DP Ruto in tight spot as political allies seek his backing
Deputy President William Ruto is caught up between his old and new allies as all seek his endorsement and the UDA party ticket in the run-up to the 2022 General Election.
A decision this week to root for Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata for governor post has exacerbated the dilemma Dr Ruto faces. Speaking in his Karen residence where he hosted a delegation from Gatanga, which is one of the eight sub counties of Murang’a, Dr Ruto came out strongly showing open bias for Kang’ata to succeed Mwangi Wa Iria who will be exiting after serving maximum two terms.
In his speech, the DP also appeared to endorse lawyer Edward Muriu as his favourite candidate for the Gatanga parliamentary seat.
This puts DP Ruto in an awkward position considering that the protagonists who are either strategists, party activists or financiers are indispensable lieutenants in his presidential campaign.
Should the DP and his team fail to deal and circumvent this challenge, it could prove politically fatal in regions such as the Rift Valley and Mt Kenya where securing the preferred party ticket is as good as winning the election.
Deputy President William Ruto chats with Nominated MP David Ole Sankok at his Karen residence.
UDA strongholds
The infighting is particularly intense in counties and constituencies currently regarded as strongholds of UDA. Leaders and aspirants are already saying the duel is causing bad blood among members, something they note could whittle down UDA’s support in the region.
In Kirinyaga, the DP recently endorsed Wangui Ngirici as his preferred gubernatorial candidate. This puts former Kirinyaga governor Joseph Ndathi, who revealed that his preferred presidential candidate will be the DP, in a tough position.
The other quandary facing the DP is in Embu where his trusted allies Cecily Mbarire (nominated) and John Muchiri (Manyatta) are both eyeing the UDA ticket for governor position.
The two have publicly declared to support to whoever wins the UDA ticket.
Deputy President William Ruto chats with former Machakos senator Johnson Muthama at his Karen residence.
Ditched Jubilee
DP Ruto Saturday received a boost after Laikipia East MP Amin Deddy Mohamed ditched Jubilee Party for UDA.
The legislator, through his aide Sammy Ndung’u, said the decision was made after consultations with his constituents.
Mr Deddy expressed frustrations with the ruling party.
“I currently belong to Jubilee Party. However, after much consideration and soul-searching, it will be disastrous of me not to give directions to my constituents,” Mr Deddy said.
He will fight it out for the Laikipia East seat with Laikipia Woman Representative Catherine Waruguru, a Ruto ally.
Rift Valley
In his Rift Valley bedrock, Mr Ruto has to deal with the duel between Pakistan Ambassador Julius Bitok, Nairobi City County Environment Executive Veska Kangogo, Eldoret businessman Jonathan Bii, former Teachers Service Commission (TSC) commissioner Cleophas Tirop and Uasin Gishu assembly chief whip David Singoei. The politicians will also battle it out with Soy MP Caleb Kositany in the race to succeed Mr Mandago.
Mr Bii asked UDA not to disenfranchise their votes by awarding individuals who have not gone to the ground to ask for votes.
In Nandi, Senator Samson Cherargei is warming up to square it out with Governor Stephen Sang after their falling-out over alleged mismanagement of public resources.
A similar scenario is likely to play out in Bomet County between Governor Hillary Barchok and Senator Christopher Lang’at, both allies of the DP who have thrown their weight behind UDA.
Former Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi, who is perceived as the DP's closest ally will be battling it out for UDA nomination with the current county chief Stanley Kiptis.
UDA chairperson Johnson Muthama has also declared that he will be vying for Machakos gubernatorial seat, a move which is likely to scare some aspirants.
Former Transport PS Irungu Nyakera, who is vying for Murang’a governor’s post, has termed the endorsement of Mr Kang’ata as a warning that in UDA, there will be no democracy that will facilitate free and fair nominations.
Deputy President William Ruto greets youth leaders during a meeting at his Karen residence.
Nominations debacle
“Just like the way this region’s democracy was vandalised in 2017, it is now clear that we are headed for another nominations debacle…But I got news for those individuals now chest-thumping after being endorsed…the voice of the voter will be supreme this time round,” he said.
Youthful aspirants from the county under the political banner Mountain Young Democrats (MYD) also termed the DP’s statement as dictatorial, warning they might reconsider their support if democracy fails to prevail in UDA.
But UDA Secretary-General Veronica Maina said no one has been nominated by the DP or party for any seat, noting that Tuesday's incident was misconstrued.
“The comments the DP made were actually taken out of context because he was encouraging the leadership and the work they are doing. I can confirm 100 per cent that there is no aspirant for any seat who has the party's ticket. It is the electorates who will decide the fate of candidates for various seats,” she said.
Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua concurs: “You cannot shout and complain about such statements when you are outside UDA. Once contestants are in UDA, they will face each other for the nominations in all elective positions. The DP has made it very clear that there is friendship and leadership and nominations will be free and fair.”
Mr Kang’ata said the statement does not mean that the DP will handpick his friends and give them UDA tickets, adding that his case was a special one since no aspirant has declared interest for the county’s top seat on UDA.
“We await free and fair nominations. We believe in democratic and open process of picking candidates. The problem is, no other aspirants have expressed intention to seek for Murang’a gubernatorial post on UDA. The party has its own calendar of activities and it cannot wait forever,” he said.
He also had a disclaimer. “It’s also advisable they consider embedding themselves into UDA activities like registration of members and by-elections, like in Juja and Kiambaa. I am not sure it's wise to stay on the side-lines as the party is being built and complain later. That's a little selfish,” Senator Kang’ata said.
While encouraging various aspirants not to be scared by those oscillating around him, the DP said UDA’s primaries will be fair and no one will be favoured.
“You do not need to be known by William Ruto. You do not need to be known by any person. The important person who should know you is the electorate because they are the ones who will determine who is better than the other in the Hustler Movement,” said DP Ruto last week when he met a delegation from Nakuru County.
But he has a Herculean task of keeping his supporters in one basket and ensuring his stronghold's votes as a bloc and separately generate a pro-Ruto wave with which politicians can easily ride to Parliament.
Deputy President William Ruto chats with Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai when Makueni leaders visited him at his Karen residence in Nairobi.
Direct tickets
Alternatively, the leaders may be persuaded by selfish reasons to impress upon the UDA leader to hand them direct nomination tickets, an assertion the DP reportedly rejected during a retreat in Nanyuki last week.
The other phenomenon the DP has to deal with is that in Mt Kenya, most MPs are sent home in elections yet it is those allies he needs to campaign for him.
There is a general feeling that presidential candidates should not overly rely on sitting MPs who are themselves fighting for political survival in a region known to kick out 70 per cent of its leaders during elections.
Again, the do-or-die electoral battles in their constituencies and counties could confine them to their local electoral units as the election nears, compelling them to champion their own causes at the expense of the Ruto presidency.
But Mr Gachagua and his Tigania West counterpart John Mutunga disagree.
“That is far from the truth. The DP’s popularity is from the direct engagement with the voters in all parts of this country and has nothing to do with us legislators. His support has nothing to do with the incumbency of leaders,” Mr Gachagua said.
Dr Mutunga said the DP has a prized value and has a big national stature, commanding sizeable political support across the country because he has championed for the “hustler’s cause”. BY DAILY NATION
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