Residents of Nyanza, the political backyard of NASA leader Raila Odinga, will vote for Deputy President William Ruto in 2022, National Assembly Majority leader Adan Duale has said.
On Saturday, Duale said Nyanza will reward Ruto for making Raila become Prime Minister after disputed 2007 election.
“The only community that made Raila a PM was the Kalenjin. That is why you should not be surprised to see Raila endorse Ruto for the presidency in 2022,” Duale said.
He spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the Pastoralists Parliamentary Group meeting at the Nyali Sun Africa Beach Hotel in Mombasa. The meeting brought together 107 MPs and Senators from arid and semi-arid regions.
At the same time, the majority leader rallied the 107 legislators from the 14 counties of arid and semi-arid region of the country, which are mainly occupied by pastoralists to support Ruto’s 2022 bid.
Out of the 107 legislastors only eight are Nasa supporters.
Duale told the PPG meeting that they have to ensure “a pastoralist” succeeds President Uhuru after his five-year second term comes to an end.
“We must ensure that a pastoralist gets to State House after President Uhuru Kenyatta and you (PPG members) know what I’m talking about,” he said.
When asked by journalists who he was referring to, Duale responded, “None other than the Deputy President William Ruto. He is from a pastoralist community.”
In the meeting, which was attended by former Senate Speaker Ekwe Ethuro and former Minister of Defence Yusuf Hajj, Duale said as a community they need to strategies on how benefit from the national government.
He said they need to also benefit from key government appointment.
“One time I was told that pastoralists are taking everything in government. I answered, my friend, we are nomads and when we go to State House, the only seat we will not sit on is that of the President Uhuru Kenyatta,” he told the PPG meeting amid laughter.
He said as pastoralists they must aspire to have representation in the Executive, in the Judiciary, in Parliament and in private sector.
“We cannot sit down and wait. We have to go for all these available opportunities,” he said.