The rivalry between DP William Ruto and Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto has been blown out of proportion by the two Rift Valley leaders and their supporters.
The DP is a worried man because the grip he had on the Kalenjin voting block loosen daily as the general polls approach. He was the only voice in this region after retired president Daniel Moi but his namesake Governor Ruto and his political mentor’s son Gideon Moi has put the DP in a worse situation as he prepares to take over from President Uhuru Kenyattta.
However, DP Ruto should not downgrade Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) which he termed Chama Cha Mashimoni because it might be his only home after his Jubilee mission as defined by political brokers is done. KANU will not welcome him if dumped by his current “friends”.
The last nail on Ruto’s political coffin was dissolving United Republican Party (URP) and forming Jubilee. This was a political outfit that had killed KANU and was shaping William Ruto as a long term political voice in the Rift. He had lieutenants that left the nation trembling when they meant business. Talk of MP Keter and Governor Ruto.
DP Ruto’s second misdoing is his public attacks on Gideon Moi and Isaac Ruto. The two control reasonable numbers in DP’s stronghold. These are the soft landing turfs after Jubilee terrain will be rough to be scaled. Tribalism will be the major determinant of Uhuru’s successor as opposed to MoUs. The culture of not honoring political agreements is as old as our Independent Kenya and Ruto will not be given any special treatment.
The DP has to stop looking down upon CCM because it might be his weapon against those who are likely to shortchange him. He should know that the game to lock him out of the 2022 race will start earlier than the election year thus he will have to reunite with Isaac Ruto.