Deputy President William Ruto will on Saturday seek IEBC clearance for his debut on the presidential ballot, climaxing his three-decade political journey defined by burning ambition.
Staring at the twin possibilities of political oblivion or State House occupancy, how Ruto cobbled together a spirited opposition inside government will remain the subject of long political discourses for days to come.
Harbouring a burning ambition and uneasy President Uhuru Kenyatta might betray him, Ruto laid out what would be a solid political ground for his first stab at the top job.
From churches to harambees, the DP camped in Kenyatta’s backyard and built such an enthusiastic grassroots following that Kenyatta had to erect hurdles to try to slow him down.
With Mt Kenya eating out of his hands, Ruto spread his drawing power to the Coast, Western and Eastern and build a steady army of lieutenants.
The DP’s audacious push and incessant whistle-stop campaigns in spite of Uhuru’s warnings endeared him to millions of followers, becoming the second after Raila to build a” cult-like” following of supporters he christened ‘hustlers.’
“It was a well thought-out strategy that helped the Deputy President to firm up his national popularity and become his own brand,” said North Mogirango MP Joash Nyamoko.
The Ruto ally said the DP is a focused and determined politician who follows his ambitions “without fear or surrender.”
His admirers say he is a smart, self-made man who rose to the top on account of his own resourcefulness, even against the desperate efforts of the political establishment, to become one of the most formidable politicians in the land.
The self-styled hustler is known for his frenetic work ethic that saw him rally the Rift Valley voting bloc behind Kenyatta in 2013 and 2017.
His key role in the Jubilee victories in the past two elections, perhaps, provided him with a firm springboard to hatch his presidential ambitions.
In the past two years, Ruto assembled the United Democratic Alliance into a formidable party packed with Jubilee renegades, in itself a remarkable marketing triumph.
Technically, he established his own government within government as the President reached out to ODM chief Odinga to steady his half of the administration.
BIRTH OF UDA
The birth of UDA was the beginning of Ruto’s grand march to State House after outwitting political rivals in a scheme that unsettled the President.
The DP joined forces with tens of victims of President Kenyatta’s purge in the ruling Jubilee Party to transform the little known PDR party into a gigantic political outfit with a national outlook under the UDA brand.
He swiftly embraced his allies who were axed from leadership roles in Parliament and assigned them key duties in building and re-branding UDA despite Kenyatta’s ruthless war.
The DP’s close allies say it took millions of shillings to popularise and brand UDA across the country and position it as a formidable machine in the political landscape.
Ruto is famed for also having succeeded in escaping an impeachment plot by re-building a political party that was already having a working relationship with his Jubilee outfit.
Political analysts say the move was a political masterstroke that caught his opponents off-guard and nipped in the bud a plot to kick him out of office for associating with a different party other than the one that sponsored him.
“Ruto is master tactician, let us give credit to him. He managed to assemble a party that would rival outfits that have existed for decades like ODM, Ford Kenya and even his own Jubilee,” said political analyst Dismas Mokua.
The DP moved to launch aggressive countrywide campaigns to market UDA, open offices and recruit party members, posting nearly eight million members and making it the most popular political party in the country.
A May poll by Tifa showed UDA enjoys the most support at 29 per cent followed by Raila Odinga’s ODM which polled 25 per cent. The ruling Jubilee party scored a paltry three per cent.
While accepting the UDA nomination as the party’s presidential candidate in mid-March, Ruto said the party had grown in leaps and bounds over the past year to pride itself of over seven million registered members.
“We have over seven million party members so far who have registered with us. This is a party for every Kenyan,” Ruto said.
PG MEETINGS
The DP held a series of meetings with UDA-allied MPs who had accused Uhuru of failing to call for Jubilee PG meetings.
During the sessions, the troops bonded and crafted their strategy against Uhuru-allied politicians.
The DP then sustained his campaign to disown the Jubilee government failures, while taking credit for the many ambitious projects done by Uhuru’s government.
Ruto, who initially defended the country’s ballooning loans, made a surprise U-turn to censure the government’s heavy borrowing.
In what caused collision with his boss, Ruto criticised the excessive borrowing saying it was crippling the economy and complicating life for Kenyans.
“I think you have all heard that as of today, even the unborn babies owe our lenders,” Ruto said in one of his criticisms of the government’s appetite for loans.
HANDSHAKE
Following Kenyatta’s handshake with Raila in March 2018, the rift between Ruto and his boss widened.
The DP launched a series of stinging attacks on his boss and the handshake, which he characterised as the source of his woes.
He has, however, insisted that he would forever cherish the gains they made when they formed government in their first term.
“In our first term, we made exceptional progress in setting the stage for national transformation. In our second term we witnessed accelerated regression into the tyranny personality of cult politics,” Ruto said in March.
The DP claimed the handshake scuttled the Jubilee development plan and provided an insulation for graft lords stealing public funds.
“As much as there was an attempt to explain that the handshake helped us complete our first term plans, it completely undermined the Big 4 Agenda,” Ruto said on Wednesday.
Ruto has claimed that a lot was achieved in the first term, contrary to the President’s assertions that he only managed to post an impressive record after the handshake.
MUDAVADI AND WETA
The arrival of ANC boss Musalia Mudavadi and Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula was seen as a major political score for Ruto’s camp.
At the time, the President was leading Raila in assembling.
Initially, the DP’s camp looked exposed as the President propelled some of the political bigwigs including governors and regional kingpins to form a mega alliance to face Ruto.
“It was the arrival of Musalia and Wetang’ula that we need to thank God for. They really brought about the regional balance and inclusion elements,” a top ranking UDA member said.
After the so-called earthquake in February, the DP’s camp expanded into the Kenya Kwanza alliance after he brought on board at least 10 other political parties.
PAA of Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi and Maendeleo Chap Chap of Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua joined last month.
RUTO’S JOURNEY
Ruto entered active politics campaigning for Kanu presidential candidate Daniel arap Moi under the Youth for Kanu ’92 movement.
Five years later, he vied for the Eldoret North parliamentary seat in 1997 after he and other vibrant youths became Kanu ‘rebels.’ He won.
In 2002, Ruto successfully defended his seat. In 2006, an ambitious Ruto declared he would contest the presidency.
This did not go down well with the Kanu camp, including former President Moi, who immediately condemned his decision.
Incensed, Ruto crossed over to ODM where he attempted to get the party ticket for the presidency.
As a staunch Raila ally in the 2007 election, Ruto showed his political muscle when he led the ODM wave that swept the Rift Valley taking all the seats. BY THE STAR