This archive report was first published on 31 July 2019.
As William Ruto's 2022 presidential ambitions continue to stall, a group of MPs from Kakamega county allied to the DP are now in a dilemma. The lawmakers, who have been singing and dancing to pro-Ruto tunes from the rooftop, have changed their tune, indicating that it is no longer business as usual in Western.
According to sources, MPs Bernard Shinali (Ikolomani), Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo), and Malulu Injendi (Malava) recently declared that Ruto should be prepared to first dialogue with Luhya leaders on how the community will benefit from his presidency. The legislators, who were hitherto avid proponents of the DP's 2022 succession plans, were categorical that Ruto will not get the community's direct endorsement in the absence of a dialogue.
Shinali, Wangwe, and Injendi's sentiments come at a time when Ruto has made countless trips to Kakamega and the larger Western region marketing himself well ahead of 2022. The DP has used these forays to dole out millions of shillings in impromptu fundraisers.
However, the tide is slowly changing within the Tangatanga brigade in Western. Ruto's nemeses have steadily been gaining ground, perhaps egged on by the turmoil that has been building in Jubilee. During the recent burial of legend Joe Kadenge at Gisambai in Hamisi, Vihiga county, political leaders told Ruto to keep off the region.
