Ruto still holds hope for Uhuru’s support in 2022 elections

Against a seemingly public falling out with his boss President Uhuru Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto is confident the Head of State would support his 2022 State House bid.

During an interview with a local TV on Sunday, Ruto maintained that Uhuru will throw his weight behind him in the next General-Election because of their long-friendship, political partnership and what he described as the President’s “duty to manage a credible transition.”

Ruto is even confident that the President’s Mt Kenya backyard will support him come the polls.

“Uhuru is my friend and we have come from far. When the right time comes and if Jubilee nominates me, I will approach him as our leader and I am confident he will support me,” said the DP.

Uhuru’s allies led by Jubilee vice-chairman David Murathe have been unequivocal that Ruto, whose associates were recently removed from influential positions in Parliament, will not be the party candidate in the next presidential contest.

According to Murathe, Uhuru has no obligation to reciprocate Ruto’s support in the past two elections and advised the Deputy President to forget the Mt Kenya vote.

Murathe stated that he and like-minded politicians will support ODM leader Raila Odinga as a transitional one-term president in the 2022 polls.

Despite what appears to be a strained relationship with his boss – the two have not been seen together in public in recent months – the DP maintained he and the President are close friends.

“Our relationship with the Head of State is still tight and we are working together to deliver to Kenyans as per the Jubilee manifesto what we promised Kenyans and those political con men you hear making noise saying they are talking on behalf of Mt Kenya, just ignore them because the region is very loyal and I am sure they will support me come 2022,” said Ruto during the interview with Weru TV.

Uhuru and Ruto trace their links to the former ruling party Kanu, as Uhuru went for the presidency, losing to Mwai Kibaki.

The two would gang up with other Cabinet Ministers to join the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to defeat the proposed Constitution in the 2005 Referendum.  

However, they parted ways after Uhuru retreated back to Kanu and backed the re-election of President Mwai Kibaki while Ruto campaigned for Raila during the controversial 2007 polls which gave birth to the Grand Coalition Government.

Political con men

The two would be reunited by their cases at the International Criminal Court (ICC), creating a bond that would see their parties form an alliance to win the 2013 and 2017 polls with Ruto as running mate. 

The two, however, seem to have differed following the March 2018 Handshake between Uhuru and Raila, who the Deputy President perceives as his main challenger in 2022.

During the interview, Ruto blamed his current circumstances in the ruling Jubilee Party where he has been sidelined on “political conmen” who are keen to put a wedge between him and his boss and friend.

 “When you are in my position you must be patient. I have resisted any attempts by some people for me to confront the President.

As the Swahili saying goes, mvumilivu hula mbivu (Patience pays). It will be unfortunate for me to exchange with the President.

Many countries have suffered because of differences between leaders,” he explained.

The DP also sought to fight the notion that he has been isolated in government and accused CSs who have been caught up in a fierce public spat with him of naivety.

 “Some of the Cabinet Ministers we hired are new to politics. They are bound to get confused.

One can only forgive them,” he spoke in direct reference to his weekend exchange with Environment CS Keriako Tobiko who described the DP as ‘clerk’ in Uhuru’s government.

“I attend all Cabinet meetings. I have never missed a Cabinet meeting or National Security Council (NSC) meeting to which I have been invited.”

He described the Murathe group as “busy bodies who were not elected by anybody.”

“They will not succeed.  They don’t speak on behalf of the President even if they package themselves as his friends.

They will be removed from the party. We came from far with Uhuru to occupy the leadership positions we have.”

 The DP has been making frantic efforts to win the Mt Kenya region by making dozens of trips to the area with a bunch of youthful MPs, a situation that is said to have infuriated the President’s people who accuse Ruto of waging pre-mature campaigns.

But on Sunday Ruto asked Kenyans to prepare for a different turn of events.

 “People will be surprised to see Mt Kenya support me because many try to think the region cannot support anybody who is not from the community.

Politicians with self-interest should change their tune because we are one nation that does not support ethnicity or tribalism,” he added.

 Ruto is dangling the position of running mate to woo the vote-rich region.

 “Mt Kenya people, the Gema community, is very loyal. They  supported former President Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Jubilee candidate Uhuru Kenyatta 100 per cent and I am optimistic that they will support me as the Jubilee candidate come next election despite efforts by the Opposition to break the bond,” he said.

Victimisation

The DP who was largely addressing the Meru nation (Weru is a vernacular Meru station) resisted pressure for him to pick Agriculture CS Peter Munya as his running mate, only saying he had no grudge with the minister.

“It will not be that easy to pick a running mate because every region wants to be represented in the national map and that is democracy but the party will consider the most popular candidate who will give the party more votes, not the region they come from,” he said

 He, however, chided Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi for abandoning him. 

“Despite supporting Kiraitu in the last election and him being an old friend since 2013 when I persuaded him to dissolve the ‘Mbus ‘ and join Jubilee a thing he agreed and he took part in the transformation and formation of the Jubilee government now things are different because there is a lot of victimisation and he has hibernated but I understand,” he added.