When he lost his Rarieda MP seat to Nicholas Gumbo in 2007, Raphael Tuju was completely written off by his critics.
His fallout with the then ODM presidential candidate Raila Odinga was seen as the end of the road for him yet today, he finds himself at the centre of the country's political "deal-making".
As the Secretary-General of the ruling party, Tuju is one of the most powerful men in government today and when he makes political statements, people take him seriously.
Seen as one of the few politicians in the country driven by principals, the former MP has remained level-headed even during political difficulties, like the one his party finds itself in, now.
Amid the emergence of two factions within the Jubilee Party, politically speaking, the future of the ruling party is in his hands.
Tuju has on several occasions come under sharp criticisms from the Tanga Tanga wing of the party for allegedly being an "ODM mole" within the outfit. His close ties with Raila Odinga in the last couple of months has earned him that wrath.
With Jubilee Party elections slated for March, Tuju has made his position known; that he will defend his seat. It remains to be seen if he will recapture the position.
There is no doubt that the election turns out to be a Kieleweke vs Tanga Tanga affair. A win for Tuju will no doubt anger the pro-Deputy President William Ruto Tanga Tanga faction. However, should the former Foreign Affairs Minister lose the election, the future of the Jubilee Party will take another direction.
For a man whose political obituary was once written in 2007 and erased before 2013, his presence in politics today could impact Raila, Uhuru and Ruto's political futures.
#hivisasaoriginalWhy Tuju is the man to watch in Uhuru, Raila, Ruto political battle