Why it's now Ruto against Odinga, Moi and Kenyatta dynasties

It is now becoming clear that the oligarchs in Kenya are ganging up against the son of a not so popular man ascending to power.This week’s activities show that Deputy President William Ruto could have boxed himself into a tight corner by locking out the Moi and Odinga families out of his circle.And as if on cue, the three families have become bosom buddies with highly publicised visits, handshakes and whatnot.Is Ruto’s 2022 support for the presidency assured?These past few weeks, the events coming after the handshake show that the three families have a trick under their hat which could destabilize Ruto’s bid for the presidency after President Uhuru Kenyatta’s exit in four years.While the DP has a lot at stake, betrayal by Kenyatta would be a huge surprise going by the bromance the two have exhibited since the 2012-13 episode when they joined hands to create Jubilee.Uhuru and Ruto have been buddies and there has been no sign the two could be bearing hatchets against each other.If the handshakes, visitations and public display of newly found love between Raila Odinga and Uhuru are anything to go by, then it is only the Moi’s that are needed to complete the axis which could lock out Ruto.Raila never does anything political for charity but for gain which preserves and keeps him on the high table.When President Mwai Kibaki was sworn in at night in 2007, many of the dealings leading to that event have since been swept under the carpet.Thereafter, Kibaki’s hands-off approach to governance saw Raila Odinga become his thorn in the flesh, as he never gave him peace throughout the coalition government period. This is despite having endorsed Kibaki just a term earlier and declaring him ‘tosha’.Some 11 years later, one of the creators of the bloated government is the deputy president and Raila having betrayed him, there’s no doubt he could do it again.DP Ruto is the reason that Raila will never step into State House as president and this may be the Ruto’s biggest nightmare.Raila has a way of never politically dying, has a way with words and with people but Ruto...?While he may have learned his trade from former President Daniel Arap Moi who is known as the professor of politics, Ruto may just win the favour of the hustlers because he is proof that anyone can become president.If the hustlers who have the votes gang up against the oligarchs, this is the only way Ruto will occupy the house on the hill.On the other hand, the former PM has a way of playing the system-regardless of whichever side he is on to remain relevant.In 2002 he sided with Kibaki and was in government, five years later he was in Kibaki’s government despite being in the opposition. In 2013, he was locked out of government but he has slithered back in 2018 putting Ruto in a precarious position. But will he succeed in exacting revenge against the DP?And this brings us to the real issue.For Raila, he has nothing to lose exiting politics while Ruto has everything at stake.Raila’s influence over the two decades he has been in politics has proven that his word has been law. Anybody he endorses becomes an overnight sensation among his followers. His cultic following and the tentacles it has makes it hard-almost impossible for anyone seeking office not to acknowledge.Raila’s word is law among his followers and this is why Ruto should be wary of the handshake and the visits to former President Moi.As we are in a perpetual political mode, the only way Ruto can survive this onslaught is by slaying tribal politics and amalgamating all the support he gets to build one formidable voting bloc.After all, Kenyan politics is shifting and it is time for the big man to make way for the son of a peasant.

Why it's now Ruto against Odinga, Moi and Kenyatta dynasties

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Why it's now Ruto against Odinga, Moi and Kenyatta dynasties

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