Forget tribal card, only a chosen few call the shots in Kenyan politics

DP William Ruto in a conversation with former PM Raila Odinga, former VPs Musalia Mudavadi and Kalonzo Musyoka flanked by Rachel Ruto during the Mashujaa Day celebration in 2018. It is when this elite pact ruptures, as it did around the 2007 General Election that violence and unrest come to the fore. [DPPS]

Kenyan politics is often depicted as a battle between different ethnic “Big Men” who can mobilise their supporters with a click of their fingers. The ability of successive generations of the Kenyatta family to rally the support of the Kikuyu community, and of Odingas to command the loyalty of Luos, means it is also seen to be dominated by a small number of dynasties – a Game of Thrones, if you will.