Deputy President William Ruto has changed tack in his grassroots strategy, opting to use small focus groups targeting local diaspora communities to penetrate rival territories.
It has emerged that the Deputy President’s presidential campaign machine has decided to use influential politicians to market the hustler agenda among members of their own tribes living outside their native regions.
The new plan comes as he launches a charm offensive in Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s Ukambani backyard.
Ruto will be in Machakos county on Thursday with a series of stopovers.
He will start his campaign tours at Donyo Sabuk at 10am before moving to Tala, Kangundo, Kivaani and Kakuyuni.
He will also make stopovers at Kathiani, Mitaboni and Joska in the whirlwind tours of the vote rich county.
On Friday, he will pitch camp in West Pokot. He will address the residents at Tapach, Sigor, Kamla, Chepareria and Makutano.
In the new plan, adopted by the DP to penetrate rival’s bases, Ruto will be deploying same-language speaking politicians on regions populated by their tribes in the diaspora. The tact is a fresh political game plan to upstage rivals.
“We have decided that henceforth, we shall have groups of politicians visiting various parts of the country to specifically speak to their brothers and sisters living in local diaspora,” Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua said.
The MP said the aim of the strategy is to employ a personalised political approach that connects with the population using their first language, to spear the hustler nation gospel.
“You will be seeing hustler nation politicians from the Kikuyu community moving across the country speaking with members of the kikuyu community living outside Kikuyuland,” he said.
During such meetings, Ruto will not be accompanying the native speakers to avoid sending a tribalistic message as he seeks to consolidate national support for his presidential bid.
Over the last few days, Kikuyu politicians allied to Ruto have camped in parts of Rift Valley. They are preaching the hustler gospel to the natives of Central Kenya living in the vast region.
“We shall be speaking to our people in the language they understand,” Gachagua said, adding that they will be meeting members of the Kikuyu communities in major towns across Rift Valley.
The other group of politicians include the Kisii speakers led by South Mugirango MP Sylvanus Osoro. This category will target the Kisii community spread across the local diaspora.
The Kisii community, which is considered one of the country’s most entrepreneurial communities, is spread across the country and is considered a crucial vote bloc.
“We want to engage them on why the Ruto government would provide the best business environment and stability to continue with their work without fear,” Osoro said.
The groups include Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga, MPs Joash Nyamoko (North Mugirango) and Vincent Kemosi of West Mugirango.
Given that politics is local, the Ruto ‘tribal army’ will be seeking to affirm the hustler agenda in political representation and economy.
The other category is the Somali community that will be led by Garissa Township MP Aden Duale and a host of Ruto allies from the ethnic group.
This group will focus on the Somali community in the local diaspora to shore up the DP’s numbers ahead of the presidential contest.
Other categories include the Maasai, Luo and Luyha.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)