Deputy President William Ruto is expected to be among the frontrunners in the forthcoming 2022 presidential contest.
The DP, however, risks recording a low performance in some parts of the nation, mostly the ones allied to the opposition, the biggest culprit being the Luo Nyanza region.
The region has for decades now rallied behind opposition leader Raila Odinga and has remained unmoved even as the others change allegiances, with the same likely to repeat itself in 2022.
Ruto, therefore, can only secure the region's backing through the leader and must woo him to his side, especially now that the four-time presidential aspirant seems not interested in the 2022 debate.
Apparently, no amount of development pledges, goodies promises or grass root campaigns can save Ruto from the awaiting rejection in the region.
The leader has for some time now been observed as disrespectful towards the former Premier, as a result of his unending shots at the Orange party chief, a trend that has since been copied by his lieutenants led by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei.
Cherargei and a section of his counterparts, specifically from Ruto's Rift Valley backyard, have gone ahead to attack the veteran leader even after his truce with President Kenyatta and pledge of goodwill in the ongoing national cohesion campaign.
With Ruto being part of the team that has also been accused of rigging Odinga out in both the 2013 and 2017 presidential races, a section of the voters would still be bitter with him, making him a hard-sell in the region.
Therefore, his only remaining option is to talk Odinga into supporting him and personally take him and publicly announce his support for the DP in Nyanza, after which he can be sure of the region's millions of votes.