Muranga Senator Irungu Kangata says their UDA boss William Ruto’s only guarantee that he will be voted to a man by Mt. Kenya residents is by him picking a running mate from the region. Just like in 2013 and 2017 the deputy president is depending on the populous region to vote for him as a block in 2022.
“Mt Kenya region wants the DP’s running-mate slot.We know our boss is magnanimous and he will repay us adequately. Personally, I’m not fronting anyone,” Senator Kangata told a local publication on Saturday.
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Already, it is a tough balancing act for Ruto on his choice of a runnibgmate, and whoever he picks, whether from Mt Kenya or outside the region will hugely affect his camp thus he has to see the best way to contain any fall-outs. Apart from Mt Kenya, the Coast and Western regions are also demanding the slot, arguing, Kalenjin-Kikuyu axis has held the country’s leadership since independence, and most recently for the last ten years under Jubilee.
Leaders jostling for a runningmate position from DP Ruto’s Mt Kenya camp are former Devolution CS Mwangi Kiunjuri, MPs Kimani Ichungwa (Kikuyu), Moses Kuria (Gatundu South), Rigathi Gachagua (Mathira) and Alice Wahome (Kandara).
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Those insisting Mt. Kenya must produce a runningmate for Ruto argue the region has firmly stood with the DP and expects to be repaid by having a major stake in the next government, nit only by virtue support but also the number of votes from the block.
To beat a joint Uhuru-Raila block, William Ruto will need to have both the Rift-Valley and Mt Kenya regions vote him to the last man, where he will need to score more than 70 percent of the vote in the two blocks.
