Why forum is high-stakes game for Raila, Ruto State House bids
By Mathew.Ndungu, February 23, 2022As President Uhuru Kenyatta meets delegates from his Mt Kenya backyard in a bid to chart a political course, the two leading presidential aspirants will be waiting with bated breath for the outcome from the gathering.
Any proclamation made from the meeting that is expected to bring together about 20,000 delegates will have direct consequences to Azimio La Umoja’s presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga and his arch rival Deputy President William Ruto.
Should the President successfully persuade the delegates into supporting his preferred successor Raila, then Ruto, who has been banking on bagging the majority of the six million plus votes in the region, will have to go back to the drawing board.
Likewise, should the delegates stand their ground and tell off the President over his choice of Raila as his successor, then the ODM leader will have to change tack with minimal time left to the General Election.
The die is cast and pundits believe that today’s meeting is indeed a defining moment for both Raila and Ruto in their presidential ambitions.
According to University of Nairobi lecturer Dr Richard Bosire, Uhuru is likely to rally the Mt Kenya community to support his choice in order to control his legacy and succession.
“If the meeting ends with a resolution that the delegates go back to their villages to launch a serious campaign for Raila, then Ruto will have lost. But again, if the delegates dissent, then Uhuru and Raila will leave with an egg on their faces,” says Bosire.
Legacy projects
But Dr Bosire believes that with the intelligence network and other state machinery at his disposal, he doubts whether Uhuru would take a gamble or bangle his game plan.
“He is a man out to determine his succession and as such leave his legacy projects to a man he believes would complete them. He also seems to be full out to ensure that he leaves the presidency in the hands of a person he will not have problems with in retirement,” Dr Bosire observes.
Bosire says part of Uhuru’s unfinished business is the moribund Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) that he is determined to install somebody who would oversee its completion.
Ruto has presided over several fund-raising events in the region as well as political rallies and roadshows, in an attempt to win voters. On top of that, he has continued to receive several delegations and defectors from Mt Kenya at his Nairobi’s Karen residence in his quest, to grab the vote-rich region.
Raila on the other hand, has managed to win the hearts of influential tycoons from the region under the auspices of Mt Kenya Foundation (MKF) who have described him as the safest pair of hands for their businesses. The group presented Raila with the region’s priority issues, including security, agriculture, business, and youth unemployment.
While Raila has enjoyed the support of a majority of governors from the region, Ruto seems to be having the backing MPs.
“The President has always had influence and will continue having that influence on the region,” says Prof Macharia Munene, a former lecturer at USIU-Africa and a political analyst.
Macharia says whoever Uhuru is going to endorse and if he happens to successfully persuade the Mt Kenya region into supporting him, will have a head start in the General Election.