This archive report was first published on 7 October 2019.
As the 2022 succession race heats up, a secret effort is underway to reunite President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto. The move, which has been in the works since early this year, aims to bring the two leaders back together, potentially spelling doom for the March 9, 2018, handshake between Uhuru and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
According to highly placed sources, the allies of the two leaders are planning to rope in respected clerics and elders from the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities to facilitate the reconciliation. The plan is to have the two leaders put aside their differences and work together once again.
One of the key players in the reconciliation effort is Speaker Justin Muturi of the National Assembly, who is a close confidante of Uhuru. Muturi has been instrumental in Uhuru's appointment for a second term and is said to have a close relationship with Ruto. On the other hand, Speaker Ken Lusaka of the Senate is a close ally of Ruto and has been instrumental in rallying legislators to the government's cause.
The reconciliation effort has already made significant progress, with the allies successfully brokering a pact between Uhuru and Ruto. One of the key achievements of the pact is the stopping of Kalenjin hardliners, including Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and MP Oscar Sudi, from openly attacking Uhuru. This move is seen as a significant step towards healing the rift between the two leaders.
Another issue that has been identified as a major cause of the bad blood between the DP faction and a section of cabinet secretaries allied to Uhuru is their fate in the post-Uhuru era. Fear has been that they will be dropped immediately from plum slots, which will be taken over by DP men. This fear has led to a push by the CSs to influence Uhuru's succession to their own future benefits.
As part of the reconciliation effort, the allies have also been pushing for Ruto to accommodate Uhuru's loyalists in the public service. They have also proposed that Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti and his Public Prosecutions counterpart Noordin Haji go slow on the corruption purge, particularly on CSs close to the deputy president.
The push to reunite the two leaders has been ongoing since early this year, and it has already led to significant changes in the way Uhuru and Ruto interact. For instance, Uhuru has limited his engagements with Raila, and even diehard ODM supporters are now convinced that their man is on his own.
Despite the efforts to reunite the two leaders, there are still many challenges ahead. One of the major concerns is how Ruto will treat Uhuru's loyalists, particularly youthful high-ranking civil servants, if he becomes the president.
