President William Ruto’s masterful feat of redefining the political landscape has established him as an ace strategist, a grandmaster of the game of politics.
He demands the scalp of his enemies even when he appears to be the underdog, and while he has the various players assumed in the play come up with the equation, only he has a clear ending. He seems to have the ability to script complex plots that he understands. Achieve desired results.
The story that unfolds between the president and the impeached vice president, Ligati Gachagua, clearly shows Ruto’s attention to detail as he seeks to defeat his opponents without lifting a finger or raising a voice. .
His 32 years of political experience as a Kanu operative until his election as Eldoret North MP against firebrand politician Reuben Chesier in 1997 helped him make political friends and keep them in times of need. I gained the ability to.
He is also not the kind of guy to cross, as he holds grudges and knows when to strike back.
Ruto also studied with Daniel Moi, Kenya’s renowned political science professor, who was a young wing of the party that ruled Kenya for the first 40 years (Kanu Party) and the country’s longest-serving opposition leader, Raila. He was working with Mr. Odinga.
He eventually honed his game as a stand-in for Kenya’s fourth president, Uhuru Kenyatta, who won a contest between disciple and master. And now, there appears to be no one to match him on the political chessboard. He is also a man who distances himself from political conflicts.
To his credit, he has had many nosebleeds, but most of his political bets have paid off and he has yet to taste defeat since his first foray into electoral politics. Ruto defeated the vice president’s jinx.
He served as Uhuru’s deputy for 10 years and turned the tables on his boss in his first presidential bid in 2022, winning despite going against his policy to sever ties with Uhuru.
By that time, Ruto had become a favorite of the people by projecting himself as a normal person and chicken seller and the strategies he used to integrate with the farmers. Even though he was vice president, he placed all the burdens and failures of the government on his rival Raila Odinga.
And Kenyan voters believed him. The opposition leader claimed to be the cause of the problems plaguing the country because he comes from the political dynasty that has dominated Kenyan politics since 1963.
During the campaign, he claimed to be the victim of the weaponization of state institutions and obliterated his rivals by making Christians believe he was a prayerful worrier.
On the verge of tears, he said he would never let his vice president go through what he went through at the hands of the “mongrel” type of government that resulted from the Uhuru-Uhuru handshake in March 2018. The pledge was made during the election period. Lyra.
His speeches were able to move crowds to sympathize with him, others fasted to elect a farmer’s son to the presidency in order to embarrass his enemies, and his oratory skills worked like magic. Ta.
Stay informed. Subscribe to newsletter
He spoke endlessly and chose his words in a way that suited the audience he was addressing. And they accomplished this by mastering greetings in different languages and discussing issues tailored to specific regions.
When he became president, he followed the path of his predecessor and incorporated Raila, whom he had demonized, into his government.
Ironically, Ruto used Raila’s friendship and handshake with Uhuru as a campaign slogan.
After falling out with Uhuru, he traveled around the country with his Tanga Tanga comrades, who reprimanded Uhuru and accused him of what they described as exposing his deputy (Ruto) to untold suffering. Despite his accusations, after his falling out with Gachagua, he can use congressmen and senators to easily package and send Gachagua away without any fuss from the political class.
His political ability to mobilize members of parliament has enabled him to deal with political opponents including Raila, Uhuru and now Gachagua.
Political strategist Professor Gitire Naituri describes Ruto as a brilliant planner who immerses himself in the events of the day in order to control the outcome.
“He was a key figure in the 2013 election and that is how Uhuru ascended to the presidency.
“Unlike others who have no idea how to get to power, Mr. Ruto understands every step of an election, especially the transmission of votes.”
But Naituri says despite his previous victories, Ruto may not get his way this time because of the emotions aroused after Gachagua’s impeachment.
“The law of unintended consequences may work against Ruto this time. There are many emotional people in the central Kenya region, and if the court upholds his impeachment, as much as they don’t like Gachagua, they will be disappointed in his son.” Ruto may not be able to win votes from the region if he rallies the region against another presidential candidate, he says.
Political scientist and policy researcher Dr Kamau Wairuri says Ruto has a Machiavellian approach to politics, which explains much about his personality and how he interacts with those around him and those competing for power. It is observed that this is made clear.
“As we have seen, he will do whatever it takes to gain and maintain power. The recent impeachment of his delegates is the latest example of this, but if you go back in history , you can see how he handled his encounters not only with Raila and Uhuru, but also with Reuben Cesir, whom he defeated to win his first parliamentary elections,” says Wailuri. .
He says that those who survive around him are those with the utmost loyalty, but those who fall short of that are summarily eliminated.
