With the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta in Tuesday’s polls, Deputy President William Ruto’s 2022 Presidential ambition has received a shot in the arm.
According to the Star, Ruto’s succession battle is well on course.
In the run up to general polls, Ruto drew his political charm and was able to convince Central Kenya and Rift Valley voters to re-elect Uhuru.
This was amid a wave of controversy where he had been linked to the spate of political downfalls for some prominent figures in the Jubilee coalition from the two regions.
Key among them was outgoing Kiambu Governor William Kabogo.
Kabogo blamed the DP for engineering his “rigging out”.
But the DP defended himself against these claims saying he had nothing to do with his rejection by Kiambu constituents.
The narrative was the same in his home turf, Rift Valley where losers in Jubilee primaries alleged he had an underhand on it.
But, with the polls finally over, a different picture has been painted.
The DP is still in control of politics within his home turf and possibly in other regions in the country.
And with the exit of Kabogo, governors Peter Munya (Meru) and Isaac Ruto (Bomet), 2022 politics have tilted in favour of the DP.
Munya and Ruto had expressed interest in running for Presidency in 2022 while Kabogo was seen as an impediment towards reaching out to the Kikuyu community.
Political analyst Gabriel Muthuma said the removal of the three was a political statement.