Besieged Ruto now eager for alliances with leaders he maligned

President William Ruto during Jamhuri Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi, on December 12, 2024. [File, Standard]

His ability to inspire confidence and command public respect is on the wane. Snide remarks, silhouettes and caricatures circulating on social media attest to this. He is more vulnerable than any of Kenya's previous four presidents.

In 2008, a besieged President Mwai Kibaki consented to a government of national unity that on-boarded the opposition. In question at the time was the legitimacy of the 2007 presidential election results, yet today, it's Ruto's leadership ability, or lack thereof, that is in focus.