Forced to choose between Mr Odinga’s unflinching loyalty and DP Ruto’s unbridled ambition and constant opposition to the Handshake, President Uhuru Kenyatta appears to have not only picked the former, but also moved to deliberately undercut the DP.
For Cherang’any MP Joshua Kutuny, DP Ruto had just gone too far by refusing to take advice, fighting too many battles on too many fronts with the opposition, the Judiciary and investigative agencies, and going against the President.
And as the clock ticks towards 2022, DP Ruto, the indefatigable teetotaller known for his energetic rallies, must choose between remaining loyal to a union that has all the signs of a broken marriage or step even closer to the sun by biting the bullet and calling President Kenyatta’s bluff by resigning — the ultimate show of disapproval.
And while Mr Kamanda believes that DP Ruto’s dalliance with Mt Kenya MPs and the constant visits were a sign of “Ruto trying to overthrow Uhuru in his own backyard”, Prof Kisiang’ani believes that the visits would actually be in the DP’s favour, in the end.
Political analyst Macharia Munene argues that what is happening to DP Ruto is not unique, citing the betrayal of former Vice-President George Saitoti by President Moi in 2002, and that of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in 1966.