Deputy President William Ruto has been advised to be wise on handling the Mt Kenya region between now and the 2022 general elections, where he will be vying for the presidency.
According to former ODM Executive Director Magerer Lang'at, the DP should be careful not upset the populous region, to better his chances of bagging the Central Kenya vote.
He states that though the DP appears to be under attack from the state, he can still benefit if he remains neutral, as this will attract the region to him, expanding his support base.
Lang'at says that judging by president Uhuru Kenyatta's previous promises that the region would throw its support behind Ruto in 2022, it's now upon him not to be seen as fighting it.
"As much as Ruto is the DP and he stands to benefit, he should try to be neutral so that he can attract Uhuru loyalists and those of his own,” he said.
He warned that by upsetting the region, then Ruto might find himself in a war with the Mt Kenya fraternity, which he says might form its own party and decide its own post-2022 path.
This he based on the fact that Uhuru, the Mt Kenya kingpin, is expected to retire from the political scene in 2022, after which the Kikuyu nation will have to take another direction.
“It will boomerang on him in terms of loyalty and they will start saying if Uhuru will no longer be there, where will we go. They will start either another party or fight back," he added.
Since his reelection in 2017, Uhuru is yet to reassure Ruto of his 2022 support, despite pressure from allies of the DP.
Ruto has also been accused of undermining the president by using his allies from Mt Kenya to attack Uhuru. The group has also continued campaigning for Ruto despite Uhuru's warnings.