A section of political leaders in Uasin Gishu County have reiterated they will not be cowed by statements by some leaders in the Jubilee Coalition that Deputy President William Ruto will not get absolute support from the Central region in 2022.
The leaders further stated that they will not beg for reciprocation from the central region as agreed in the pre-election agreement between the United Republican Party (URP) and TNA and will instead focus on getting national support from the electorate.
Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi said the insinuation by some TNA leaders that they may contravene the agreement is not anything new, saying that in 2022 there will be a solid plan to have Ruto get elected as the President of Kenya.
"There is no doubt we are fully supporting President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election in 2017 but we are not so gullible to sense that we may not get maximum support from Central Kenya five years later. We are not begging for the Mt Kenya region votes, they will choose to support Ruto or not," he said.
Sudi said recent statements by Kiambu Governor William Kabogo and Nominated Senator Paul Njoroge are a manifestation of TNA's intention to sideline them when Ruto's time to seek presidency comes.
"At first when Kabogo spoke it was said he was drunk and now Njoroge is said to be out of his mind after making more similar comments . Nobody should tell us that because it is clear from these repetitions that we will not get support from central Kenya but we are able enough to go across Kenya and get sufficient vote's to actualize Ruto's ambitions," added the legislator.
Isaac Terer, the Speaker of Uasin Gishu County Assembly, said the Rift Valley was strategic in forming the Jubilee coalition in 2013 in a bid to address the electorate's needs and expressed optimism that Ruto is capable of getting votes from every part of Kenya and become President without necessarily an endorsement of one region.
"We are not scared of Ruto's turn in 2022 and it does not matter what happens, we will seek votes across the country in support of Ruto," Terer said.
Josphat Lowoi, Uasin Gishu County Assembly majority leader was of the view that statements made by Kabogo and Njoroge were expected but do not affect Ruto's bid for the top seat in 2022.
"It is not something new as widely perceived but we are not scared because there is a strong and able leader in Ruto who can move across Kenya to seek sufficient votes to grant him presidency in 2022," Lowoi added.