Ruto in myriad meetings over 2022 election

Deputy President William Ruto has arguably hosted more political meetings in the last three weeks than any other politician in Kenya. Going by the records, not even his boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta, has matched this.

Just last Tuesday, he played host to opinion leaders drawn from all the counties from Rift Valley at his Karen home. Coming hot on heels of this was the meeting with Jubilee Party politicians from Nairobi to explore the possibility of agreeing on a formula to share the seats by next month to avoid splitting the votes to the advantage of the opposition.

Not to be forgotten is the number of delegations he hosted at his Sugoi home over Christmas and New Year holidays.

With politicians from across the country trooping to the Uasin Gishu home to pledge their allegiance, there are murmurs that this could be part of Mr Ruto’s 2022 mobilisation strategy even as he drums up support for Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election this year.

While the phenomenon is not completely new to Mr Ruto, with at least 10 delegations being received recently, the intensity has grabbed public attention.

He frequently meets his close associates from the Rift Valley at his rural home, a lean team that will be instrumental in planning Mr Kenyatta’s succession should Jubilee secure a second term in office.

GAINED NOTORIETY

The Kabarak home of former President Daniel Moi and Gatundu home of Jomo Kenyatta gained notoriety in their heyday as places where decisions with far-reaching political implications for the state were made. In them, ministers were summoned, sacked and new ones appointed. They were the real symbols of power.

Those lobbying for state jobs would send elders and brokers to put in a good word. In the case of the senior Kenyatta, stories are documented to the effect that cabinet meetings were even held in Gatundu.

Sugoi has become such a special place for the DP to meet his strategists away from the ever roving eyes in Nairobi.

Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter led a team from Bomet and Kericho counties, while his Water and Irrigation counterpart Eugene Wamalwa was the head of the contingent from Trans Nzoia.

But unlike Mr Kenyatta and Mr Moi, Mr Ruto is number two in command and not the principal tenant at the State House.

There are murmurs that accessing Mr Ruto is easier than reaching the President, leading more people to seek appointments to see Mr Ruto either at his Karen home in Nairobi or Sugoi.

The plush home in Uasin Gishu has been a beehive of activity. At one occasion it hosted about 10,000 people and in the last two weeks it has seen an equivalent of two delegations daily drawn from different parts of the country.

DEEP POCKETS

It is a costly affair but for a man known to have deep pockets like the DP, something he has never hidden from the public, he has done it effortlessly with some of the visitors saying they were showered with lots of cash “as an appreciation for honouring the invite.”

One delegate from Kakamega told the Nation that he took home Sh5,000 at the end of the trip. The groups were also treated to meals and drinks.

In the words of Jubilee’s Deputy Chief Whip and MP for Mumias East, Benjamin Washiali, the visitors were given a befitting treat.

“I led my people to eat and dine with the DP. As a politician, such occasions, rare as they come, give us a chance to be recognised by our people back home. If I may ask, how often do ordinary people get a chance to mingle with someone in the calibre of a deputy president?” he asked. Mr Washiali maintained that the proximity of Sugoi to the larger western parts of the country has made it a favourite stop for them.

“Why should we go all the way to State House when Sugoi is a stone’s throw-away? What I know is that he hosts us with the full knowledge and permission of the President,” he said.

TOTAL COST

The Nation was unable to get a comment from Mr Ruto’s media handlers on the total cost of fetes, but it is obvious he has spent a fortune to entertain them.

A number of those who attended the meetings disclose that the DP did not hide the fact that he is looking beyond the August polls. The motivation of the meetings, they say, is to create other political alliances in the post-Kenyatta era were the marriage with the central Kenya bloc to dissolve.

They were well targeted in such a way that a multi-ethnic county like Narok had two groupings, one comprising the Maasai and the other one the Kipsigis. It is instructive to note that Narok and Baringo are some of the few places in the larger Rift Valley where Mr Ruto is facing rebellion and he seemed determined to root it out before the polls.

“The onus is on leaders at the grassroots and national level to preach unity and build bridges across communities. This will foster brotherhood and belonging. We can only move our country forward if we are one people,” Mr Ruto said after hosting the group from Kakamega on January 4.

'BUILDING NETWORKS'

Bureti MP Leonard Sang (Jubilee), who was in Sugoi, admitted this was part of the build-up to 2022 campaigns.

“The whole thing is about building networks. You need friends from across the spectrum if you are serious about your political ambition,” he said.

Defending Mr Kenyatta against accusations of not being accessible, Starehe MP Maina Kamanda said the President’s dairy is normally busier than his deputy’s and this should not be interpreted as Mr Kenyatta’s resolve to avoid the masses.

“You will realise that given the urgency and plurality of issues competing for his attention, he may not be as available as one would want but that said, he is always there for all who want to see him,” he said, adding that he would have led a Nairobi delegation to Sugoi had he been in the country at the time.

During the meetings, where the media were locked out, the DP also assured political aspirants that Jubilee Party will hold free, fair and credible nominations.

The delegations have triggered questions as to Mr Ruto’s mode of operation.

To some, this makes him come across as a schemer and overambitious.