Deputy President William Ruto has rolled out an aggressive campaign targeting ODM leader Raila Odinga’s political strongholds ahead of the 2022 presidential election.
The relentless Ruto is now among the country’s political elite with political footprints in virtually every part of the country as he strategises to capture state power.
The DP, on the other hand, has been directly reaching out to grassroots leaders across the country with his close allies and himself hosting delegations from the areas that have supported Raila for decades.
Ruto’s official residence in Karen, Nairobi, has been a beehive of activity despite the stringent restrictions imposed by the government to contain Covid-19.
Ruto’s daredevil approach became apparent when his ally Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi hosted hundreds of youths and elders from Raila’s Luo Nyanza backyard.
Previous presidential contenders including President Uhuru Kenyatta and his predecessor Mwai Kibaki gave Nyanza a wide berth.
“What is obvious of Ruto’s political activities is that he is trying to prove his resilience in the face of political atrocities in terms of the disheartening treatment from his boss and the unwelcome spirit in Jubilee party where he is the deputy party leader,” political analyst Javas Bigambo told the Star.
“This is not the first time we are seeing some political conmen from Nyanza trying to meet Ruto. Even in the last election, they were the very people who met Jubilee from Luo Nyanza. How many votes did Jubilee get from Nyanza? In Homa Bay they got about 300 votes,” ODM national chairman John Mbadi said.
He added: “It’s like saying some MP from Nyanza hosts Kalenjin youths thinking that the MP can take away Kalenjin youths from Ruto. It doesn’t make sense.”
Ruto’s centre of focus has been Coast and Western, the two regions that have supported Raila almost to a man since the chaotic 2007 General Election.
He has also maintained his focus on Central despite Uhuru turning his political sword against him and his confidants from the region.
In Ukambani, Ruto has won over former Machakos Senator Johnston Muthama and has a few MPs also backing his bid.
Sources told the Star Ruto now plans to take his multi-billion youth and women empowerment project to Raila’s Nyanza backyard as he attempts to shake up Raila’s support in the region.
Through the programme, which has already charmed some youth and women’s groups across Nairobi, Kiambu and Kajiado counties, the DP’s allies say they will “liberate” Nyanza residents from the “yoke of dynasty politics.”
On Sunday, Ruto’s key allies said the programme will take Raila’s Nyanza base by storm and complicate his fortunes.
“The programmes that we have seen the Deputy President doing every Thursday in Nairobi at his Karen office empowering youth and women’s groups will liberate them from the chains of dynastic rule the region faces,” declared Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi.
Sudi hosted hundreds of youths at his Uasin Gishu home on Saturday.
The meeting, the precursor of a mega meeting planned for the DP’s Sugoi home in the coming days, drummed up support for Ruto’s 2022 presidential bid.
“I am happy that you have said that you don’t want politics of stone-throwing and we will move forward to unite all Kenyans from all tribes. I want to tell you that as hustlers, the best way to go is to plan yourselves and everything will be possible,” Sudi told the youths.
The delegation, mostly from Kisumu county, travelled in buses to Sudi’s home in Eldoret where they presented a memorandum ahead of a planned visit to Ruto’s home.
Ruto wants to expand his financial empowerment to Raila’s backyard in bid to solidify his appeal to the “hustler nation” ahead of 2022.
More youth and women’s groups will now be part of his programme to receive donations including shoe shining stands, laundry machines, salon items, tailoring machines, water tanks and welding machines.
It has also emerged that the DP is planning to revive the Inua Mama programme by women MPs allied to him to target women’s groups in Raila’s strongholds.
They will also benefit from car washing machines, motorcycles, animal feeds and sewing machines from a man who has fashioned himself as the leader of the poor majority.
Ruto has previously come under fire for big money fundraising for churches.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, who attended Sudi’s meeting, disclosed to the Star that the plan of the DP and his allies was to raid Raila’s backyards and deprive him of support.
“Our business is to raid Raila’s strongholds and deprive him of any support that he has in this country. We are in political competition and we are offering alternative leadership by telling his supporters the facts,” Barasa said.
He added, “We are going to raid the counties of Nyanza and others so that we can save more people in the hustlers’ church of the Deputy President.”
The controversial revenue-sharing formula deadlocked in the Senate threatens the ODM leader’s fortunes across the Coast, Ukambani and Northeastern regions.
Coast MPs have accused ODM and Raila of abandoning the region after four senators from Raila’s backyard voted in support of the disputed formula.
Already, some ODM leaders from the Coast are plotting to register a political party, signalling Raila’s tough times ahead in a region where he has enjoyed overwhelming support.
Proponents of a new outfit argue that Raila’s move to back the controversial revenue sharing formula, which would see all Coast counties lose billions of shillings, amounts to betrayal.
Pro-Ruto politicians at the Coast are also keen to capitalise on the revenue stalemate to annihilate Raila politically in the region.
“The debate and subsequent vote on the Majority Whip Irungu Kang’ata’s amendments on the revenue sharing formula has exposed who our true friends are,” the leaders, led by Kilifi North MP Owen Baya, said.
The lawmakers noted that the action of the ODM senators will have political ramifications in 2022, adding that the region is considering courting new friends going forward.
But ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna told off the MPs, saying that the majority of them are not members of ODM while a few who are members have had run-ins with the party.
“The first noticeable thing about this group was that there was no single senator in it, meaning that the MPs were purporting to deal with a matter they had no business discussing,” Sifuna said.
Concerning Ruto and the Coast, Mbadi said Raila’s base is intact, adding that it was the first time the DP was trying to wrest region from the former Prime Minister.
“This is not the first time that Ruto has attempted to raid the Coast. Even when Jubilee was still one, they made several attempts to reach out to Coast people. Ruto literally camped at the Coast, but there was very little to show for it. It was not easy and it is not going to be easy,” he said.
Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi, who is ODM secretary of political affairs, said “what they are trying is inconsequential. Raila’s backyard is solid.”