Uhuru suffers ‘lame duck’ effect, gains kingmaker privilege

Constitutional term limits have the effect of turning a president into a lame duck in his final term of office. The reality about the two-term presidential system is that in his first term, the president cannot be too controversial and radical in the changes he makes to the body politic. If he is, he risks alienating key supporters and losing the re-election.

But yet, once he wins the second term, the support base that helped him win now look ahead, seeking to build alliances with the ‘king in waiting’. At present, William Ruto is the most obvious and leading contender. Should he become president, he will retire in 2032, having done 20 years in the presidency, just like Kibaki (1978-1988 VP and 2003-2013 President).