• They are not a fallback plan. He remembers that he and Uhuru won by only 8,000 votes in 2013
Image: GEORGE MUGO
Of course, the Western and Coast votes are the most numerous and very important after the Kikuyus.
These regions may not have very serious candidates in 2022. Therefore, DP William Ruto thinks if he gets them, they can compensate for the injury he could suffer in case Central region decides not to support him in 2022.
People might say he is frequenting Western and Coast because he wants to use them as his fallback plan in case Central dumps him. But that is not the case.
If he gets these votes (from Western and Coast) even if the Kikuyus support him, he will still be doing well.
It should not be forgotten that Uhuru Kenyatta and Ruto barely made it in 2013 by avoiding a repeat of the presidential election by only 8,000 votes. In 2017, the elections were disputed so nobody knows if they won.
So even if the Kikuyus were to support Ruto, he will be very happy to get a chunk of the Western vote.
It is increasingly becoming clear that the 2022 election will be between Ruto and Raila Odinga. Anything else will not be a horse; it will be a donkey. So, there is no way someone like, say Kalonzo Musyoka, will leave the handshake and team up with Musalia Mudavadi or any other leader from Western to deny Ruto the vote.
Kalonzo has been calling for the creation of positions of Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and others. This kind of gesture from him shows he is not ready to go it alone or leave the handshake.
If Mudavadi decides to go it alone, then he will not be a serious candidate. So he will also most likely work within the handshake. But if the handshake choses him for President, then it is okay. He will be a serious contender and Ruto will not have any vote from Western.
Raila still enjoys massive support in Western and if he and Uhuru back Mudavadi, then Ruto will not get a single vote in the region. And I think this is what Ruto has read and that why he visited the region and is trying to get as many leaders from the area behind him as possible.
The university don and political commentator spoke to the Star