Malala meets Ruto, Mt Kenya leaders amid Kenya Kwanza running mate position row
By George Brian, March 14, 2022
Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala on Monday held a meeting with Deputy President William Ruto and a section of leaders from Mt Kenya region days after creating a storm over who should be Ruto’s running mate in the August election.
Speaking in Malava, Malala, on Saturday, said that his party, Amani National Congress (ANC) is ready to support DP Ruto’s presidential bid in exchange for a deputy president position which he wants to be given to Musalia Mudavadi.
“We as members of the ANC party have agreed that William Ruto will fly the Kenya Kwanza presidential flag in the coming election but we demand the running mate position to be preserved for our party leader Musalia Mudavadi,” Malala said.
The running mate position is said to have become a matter of contestation within the Kenya Kwanza camp with some insiders claiming that the position has already been preserved for the Mt Kenya region but the Mudavadi camp insists that they also deserve the seat.
It is rumoured that DP Ruto moved with speed to convene today’s meeting between Malala and Mt Kenya leaders in a bid to solve the matter.
In the meeting, according to Malala, they resolved to focus on the bigger picture which is winning the presidency in the coming election.
“The Mountain and Mulembe Nation will work together to deliver the 5th president of the Republic of Kenya. Privileged to have met leaders from the expansive Mt. Kenya region for a candid tête a tête on the same,” Malala said.