Deputy President William Ruto receives President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Eldoret Airport in January 2016. [Photo/William Ruto]
In the modern-day democracy, the next election cycle begins immediately after a new President is sworn in.Past cases where politicians would ask their countrymen to put politics aside and focus on nation building are long gone, owing to recurrent cases of missed development targets promised during campaigns.The impatient within voting blocs owes to their lack of trust in the political class. They have since developed a quick-action mentality where a leader is judged based on his first 100 days, after which talks of whether he or she will be retained or voted out begin.This new trend can be attributed to the overall culture being inculcated by the millennials who now form the majority of the voters’ world-over.This group, of between 18 to 35-year-olds, has developed quick-fix, quick-result, quick-money habits and are not known to be very patient.They date and breakup almost immediately, they can’t stay at the same job for long and shift political allegiance after every election cycle.In the United States, for instance, voters and some legislators are already hitting out at Donald Trump over missed development targets with some building up his pre-election links with Russia as a basis for impeachment.The Democratic Party is already floating names of its possible presidential candidate just one year into Trump’s rein, with reports that Republicans may already be grooming someone else to represent the party in the 2020 elections already rife.Similar cases have been witnessed in South Africa where campaigns for 2019 presidential elections began immediately after Jacob Zuma was elected for his second term.In Uganda, Yoweri Museveni began putting in place mechanisms to allow him to run again in 2021 immediately after he was announced the winner in a disputed election in 2016 which saw his arch-rival Kizza Besigye harassed and arrested.Museveni has already signed into law an amendment that removes age limit for a presidential candidate which previously stood at 75.Article 102 (b) of Uganda’s 1995 Constitution states that “a person is not qualified for election as President unless that person is not less than thirty-five years and not more than seventy-five years of age”.The amendment now allows Museveni, 73, to seek his sixth term as president in the 2021 election, at 76 years of age.This same culture has taken root in Kenya and it is highly unlikely that the 2022 succession debate will end anytime soon.Just weeks after President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in for his second term, a debate has ensued on whether he will keep his word and support Deputy President William Ruto’s presidential bid or not.Political analysts have already pointed at an apparent discourse within Jubilee, with an article published on Sunday Nation, pointing at a House in turmoil causing jitters among top Jubilee honchos.Reports indicate that there may have been disagreements between President Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto over the naming of the cabinet with the division mainly rooting from personal interests.While the president wants a team that will help him establish a legacy, DP Ruto is said to focus on putting in place influential individuals who will drive his 2022 agenda.In a rather hollow move to quiet the discontent, DP Ruto posted on Twitter on Sunday that the country should stop focusing on 2022 and rally behind the president to ensure he achieves his agenda for the nation.It is highly unlikely, however, that this debate will end anytime soon. On the contrary, it is expected to take different forms and shapes in the coming days and week.