Inside Ruto's bid to woo Kalonzo as running mate

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has declared his presidential bid ahead of the 2027 General Election. [File, Standard]

Details have emerged about intensified efforts by the Kenya Kwanza administration to woo Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka to President William Ruto’s fold ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Sources intimated to The Standard that the parliamentary leadership in President Ruto’s inner circle met overseas, where they tasked one of them to deliver Kalonzo to the broad-based coalition.

Already, the leader is said to have engaged two allies of the Wiper leader to implore him to consider working with the Head of State in his bid to secure a second term in office.

President Ruto’s inner circle is convinced that the possible candidates being floated for the running-mate position within the broad-based coalition were not a guarantee that Ruto would clinch a second term in office amid heightened political activity.

Already, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has fronted Cooperatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya to be Ruto’s running mate.

Other leaders within the Orange party who have been touted as strong candidates for the running mate position are Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho.

For Joho, his candidacy hinged on his conviction that the time is ripe for the Coast region to produce a Deputy President to end what his allies term as long political marginalisation.

There is also the incumbent Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who has presented a strong case as to why he should be retained as the second in command.

Prof Kindiki has highlighted his loyalty, reliability and diplomatic style of leadership as his greatest assets.

He has also, through emissaries, extended an olive branch to the immediate former President Uhuru Kenyatta to consider supporting Ruto’s re-election bid, a move that pundits have argued would ease the scramble for his Deputy President position.

“The 2027 elections are largely going to be determined by regional arithmetic and the Head of State understands that by recruiting Kalonzo, he will achieve a double win in managing to secure a sizeable chunk of the lower Eastern votes and dismantling the opposition given that Kalonzo is ranked as the most viable option to be the opposition’s flagbearer,” said the source.

It is this development and Kalonzo’s absence from the political scene that has fueled speculation that he could be considering the offer.

Questions about his whereabouts started swirling over the weekend: whereas his opposition counterparts Edwin Sifuna (Linda Mwananchi) and Rigathi Gachagua (leader of the DCP party) attracted mammoth crowds in their rallies in Western and Mt Kenya East region, Kalonzo was nowhere to be seen.

In the recent past, President Ruto has also publicly courted Kalonzo including recently during a recent visit to Kitui where he told Ukambani residents that his administration was their government and promised them their “rightful share.”

“...There are those that have decided that they will not work with me or my administration and it is okay. However, my wishes are that we work together. I will work for you (people of Eastern Kenya) and in this government you will get your share now and even in the future,” stated Ruto who was speaking at the ACK St Martin’s cathedral.

Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi also urged Kalonzo to join the broad-based government.

“Tell Kalonzo that he is now old, he should join the government and for the next five years work for the people of this region,” he said.

The Wiper leader has however poured cold water on any talk of dumping the United Opposition and join the President William Ruto administration. He is resolute that he will go all the way to the ballot as a presidential candidate to unseat Ruto.

On Tuesday, his Wiper Patriotic Front reaffirmed its commitment to the ‘Wantam’ Movement and the opposition’s unity, further dismissing reports suggesting that Kalonzo is planning to abandon the coalition or announce a new political direction.

In a statement shared through the Wiper Patriotic Front ‘X’account, on Tuesday, Kalonzo urged supporters to ignore what he termed as false information circulating online.

“Ignore the fake news. We are committed to the Wantam Movement. Ukombozi wa Kenya ni lazima, and Kenya cannot be liberated until we send this regime home,” read the statement.

So why is Ruto interested in Ruto?

According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) data, Ruto clinched the Presidency after securing 7,176,141 votes against Raila Odinga’s 6,942,930.  Separating the two was a paltry 233,211 votes.

The three lower Eastern counties, Machakos, Kitui and Makueni delivered approximately 769,386 votes to Raila-who had Kalonzo in his corner, and 250,161 to Ruto.

Pundits now argue that with the exit of Raila, should Ruto manage to rally the lower Eastern voting bloc behind him, he could tilt national political arithmetic. 

It is, however, not guaranteed that a shift of Kalonzo to Ruto’s side guarantees a win for the current administration, as his support base could revolt against him and stick with the united opposition.

His importance is, however, tied to developments in the broader Mt Kenya region, which delivered approximately 3.5 million to Ruto in 2022.

Analysts observe that should the Mt Kenya region, which is grappling with the lack of a definitive candidate, bow to efforts to divide it, Ruto could rally votes in the Rift Valley, Lower Eastern, Nyanza and Western to retain a competitive edge.

However, should Mt Kenya remain united and identify an undisputed leader, then the Ruto-Kalonzo ticket could run into headwinds.

It now remains to be seen whether Kalonzo will continue pressing the opposition line or yield to coalition talks with the current administration.