Political commentator Prof Herman Manyora now claims Deputy President William has coached and helped transform Jubilee Kibra parliamentary hopeful McDonald Mariga in a serious candidate.
Initially, after his nomination, the football star was viewed as a poor communicator who had a difficult time expressing himself.
However, Manyora said he can spot changes in Mariga's appearance, messaging, and how he addresses Kibra residents and the media.
In an interview on AM Live on Monday morning, he said this has sent people who previously looked down upon the former Parma midfielder back to the drawing board.
"We dismissed Mariga and then from nowhere, even speaking, even demeanor, you know Ruto has really coached this guy, I thinks its Ruto. Ile sindio sindio (the right? Right?) has dissapeared. Now even from an image perspective, he looks like a serious candidate already," he said.
According to Manyora, this also comes as a blow to people who dismissed Mariga, as he currently looks very likely to win.
Mariga's candidature had been marred with questions from the start, with people questioning his education level, voter status and real age, which remain unknown to many.
However, he was cleared to vie for the seat by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).