Deputy President William Ruto is now seeking a coalition deal with Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka ahead of the 2022 elections to form a formidable team that will face ODM leader Raila Odinga.
The move comes barely a day after insiders in William Ruto’s camp told the second in command to consider working with the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) principals Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi, and Moses Wetang’ula in the 2022 elections or forget the presidency.
In a report by the Standard, William Ruto’s camp is in talks with Kalonzo Muysoka’s party in a deal that could see the Wiper leader picked as potential running mate.
The report further revealed that already two Wiper party Members of Parliament are willing to join William Ruto with Kalonzo Musyoka’s advisors saying it is still early for him to make such a move.
“We are trying to reach out, two of his MPs are willing to join us but the hardliners seem to have scared him from any deal at the moment, some are saying it is still early,” said a source.
Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr said everything is fluid now adding that in politics there is nothing concrete suggesting that Kalonzo Musyka and William Ruto could work together in the 2022 elections.
“I have no doubt that there are efforts to reach out to Kalonzo (Musyoka), and we are waiting to see,” said Kilonzo Jr.
Both William Ruto and Kalonzo Musyoka are in the race to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta who is expected to hang his boots in August 2022.
William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party had said it will only sign deals with smaller parties after the 2022 General Election based on their performance in the parliamentary and gubernatorial seats.
But on Wednesday, October 27, Kaburu Kinoti, a Kenyatta University lecturer and Secretary-General of the Peace and Development Party and an insider in UDA however, warned Ruto of not going it alone saying he has to engage OKA with urgency if indeed he wants to defeat former Prime Minister Raila Odinga who has received the support of the state.
“The Deputy President (William Ruto) should as a matter of urgency engage the One Kenya Alliance leaders,” he said.
