Deputy President William Ruto is one of Kenya’s smartest politicians and this was seen on Thursday during the launch of the Universal Health Care in Kisumu.
President Kenyatta, Raila Odinga, and the DP led a heavy political delegation to the opposition bedrock.
Apart from launching the UHC, Uhuru and Raila were in Kisumu for a political message since their March 9, 2018 handshake which seemed to rattle Ruto’s political camp.
This created a perception that DP Ruto was opposing the ‘handshake’ as it threatened Jubilee’s succession plan where Uhuru was to hand over the baton to his deputy in 2022.
When it appeared that Ruto would accompany Uhuru to Kisumu, which is Raila’s home ground, political observers said he risked being jeered by Raila’s supporters.
However, Ruto played his cards well to avoid an embarrassing scenario.
First, he started by having a light moment with Raila before the arrival of President Uhuru.
His team of social media made a good move by splashing the photos on social media to send a message that the two leaders had warmed-up to each other.
Another trick Ruto played well is praising Raila, when he spoke at the Ahero interchange; he spoke highly of Raila and Uhuru. He, deliberately, referred to Raila as ‘The Prime Minister’.
The former Eldoret North MP also pulled his winning card when he referred to himself as ‘Kijana mkubwa wa Baba yetu Tinga’.
By declaring full support for the handshake, Ruto was clearly playing to the crowd’s emotions which obviously diffused any hostility which could have been directed at him.
Ruto’s move must interest students of political science and those studying the art of persuasion as the tricks worked well.
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