

“While the Office of the Prosecutor alleges witness tampering and non-cooperation by the Kenyan government, it is really Kenyatta’s shrewd politics that have undermined the court. He has rallied African leaders in opposition to the ICC in a way that very few people imagined could happen.”

The report adds that Mr Kenyatta has “reframed his case as being about the dignity and sovereignty of Kenya and more broadly Africa, rather than about the political violence following the disputed 2007 election.”

The struggle with ICC has been the making of Mr Kenyatta and is expected to define his presidency – having so far transformed an erstwhile political neophyte into a savvy and dominant figure in African politics, the report says.

Publication of the list came amid a barrage of criticism that has greeted Mr Kenyatta’s first year in office, especially over the seemingly unstoppable wave of insecurity mainly driven by Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terrorists.

READ: Kenya economy’s profile suffers from insecurity setback

The President has also come under sharp criticism over rampant corruption and rising ethnic friction that has continued to eat into Kenya’s political fabric since he took power 18 months ago.

“His country faces many challenges, but is full of opportunity. How he will use his newfound stature in 2015 remains to be seen,” the New African concludes.

Mr Kenyatta is among 23 politicians and public office holders listed among Africa’s most influential personalities of 2014. He is listed in that category with his nemesis Ms Bensouda, who succeeded Argentinian Luis Moreno-Ocampo in 2012.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who is cited for his anti-ICC stand and continued military interventions in the region’s conflicts, also made it to the list alongside South African politician Julius Malema.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and Chad strongman Idriss Déby also made it to the list of Africa’s most influential public personalities.

“Many of them are heroes whose actions have pushed Africa forwards in exciting and positive ways. Some continue to hold the continent back. They are presented to you, the good alongside the bad, in no particular order,” the report says.

Mr Kenyatta leads 13 Kenyans who made it to the continent-wide list of the most influential Africans this year.

Keroche Breweries CEO Tabitha Karanja is the only person who made it to the list of Africa’s influential business and economic leaders. She was celebrated for taking on a more established rival East African Breweries Limited (EABL) in the region’s highly competitive beer market.

The coveted list of top business moguls includes Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote, who has invested in many African markets and Tidjane Thiam, the Ivorian head of Prudential Insurance – the European underwriter that acquired Kenya’s life insurer, Shield Assurance Company in September.

Ory Okolloh, an advocate of good governance and better known as a co-founder of the Ushaidi platform and Mzalendo website is also in the list of most influential Africans.

In science, Prof Calestous Juma who moved from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government to act as the director of the Gates Foundation-funded Agricultural Innovation in Africa Project is named among influential personalities for the year.

Seven Kenyans made it to the art and culture category of the list including Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, Jim Chuchu of Just a Band, literary icon Ngugi wa Thiongo, novelist Yvonne Owuor and writer Binyavanga Wainaina.

Others in the category are television host and fashion PR strategist Diana Opoti and photojournalist-cum-activist Boniface Mwangi. Godfrey ‘Gado’ Mwapwemba, a Tanzanian better known in Kenya for his political cartoons and political satirical puppet show, XYZ, is also in the list.

Two award-winning athletes javelin record holder Julius Yego and marathon runner Dennis Kimetto are also listed in the league of Africa’s most influential.

They were listed alongside Botswana’s 20-year-old middle distance runner Nijel Amos who knocked David Rudisha off his 800m perch during this year’s Commonwealth Games.