Mr DP, dribble the political ball to 2022 carefully

Deputy President William Ruto during the 54th Jamhuri Day celebration at Kasarani Stadium. [Photo by Boniface Okendo/Standard]

Deputy President William Samoei Ruto is several things to several people, politically that is. The once humble, unassuming but highly ambitious man from Sugoi has done well for himself. To President Uhuru Kenyatta’s ardent supporters he is the power behind the throne. WSR, as he is affectionately referred to, is the enforcer-in-chief in the Jubilee administration and his backers hold him in awe. They know he has the absolute ear of the President, besides the powers conferred in his office by the 2010 Constitution.

To NASA supporters, William is the obstacle-in-chief and they largely blame him for blocking their leader Raila Odinga’s path to the ultimate political goal. Now, as we navigate President Kenyatta’ final tenure in State House, how the DP handles the two sets of supporters will largely shape his ambition. Since 2013, the ‘hustler’ has not shied away from reminding Kenyans that his State House dream is valid. The boy who once sold chicken in Kamagut in Uasin Gishu is a heartbeat away from the country’s CEO’s office.

In the last one decade, the DP’s political star has risen astronomically. In the process, as is always in life, his path today is littered with die-hard followers, frenemies and dagger-in-hand enemies. In his political empire, he must choose carefully his so-called court-jesters, advisers and right-hand men. He must keep close those who will not be afraid to tell him a few home-truths and sound political advice. This is because Kenya’s history has a few examples of deputies who came too close to real power and either got ‘consumed’ by the fiery flames or were out-rightly shunned by the ‘system.’

Methinks the DP must work even harder to maintain the admiration he drew from the Mt Kenya backyard during the campaigns. He must not only up the charm offensive, but also assure them that their interests are safe with him. His energetic inroads countrywide, for instance, have made people to think that a huge number of leaders elected to political office or appointed to several public offices are beholden to him. That they owe their loyalty to him and that they are part of his ‘political war council’ for the 2022 contest.

Equally, there are politicians who lost their seats and blame the DP for their misfortunes. They will fight his dream, so he must be ready for them. He might as well choose to keep them close and assure them that he played no part, ignore them, or monitor closely their activities. While the Rift block is solidly behind the DP today, he must not take that support for granted. Additionally, Baringo Senator Gideon Moi has indicated he will be on the ballot, and it remains to be seen how this plays out.

While at it, the DP might also use his wit to lure those from the Opposition who would want to be in his ‘Team 2022’. This is because there are no permanent enemies in politics, and the more backers you have, the merrier. Still, not many Opposition politicians would fancy another five years ‘outside’ the national government. Nationally and on legacy issues, it would help the DP if he took a step behind and let President Uhuru Kenyatta run the show in his final term. This is because the buck always stops at the boss’s office. The camaraderie displayed in the past few years has been impressive, but now is the time to let President Kenyatta, solely shape his legacy.

Politics is like a football game and how the DP dribbles the ball will determine the outcome. He can run away with the trophy or play the ball too close to himself and score a painful own goal when the time comes, in 2022. That’s a whole five years away, right? What happens in between will be very crucial.

Finally, I think the misunderstanding between the DP’s spokesman David Mugonyi and journalist Justus Wanga is unfortunate and the subsequent sack threat really unacceptable. It makes the DP look bad and intolerant to criticism. A simple phone call to explain the issues in detail and a request for a rejoinder would have been enough. Still, the media is a faithful partner.