- On Saturday, Mudavadi will meet Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga.
- Uhuru’s key allies in Mt Kenya are working closely with Raila.
Image: DPPS:
Deputy President William Ruto and ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi have pitched camp in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Mt Kenya backyard in what is billed as a battle for the community's support ahead of the 2022 polls.
On Friday, Ruto will tour Murang'a county on the day UDA, a party linked to him, won the Kiambaa parliamentary seat.
In the Kiambaa MP by-election, Uhuru was rooting for Jubilee candidate Kariri Njama, while Ruto supported UDA's John Njuguna. Njuguna won with 21,773 votes against Njama's 21,263.
Ruto’s Murang'a tour comes weeks after he hosted 227 MCAs from Mt Kenya at his official Karen residence.
The MCAs were taken through the UDA manifesto and the bottom-up economic model in which the DP is set to unveil his economic blueprint in December.
Mudavadi, who has also declared interest in clinching the presidency, will spend his weekend in Nyeri county, where he will seek to endear himself to the vote-rich region.
On Saturday, Mudavadi will meet Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga after which he will hold another meeting with local leaders, stakeholders and opinion shapers.
A dispatch from Mudavadi Centre indicated that the ANC leader will also meet party members on Saturday.
On Sunday, Mudavadi will be at New Life Church in Nyeri town for a service before attending a football tournament later in the day.
Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala told the Star that ANC is hunting for votes and popularising Mudavadi’s 2022 presidential bid.
“ANC has officially started popularising Mudavadi’s presidential bid on a serious note countrywide,” Malala said on the phone.
With Uhuru retiring next year, Mt Kenya has been the focus of presidential hopefuls due to its voting strength, which according to IEBC's 2017 register had around nine million votes.
Uhuru’s key allies in Mt Kenya are working closely with ODM leader Raila Odinga, something that Ruto is out to counter.
Kenyatta's final word on his successor is likely to determine who between Ruto and Raila will inherit his backyard.