Deputy President William Ruto is apparently a marked man with regards to his presidential bid for 2022.
The DP is likely to face all kinds of hurdles staged by powerful individuals out to stop him, as has been claimed by a section of his allies.
Actually, the Deputy Head of State seems to be already in the process of being thrown under the bus, courtesy of the closeness between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Therefore, it will not be shocking to see Uhuru either openly or indirectly disown his initial vow to back the DP, a vow he made in the run-up to the 2013 and 2017 elections.
With Uhuru seemingly having grown closer to Raila, another longtime presidential hopeful, every indication points at a higher possibility of him endorsing the ODM leader instead of the DP.
Ruto could also end up receiving the treatment that led to founding Vice President Oginga Odinga resigning from his position in 1966.
As is already apparent, Uhuru has only been inviting Raila in most of his presidential functions lately, this could be an attempt to make the DP feel humiliated and resign in protest. Should he made this decision, it will lower his chances of succeeding his boss as he will automatically be thrown on the anti-Uhuru side which might see the president endorse another person.
This is likely to worsen between now and 2022.
Finally, the DP could have a tough job overcoming the apparently growing number of forces out to construct a wall to block him, most of whom he has rubbed wrongly.
For instance, he is already facing rebellion from former Jubilee Party Vice Chair David Murathe who has vowed to stop him and Baringo Senator Gideon Moi who is his sworn rival.
It is likely that the two and many others could come together to form a single unit which might overpower him and land him in the opposition side after the polls.
Also likely to come his way are more graft allegations in a bid to portray him in a bad light and deny him the vote.
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