Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto. Photo: News of Africa
Bomet governor Isaac Ruto may have suprised many after his public move to join NASA and even making the grand entry at the Bomas of Kenya on Thursday where he was pronounced the fifth principal of the now NASA Pentagon.
As they say in the betting world, nobody trusts himself more than a gambler, and Ruto has been a classical example of a gambler having to choose between sticking with Jubilee or eloping away with NASA.
Isaac Ruto with other NASA luminaries at the Bomas of Kenya on April 20, 2017.
Bomet is a perceived Jubilee stronghold and for a long time Ruto had been seen as the inseparable twin to Deputy President William Ruto.
He was among the founders of the defunct URP party that worked with TNA in 2013 to form the Jubilee administration.
Ruto took his first gamble after he was elected by his compatriots to be the chairman of the Council of Governors, despite being a key figure in the Jubilee administration, the man from Chepalungu insisted on the demand for more funds to counties, a move that made DP Ruto feel like his grip of the Rift Valley was being loosened.
Ruto's gamble to take the government head on for more funding to counties seemed at first as an attempt in futility, but with time more governors even those in Jubilee strongholds threw their weight behind him and alas! His sentiments were echoed from Turkana to Mombasa.
The son of Chepalungu has also jumped at any opportunity to pounce on DP Ruto who is seen as the defacto leader of the Rift.
He joined forces with KANU in Kericho senatorial by-election and gathered more than 50,000 votes despite losing to a Jubilee candidate.
Isaac Ruto with President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto.
And if that is not all, while DP Ruto rallied URP party faithfuls to fold up and joined a united Jubilee Party, Governor Ruto took another gamble choosing to form Chama Cha Mashinani instead.
Despite his self belief that he can still pull a big chunk of votes from South Rift into the NASA basket, sources claim that Jubilee is still secretly pursuing the Bomet man on condition he dissolves CCM.
Ruto on Thursday promised to deliver 1.5 million votes to NASA in the August general election.
After all this fight to swim against the tide in Rift valley politics. According to the latest opinion polls, Ruto still enjoys considerable support against Jubilee's Sotik MP Joyce Laboso in the race for Bomet gubernatorial seat.
Finally, in his move to NASA, Ruto said he consulted his Bomet support base especially the Kipsigis community which has repeatedly complained of being isolated in the Jubilee power deals.
Now, again the son of Chepalungu has given himself political mileage that he didn't just walk to NASA, like DP Ruto when he dissolved URP as it is claimed without consultation, the voters now feel like they own him.
All said and done, as August 8 approaches, Kenyans will know whether Ruto's gambling tendancies will make or break him.