There is no doubt that social media is changing the political landscape not only in Kenya but across the black continent as politicians leverage its power to communicate to supporters.
This is due to easy access to social media platforms by the masses which has prompted more politicians to resort to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to mobilize and grow their influence.
For instance, data compiled by the Africa No Filter survey between 2020 and 2021 showed that there are around 11 million active social media users in Kenya, one of the highest across the continent.
Due to this, it has become necessary for political leaders to grow their following on social media to enable them to reach out to a larger group of people, especially during the electioneering period.
A spot-check by Kivumbi.co.ke has established that Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto is now the second most followed political leader in Africa on Twitter.
Ruto, who is seeking to succeed outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta in the just-ended presidential elections held on Tuesday, August 9, has crossed the 5 million mark.
The Chief hustler came second after Egypt President Abdelfattah Elsis who has a following of 5.8 million on Twitter.
Ruto’s account which was created in 2011 comes across as one of the most active pages with hourly updates of his official duties after he was technically pushed out of the Jubilee government.
The page usually attracts thousands of engagements from the members of the public.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s account which was created in the same year as that of his arch-rival William Ruto has a following of 3.8 million on Twitter.
The UDA presidential candidate appears to have overtaken Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition party presidential candidate Raila Odinga in the ongoing voter tallying process.
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) latest verified form 34 Bs show that Ruto is leading Raila Odinga.
According to Reuters, the deputy president is leading Raila with 52 percent of the votes in its nearly complete tally of form 34 As.
The tally shows that Ruto has won 126 constituencies with 7,152,655 votes while Raila has taken 146 constituencies with 6, 942,708 votes with 18 constituencies pending.
