This archive report was first published on 27 September 2019.
As the 2022 presidential election draws near, Deputy President William Ruto has been quietly building a formidable team in Gusii land. The team, comprising of politicians and youths from Nyamira and Kisii counties, met with the DP at his Karen home on Tuesday in a bid to solidify his support base in the region.
According to sources, the meeting was a do-or-die hunt for votes, with the DP holding two separate meetings with each of the groups. Kisii Deputy Governor Joash Maangi led the group from his county, comprising 27 ward reps from the region, while MPs Joash Nyamoko, Vincent Kemosi, and Shadrack Mose led more than 200 youths from Nyamira to the meeting.
Mr Ruto's allies in the western region, led by National Assembly Chief Whip Benjamin Washiali, have cautioned ODM politicians against using the handshake to sabotage democracy. Mr Washiali defended the nomination of soccer star McDonald Mariga as a Jubilee candidate in the Kibra by-election, saying it did not symbolise the end of the handshake.
As Mr Ruto lays the strategy to win the presidency in 2022, he has not only established a team of politicians in Gusiiland but also western Kenya to galvanise support for his bid. The group has agreed on modalities to scatter efforts made by those backing Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i for presidency, and Kisii Governor James Ongwae, who backs the CS for the top position in the country, is a person of interest for the group with sources indicating that he is to be frustrated by the MCAs.
