New York-based law scholar Prof Makau Mutua has turned his attention to Deputy President William Ruto citing his 2022 Presidential ambition is in uncharted waters.
Mutua said that since the historic handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga at Harambee House on March 9, the DP’s political future dimmed.
He explained that with a partial agreement between the two leaders, Ruto is the biggest loser.
“The loser is going to be Mr. William Ruto. The Presidency has only so much power so if you accommodate Mr. Odinga, the power will be curved out of Mr. Ruto…looking ahead, I think Mr. Ruto already has lost and I think we may have seen through that handshake, his dreams of becoming president in 2022 go up in smoke,” remarked the law scholar.
He spoke at Citizen TV’s JKL show hosted by Jeff Koinange on Wednesday.
Ruto is angling to succeed Uhuru in 2022. A recent poll conducted by Ipsos and released on Tuesday put him as the most preferred candidate with a rating of 33 per cent.
Others who have expressed interest in the top seat in 2022; Baringo Senator Gideon Moi and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho polled at 14 per cent while Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka together with Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua got 6 per cent approval rating according to the survey.
But Mutua noted that it is “highly probable” for Uhuru and Raila to settle on one candidate for 2022 and it will not be the DP.
He divulged that among the front runners for the top seat in 2022, a combination of Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Gideon Moi would transform Kenya.
This, he said, if the Constitution is amended to accommodate them in different offices, would also end Ruto’s political career.
“That will just end it for Mr. Ruto. That will write his political obituary. He will be dead politically.”
Remarking that Kenya is “a country of conservatives”, he said Kalonzo stands a better chance to bag the presidency in 2022.
“Kenya is a conservative country. It tends to choose leaders who are not firebrands,” he offered adding that though Kalonzo is viewed as a “fence sitter”, Kenya has a history in electing leaders like him.
“Don’t forget the greatest fence sitter in Kenya’s history was Mwai Kibaki and he sat on that fence all the way to the Presidency. Fence sitters can be attractive especially in a moment of national crisis.”
The law scholar who is also the Chairman of Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) hailed the truce between Uhuru and Raila stating it was an act of statesmanship.
“On both Mr. Kenyatta’s part and Mr. Odinga’s part, it’s an act of statesmanship for both of them to come together and begin a process of dialogue.”