Outpacing Raila and Ruto is a tall order

Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga during the funeral service of former Finance Minister Simeon Nyachae at Gusii Stadium in Kisii County on February 15, 2021. [ DPPS, Standard]

Men seeking the presidency are becoming a dominant feature in Kenya as August 2022 nears. They fall into two categories; those at the top and those aspiring to be at the top.

Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga are competing at the top. At a respectable distance are men hoping to reach the top, including Musalia Mudavadi and Kalonzo Musyoka. Each man wants to be seen to be his own man rather than being in Raila’s shadow. The most affected by the shadow image are Kalonzo and Mudavadi. Ruto and Raila are well-endowed and dominate the political scene. They have adopted different strategies for capturing the presidency, whether under fresh BBI constitutional dispensation or under the existing 2010 arrangement.