Since the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga, Deputy President William Ruto has had a rocky relationship with the two leaders.
This is because he believed the two were out to scuttle his presidential bid. Taking the cue, his allies had been using all the tricks in the book to punch holes in the unity deal. Well, it seems the allies had been properly coached and as such, they would not fire at President Kenyatta directly.
However, one does not need to be a rocket scientist to know he was their main target. They wanted Jubilee supporters to believe his decision to enter the truce amounted to a betrayal of his deputy. However, this strategy would not work as the majority of Kenyans rallied behind the President.
At one point, Ruto took the war a notch higher when he called Raila a conman, liar, propagandist and a lord of poverty. The same man showered Raila with praise at Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso’s funeral and vowed to work with him. This is a laudable move and hopefully, the DP will stick to his word. The handshake was for the good of our country.
We know at the time Kenya was on the verge of sliding back to the post-election violence that had been witnessed after the 2007 polls. Therefore, Uhuru’s intervention was timely and well thought out. I hope the DP’s latest change of heart is informed by lessons he has learnt and this time he will keep his word.
Right from the beginning, Uhuru’s position has remained clear that the handshake had nothing to do with succession politics. He is yet to show preference to a candidate he may want to succeed him, one wonders where the allies get the stories that he will not support the Deputy President.
Political analyst and blogger
