This archive report was first published on 1 July 2019.
Published on July 1, 2019, speculation is rife that former cabinet minister Mukhisa Kituyi is eyeing the presidency in 2022, following his impending retirement from the United Nations headquarters in Geneva.
Kituyi, the influential secretary general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, is believed to be angling for a key role in the Uhuru Kenyatta succession, with his Western region backyard primed for a major stake at the national level.
However, Kituyi is not the only one with presidential ambitions. Cyrus Jirongo, a former Lugari MP, is also rumoured to be eyeing the Kakamega governorship slot, throwing the strategic region into more confusion.
Already, William Ruto looks certain to give Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi a run for his money in the mad rush for the Luhya vote, with Ruto's much-publicized forays in the region.
Former Kakamega senator Boni Khalwale has defected to Ruto's Tangatanga outfit of Jubilee, but his decision has occasioned a major rift in the Ruto camp, with former Sports cabinet secretary Rashid Echesa bolting out to join Mudavadi.
The Luhya community is set to play a crucial role in the 2022 succession polls, with several key players vying for the top seat, including Mudavadi, Wetang'ula, and Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
