Uhuru at Crossroads Amidst Rising Political Temperatures

President Uhuru Kenyatta has been left as a lonely cut figure in the middle of rising political temperature.

The rivalry between ODM leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto that continues to play out in public has left the President at a catch-22 position.

President Kenyatta is caught up between defending the deal with Raila dubbed the handshake and defending his deputy.

Daily Nation reported that with attacks on the handshake coming mainly from leaders allied to the deputy president, Uhuru had to come out to warn the Central Kenya politicians.

Despite the president’s call for a ceasefire, the politicians kept throwing jabs at his deal with Odinga and also criticised Jubilee Party leadership.

The presence of two factions in the ruling party has also left the president further in confusion as Kieleweke and Tanga tanga teams go head to head almost every weekend.

On June 17, 2019, Uhuru in a surge of anger scolded leaders from Central Kenya for engaging in premature politics.

The leaders have also accused the president of being inaccessible to his own supporters and letting the region lag behind in terms of development.

This comes at a time when Ruto is positioning himself to succeed Uhuru when his term comes to an end in 2022.

On the other hand, the ODM party has been reported to be pushing the president to endorse its party leader Raila Odinga as the preferred presidential candidate.

Political pundits have predicted that most Kenyans will vote for a candidate who hails from outside Central Kenya.

They also added that the voters might also be swayed if and when the president names his preferred successor.