On Sunday, Kenya experienced the so-called earthquake that ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi had warned us about for days.
Whereas the jury is still out on the extent of the damage done, we now know enough to at least assess some consequences.
First of all, it is rather clear who the biggest beneficiary here was - Dr William Samoei Ruto.
Methinks this is the most consequential move the Deputy President has made since he announced his Presidential bid. With this move, he has made three very significant steps on his way to the August polls.
The first significance is aesthetics.
Up to now, William Ruto has been the only big fish in his small UDA pond.
There was no other politician with a National stature on his side.
He was surrounded by people who on their own could hardly register on the news in local vernacular radio stations.
I mean, Ndindi Nyoro and Aden Duale on their own can hardly pull a crowd of 100 boda boda riders and another 400 idlers in a market unless they literally make it rain money.
Dr Ruto's camp could not organise more than one rally at a time because he was the only crowd puller - which is why he has been on overdrive sometimes addressing up to 20 rallies a day.
He is the only one who can pull crowds large enough for major media houses to report and his propaganda teams to make viral even if they regularly Photoshop online photos into them to make them look larger.
Of late, he has had to unleash the impressive Second Lady to help him campaign - something Presidential candidates in Kenya have not been known to do.
Now, Dr Ruto can easily send HE Musalia Mudavadi and his sidekick Moses Wetangula in the company of the likes of Waiguru and Murkomen to rallies of their own and expect decent crowds if they use his much- famed financial muscle to sufficiently mobilize the many idle and jobless youth.
This would help him avoid the inevitable toll and burnout that the rallies would have on him - after all, he's only human.
Secondly and more significantly, Dr Ruto has in a single swoop eliminated a formidable chess piece off the board.
You see, a core part of Ruto’s strategy as an alternative to the once bankable Mt Kenya vote has been a significant showing in Western Kenya.
And despite Jubilee's impressive showing in Western Kenya in the last election, he knows that was more as a result of President Kenyatta's influence than his even if his people say otherwise.
Their strategists admit that they have had difficulties penetrating the vote-rich Kakamega County and their smaller neighbour Vihiga that have firmly been in Raila Odinga and Mudavadi's camp.
With Mudavadi and his "Let's vote one of our own this time" mantra, one cannot ignore his would be influence there had he vied on his own.
His true opponent was Dr Ruto because Raila's core supporters there were not going to abandon him now that it looks very likely he would make it.
Dr Ruto, therefore, needed Mudavadi out and Wetangula on his side. He accomplished this on Sunday.
This was probably the biggest consequence of the “earthquake”.
Like former Speaker Marende said, Mudavadi predicted an earthquake but ended up being its biggest casualty almost like a suicide bomber whose bomb accidentally detonates before he reaches his target, limiting the damage largely to himself and a few bystanders.
Going by the look of things, Dr Ruto may not reap much from would be Mudavadi voters seeing the stampede that is politicians exiting ANC to join Azimio la Umoja partner DAP-Kenya.
Nevertheless, he can rest easy knowing he has both Mudavadi and Wetangula on his side to open the door for him whenever he visits.
Finally, the Deputy President has found the perfect proxy to use to attack President Kenyatta without looking bad in the latter’s backyard.
With his much-touted experience as Finance Minister (many who know think he was the weakest Finance Minister Kenya ever had and would have failed miserably if it were not for Micah Cheserem), he can attack the President’s economic achievements without making Dr Ruto look like a hypocrite.
He can even talk about corruption and make it the President’s responsibility even if a significant section of Kenya would point fingers right at the man standing behind him.
And going by his speech on Sunday, he seems to have been unleashed to go after the President’s family businesses as well.
I am not so sure that Mudavadi quite anticipated the backslash his move has caused, even in his own backyard.
Whereas he is rightly being praised in his newfound home by the side of the Deputy President, his own home is burning as both people and animals scamper for safety.
He purportedly launched a Presidential campaign that ended as soon as he ended his speech and UDA speakers allowed to speak.
When the Deputy President announced joint rallies with him and Wetangula, he should have trashed his fiery speech and quit the race. To purport that he is still running for President is laughable, to say the least.
He is now DP’s flower girl.
Like young people like to say, "Hapo DP alicheza kama yeye".