Deputy President William Ruto at his Karen office
President Daniel Moi, the role model for President Uhuru Kenyatta, was forced in 2002 to cede control to Mwai Kibaki, his former vice president whom he had contested in the elections.
President Kenyatta finds himself in an identical situation exactly 20 years later when he must transfer control to William Ruto, his deputy, whom he had attempted to prevent from replacing him.
In contrast to his predecessor, President Kibaki, President Kenyatta actively campaigned against his deputy during the 2022 elections by endorsing Raila Odinga of the Azimio party.
In the run-up to the March 2013 elections, President Kenyatta actively participated in the opposition campaign against his deputy, a man with whom he had built a deadly political force while they faced charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court.
The Jubilee Alliance swept to victory in the first Kenyan presidential election to feature a joint-ticket, with President Kenyatta receiving 6.17 million votes and Mr. Odinga receiving 5.34 million. President Kenyatta and Dr. Ruto appeared to be a match made in heaven, dressing alike and managing the nation almost as co-presidents.
A bromance ended.
However, the political bromance ended after the 2017 elections due to the newly discovered political truce between President Kenyatta and Mr. Odinga, which was symbolized by the.
Following, there was a smoldering conflict between the former political allies, with Dr. Ruto whining about being ignored by his boss.
A public verbal battle broke out as the hostility increased. The Jubilee government’s performance, succession politics, and alleged treachery from both camps were at the heart of the verbal spats.
President Kenyatta would formally sever ties with Dr. Ruto in 2020 when he moved on to found UDA.
President Kenyatta would advise voters not to be duped by “sweet-talking politicians” but to thoroughly evaluate those running for leadership positions in the August elections as the acrimonious split between the once-political allies has intensified.
When people see good roads, they rise up and proclaim, “You can see what our government has done,” yet when anything is wrong, they point the finger at others. How many governments do we have, I wonder now. He questioned in a hardly disguised allusion to Dr. Ruto.
Don’t interfere with his succession
The UDA leader would answer right away and also remind the President that he is in the position of power thanks.
This went against the president’s claim that the handshake’s unity and peace created an environment that allowed his administration to complete more development projects than during his first term.
The President, who ran for office while announcing projects, would attack his deputy, adamantly stating that he would not turn over control of the nation to “thieves.”
President Kenyatta gave the impression of a guy who was eager to manage his succession. But in the end, his vice president would outsmart him, becoming the fifth president of the nation after passing the final test at the Supreme Court, where his election was unanimously upheld.
