Foreign Affairs Chief Administrative Secretary Ababu Namwamba has been drawn into Deputy President William Ruto’s 2022 presidential ambitions.
In an interview on Citizen Extra Monday morning, Namwamba found himself in a precarious position when he was asked whether he would consider running as DP Ruto’s running mate in the 2022 elections.
Namwamba, however, swiftly played down the speculations noting it was too early to discuss 2022 politics.
“It is too early; you cross bridges when you come to them. The Deputy President is a wise man and knows how he’ll want his ticket to look like and I believe that is something he will resolve this at the right time and in the right way,” he stated.
He stated: “DP Ruto is a wise man and will know the best pick for running mate in the run-up to the 2022 elections.”
[caption caption="DP William Ruto with Foreign Affairs CAS Ababu Namwamba and other leaders"]
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Namwamba moved to throw his weight behind Ruto’s candidacy saying the DP had won his place in Jubilee party.
“The deputy president is the heir apparent in the Jubilee house. I believe this is still clear. If you ask me what my preference is, I would tell you that it is the deputy president William Ruto – he has earned his place,” he noted.
The former Budalangi’s MP noted that his priority now is to serve the people of Kenya diligently in his position as the CAS Foreign Affairs.
“This is a position that has been created constitutionally. The president also has residual powers that extend to the kind of authority he has exercised under Article 24 (4) (a) to create this position,” Namwamba affirmed.
“This position has substantive responsibilities and is definitely a senior position in the structure of the government,” he added.
[caption caption="DP Ruto and Ababu Namwamba"]
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Ruto’s 2022 succession debate has been a key point of debate with a section of legislators in Jubilee warning their support is not guaranteed.
In the run-up to the August 8, 2017 elections, President Uhuru Kenyatta had stated that he would hand over the baton to DP Ruto after the completion of his second term, a pronouncement that was loudly echoed in his Central Kenya backyard.
