Erstwhile Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto opened another chapter in his chequered political career yesterday when he officially decamped from Opposition leader Raila Odinga’s National Super Alliance (NASA) to Jubilee.
The outspoken politician had maintained a studious silence since his humiliating defeat in the race for Bomet governor by Joyce Laboso. For one month, his no-show in major NASA events, including the day of judgement at the Supreme Court, had Kenyans guessing on his next move.
Then he appeared yesterday at the historic Kapkatet grounds — a place known for major Kalenjin political declarations — to declare that he will henceforth campaign for President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election.
Yesterday’s move surprised both friend and foe as it came barely a month after his humiliating defeat by Laboso.
He told Saturday Standard the decision to jump ship was informed by statistics as “60 per cent of Kenyans had voted for Uhuru, while 30 per cent chose Raila”.
Ruto, who until yesterday was a co-principal in NASA, said his efforts to sell the ‘Canaan’ dream to his people did not work.
“We cannot move without the people we lead. Voters can only be convinced when you move with them, at their pace. I tried to take my people to Canaan but they remained in their villages. I have had to go back and ask them what happened,” he said.
“CCM will not be opposing the re-election of Uhuru. It has chosen to move in the direction of its voter base,” he said as he left his residence in Bomet for the grand announcement at Kapkatet grounds in the company of Nairobi governor Mike Sonko and others.
Sources within the President’s Jubilee Party said Uhuru reached out to the Chama Cha Mashinani leader during Laboso’s inauguration ceremony which they both attended.
“You could even see the body language between the two at that meeting. They agreed to work together after the President asked him to leave the Opposition and help take Kenya forward,” said a Cabinet Secretary.
His turnaround lends credence to the popular adage that there are no permanent enemies in politics. For about three years, the former Governor and Deputy President William Ruto went for each other’s jugular, characterised by heated exchanges in public gatherings.
Few could therefore have expected that the two could share a platform so soon after the bruising General Election in which the DP invested heavily in ensuring that the CCM boss was kicked out.
‘Roaming dictator’
In 2015, the man nicknamed Plogom (gumboots) by his constituents because of the time he spends on his farm looking after cattle threatened to disrupt a fund raiser attended by the DP after he was heckled. He accused the DP of belittling him in his own backyard.
When he rose to speak, the DP seemed to praise the hecklers. “I’m very happy with you the people of Bomet, because I now know who you have chosen to be your future leader in this region,” said the DP
So bad was the fallout between the two former allies, both founders of the dissolved United Republican Party (URP), that Ruto branded the DP a “roaming dictator”.
For two years, Ruto hobnobbed with Gideon Moi’s Kanu before finally registering CCM which later joined the NASA coalition to campaign for Raila’s 2017 presidential bid. His rebellious position propelled him to the national limelight, but earned him enemies in government especially when he served as chairman of the Council of Governors (CoG).
Yesterday, he was all smiles as he addressed the gathering at Kapkatet, saying he was bringing CCM ideals to Jubilee.
“Change can happen through external effects or from internal transformational forces. CCM wishes, after observing all realities on the ground and by keeping to its vision, to be that new energy that will transform Kenya,” he said over decision to abandon the NASA brigade.
Prosecution threats
But Saturday Standard has since established that Ruto could have been coerced into jump ship after he was threatened with prosecution.
“It is sad the governor has decided to give in to pressure from Jubilee. After last night’s (Thursday) happening, including calls from the JP leadership, he has decided to give in and will join them at Kapkatet grounds,” a close ally privy to the happenings told Saturday Standard yesterday morning.
“Intimidation and threats is not a way to win support. The governor has joined Jubilee but not on his own volition. This is bad politics. The governor has made a serious mistake,” said the source.
Immediately after he lost to Laboso, Ruto kept off all NASA events, only to appear recently in KTN News where he spoke of his tribulations, joking that he had been caged.
“Nimekatwa mguu (My feet were cut off). I have decided to keep a low profile and review the happenings,” he said.
Before his fallout with the DP, Ruto had emerged as one of the key leaders in Rift Valley. The loss to Laboso on August 8 sends him back to the drawing board.
How he will forge his comeback with Jubilee remains to be seen.
