Uhuru’s planned endorsement of Raila to complicate Ruto’s quest for power
As the end of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s 10 year tenure is fast approaching, he’s becoming more engrossed in the politics of influencing his own succession as he races against time to complete his legacy projects.
Far-reaching amendments to the Constitution would be required if President Kenyatta was to run for a third term, prompting the question whether the changes in the Building Bridges Initiative Bill was part of the plan for the President to remain relevant on the political scene.
Termed as the patron of the Raila Odinga led Azimio La Umoja Movement, the President has recently been openly fronting for the ODM leader through the Mount Kenya Foundation (MKF) rallying his troops behind him.
President Kenyatta and Odinga are banking on allies perceived to hold sway in the regions to bolster the ODM leader’s bid, even as teams also begin the Jubilee Party revitalization plans.
Though separately, both Jubilee and ODM are slated to hold their National Delegates Conference on February 25 and February 26 where Uhuru will seize the moment to endorse Raila as the Azimio presidential flag bearer during the August General Elections.
The Kenya Kwanza Alliance (KKA) yesterday accused the Head of State of scheming to wield power behind the scenes by imposing Odinga on Kenyans in the August 9 polls.
Deputy President William Ruto led his Kenya Kwanza coalition partners, Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula of Ford Kenya in taking a sway on his boss saying he intends to pick the ODM leader’s runningmate in a power sharing arrangement.
The three, while addressing their supporters at Luanda Town in Vihiga County, said President Kenyatta was fronting Odinga through the Azimio La Umoja Movement as his “Project”.
“The people of Kenya cannot elect a puppet president and a project who cannot keep his word,” ANC Leader Mudavadi said.
He alleged that Raila is being pushed by people who want to rule the country from the background.
Ruto maintained that as Deputy President, he knows the workings of government and will not allow any person to rig elections.
The possibility of President Kenyatta remaining in power in some form has been discussed since it was initially suggested by the Secretary General of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) at the 2018 Labour Day celebrations.
Political pundits contend that Uhuru’s open campaign against his Deputy is likely to significantly diminish Ruto’s chances to ascend to power given the influence the former commands in his voter rich Mount Kenya bloc.
Uhuru’s support for Odinga has been interpreted as boost for the perennial leader of opposition in his fifth stab for his ascension to State House.
Ruto is fighting to shed off the tag of a saboteur in the very Jubilee administration he is serving under.
The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) which sought to spearhead a constitutional referendum ahead of the next polls, was not only met with suspicion and open hostility in the ruling party’s strongholds, it is now in limbo after the Court of Appeal said it would release its verdict on a date that does not favour the August deadline set by the BBI proponents.
Unlike his predecessor Mwai Kibaki who kept off succession politics, at least publicly, Uhuru may influence Mt Kenya politics as well as national politics.
His rivals, however, have promised him a tough duel and want him to be ready for the consequences.
Other than interfering with Ruto’s political arithmetic, Uhuru’s involvement in succession politics might also clip the wings of some of his possible successors who took advantage of his silence to register political parties.
Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has gained traction for the first time without a regional leader at the helm and the DP has managed to persuade some elected figures from Mount Kenya to join him after falling out with President Uhuru in early 2018 during their second term.
