Defeating DP Ruto my priority – Kalonzo

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has ruled out the possibility of working with Deputy President William Ruto in the run-up to the 2022 general election.

He was reacting to former Kakamega senator Boni Khalwale who, today, posted on Twitter that he had asked Kalonzo to join the Hustler movement and that Kalonzo  responded  by saying "in politics anything is possible and that mbele iko sawa.”

The two had attended the burial of Elias Musyoka in Mwingi South, Kitui County.

But the Wiper leader’s spokesperson Dennis Kavisu told Standard Digital  Kalonzo will go head to head with Ruto.

Kalonzo said defeating Ruto will be his first priority as he eyes the 2022 victory, Kavisu said.

"He is confident he will defeat him in the race for the presidency in 2022," Kavisu said.

He added that the Wiper leader dismissed Ruto’s bottom-up approach his position being that that handouts are only meant to entice the masses to vote for the giver.

Kavisu said Kalonzo would soon visit Rift Valley, Nyanza and Central to sell his vision.

Kalonzo has in the past ruled out working with Raila Odinga.

The Wiper leader in June said he had been humiliated under the NASA outfit together with his co-principals, and would not consider teaming up again.

The former vice president said he was getting ready for 2022 with the intention of walking away from Raila, whom he says he has deputised twice in 2013 and 2017.

The former vice president criticized Ruto for questioning President Uhuru Kenyatta’s political allegiance after the president declared he will back a Nasa candidate in the succession race.

Ruto accused the president of intentionally destroying the Jubilee Party to pave way for the support of regional and tribal parties.

The only way Kalonzo would consider working with Raila, he says, is when the ODM leader assures the newly-formed One Kenya Alliance that he [Raila] would not be on the ballot.

But last month, Ruto challenged Raila and Kalonzo to unite and face him in the next General Election.

Ruto, who was in Tala, Kangundo Constituency a day after Raila and Kalonzo said they would unite to thwart his bid to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta, said he was eager to face their united front at the ballot.

The DP faulted Raila and Kalonzo for being motivated by the desire to see him losing, rather than to actually lead the country.

But Ruto questioned their motivation in running for office, wondering what agenda they would sell to the public.

“Uniting to defeat someone will not help the people. They should unite and come up with an agenda for Kenya.

"You cannot just unite merely because you want to defeat somebody. What if you don’t defeat him?” he said.