Nairobi, April 23 -- As the Member of Parliament for Laikipia East, I believe that I did my constituents proud by the perception that I had clawed my way into being regarded as one of the stalwarts of the ruling party, and an increasingly dependable ally of the government.

Remaining faithful to the governing philosophy of collective responsibility, I was seen as a rising defender of the policies of the government, and a party loyalist.

Given the fact that the nation was a single-party entity, getting inside the nucleus of the governing structure wasn't unwelcome at all; it was the ultimate aspiration of serious political players on the scene then.

At the risk of coming off as overly exercised, loyalism became the withering litmus test ...