I have only met and said hello to now-President William Samoei Ruto during Pentagon days. At the height of those campaigns ( 2007 ), a friend of mine, now Senator Ledama Olekina, and I went for lunch at the Fairfax Hotel.
We had information that Pentagon members Ruto, the current Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Charity Ngilu and Najib Balala were to have lunch there as well.
Not present was opposition doyen and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Ledama and I sat at the table next to theirs and when the moment availed, we went over to say hello and everyone at the table chatted us up, except for Ruto.
He only shook hands but not enthusiastically enough to say anything, but that could have just been simply because he had no idea who we were and what the heck we were doing there.
After the small chat, my friend and I went back to our table. I told my friend looking at these gentlemen and the lady, taking age and seniority into consideration, that if Raila and each person at that table were to be president for two terms, and giving allowance for the ‘other side’ to win one term here and there, it is possible it would easily be more than fifty years before Ruto, who was among the youngest in the Pentagon, to ascend to the presidency.
For this reason, I told my friend that I didn’t see Ruto waiting that long. It was just a hunch, but history would subsequently confirm my hunch.
This became more obvious in the lead-up to the 2013 elections, when I was the lone voice among those talking to Raila, pleading with him to do everything that could be done to bring Ruto back to ODM.
I even dedicated a seven-part series on my blog making the case, and I was the first one to conduct a legal analysis and concluded, as I published long before the International Criminal Court cases got underway, that both Ruto and now-retired President Uhuru Kenyatta would be acquitted. The charges were later dropped.
I would come to play a small role in the latter, but that is a story for another day. What matters, and my point is that I believe even Raila must in hindsight have come to realise it was a mistake to let Ruto go in 2013, and if he had done what I and others had implored him to do, it is possible Raila and Ruto would have been president and deputy in 2013 and not Uhuru and Ruto.
But it takes two to tango and there is no indication Ruto saw it in his benefit to work with Raila in 2013, as working with Uhuru was more appealing to him.
It was, therefore, befitting when, following the elections of 2017, Uhuru had the famous or infamous handshake with Raila, which ultimately led to the falling between Uhuru and Ruto.
As we headed to the 2022 elections, Raila was all but assured by ‘the system’ that the presidency was his, now that he had Uhuru’s blessings.
One need not be in Raila’s shoes to know he must have been giddy to be able to kill two birds with one stone: on the one hand, prevent Ruto from succeeding Uhuru and take the presidency himself, while on the other hand, enjoy sweet personal revenge for Ruto abandoning him in 2013, though a good case can be made otherwise.
As God would have it — and this is not something I say lightly or thoughtlessly ⸻ Ruto has been and continues to be on a path that I believe is God-driven to do good for the country.
Yes, I know and read all manner of harsh criticisms of Ruto and many accusing him of only connivingly using the Bible to get his way to State House, but having observed the man’s moves over the last two years, I and many others have concluded that he means well, and he shall do well.
When Raila is sworn in as the next African Union
Commission chairman next month [Elections will be
held at the AU Summit next month], the whistle shall
be blown to kick off 2027, and what an irony it will be
that it is Raila who will ensure smooth sailing for Ruto
to a second term