Former Kenyan ambassador to Tanzania Chirau Mwakwere had been picked by Deputy President William Ruto as his running mate on URP months to 2013 polls, Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny has revealed.
With few months to polls, both Ruto and President Uhuru Kenyatta, adds Kutuny, were struggling with unity pact and the two had chosen to walk different ways, a move that could have handed them a defeat to Raila Odinga.
And with Uhuru already planning to travel to Western Kenya to unveil Eugene Wamalwa as his choice, Ruto team had arrived in the coast for preparations to formally unveil Chirau Mwakwere as his number two.
“I personally thwarted the separate arrangements the two leaders had. I convinced Uhuru not to go to Bungoma. I insisted that he needed to have another meeting with Ruto,” the lawmaker said.
“My group was in Mombasa waiting for me, they were shocked to see the breaking news that I had endorsed Uhuru for president and Ruto for deputy president in Narok. That was the turning point,” he revealed.
However, it took the intervention of Mr Kutuny to intervene and have the two give it a try. Eventually, they agreed to run jointly against Mr Odinga in 2013.
Apparently, the two were facing crimes against humanity war at the Hague, but they will br cleared two years later after putting strong defense in the court.
For Mr Mwakwere, who opted now to run for Kwale senatorial race, lost to Boy Juma Boy and was subsequently appointed as the envoy to Dar es salaam.
Later in 2017, he dumped Jubilee party and joined briefly ODM before decamping to Wiper. He lost to Salim Mvurya in Kwale gubernatorial race as Ruto defended presidency jointly with Uhuru.