Deputy President, William Ruto, hatched a plan that saw President Uhuru Kenyatta and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader, Raila Odinga, caught up in a fight over Kibra by-election.
According to The Star, Ruto pressured Uhuru to allow Jubilee Party to field a candidate in the by-elections and Uhuru had no choice but to bow to pressure.
After days of intense behind-the-scene negotiations, the Jubilee Party declared on Monday, August 26, through Secretary-General, Raphael Tuju, that it will field a candidate to face Raila Odinga’s ODM in the November 7 by-election.
“Following consultation with the party leadership with respect to Kibra constituency, we would like to communicate to our membership that the Jubilee Party will be fielding a candidate in the forthcoming Kibra Constituency by-election,” Tuju announced in a statement.
Reports have it that Uhuru was reluctant to challenge ODM for the seat in the area perceived as the opposition’s stronghold.
However, the DP, who has set his eyes on the presidency in 2022, was determined to flex his political muscle and test his clout in the capital city.
In April this year, Jubilee pulled out of the twin Embakasi South and the Ugenya parliamentary by-elections to avoid a face-off with ODM. ODM would, however, go on to lose both races after preferring a direct ticket over party nominations.
The recent move by Jubilee Party was seen as a blow to ODM, which was hoping for the ruling party’s backing following the handshake and cooperation between Raila and Uhuru. This makes the contest a three-horse race among ODM, Jubilee and Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress (ANC), who will field Raila’s former presidential campaign manager, Eliud Owalo.
Raila enjoys fanatical support in Kibra and therefore Ruto’s push for a candidate can be seen as an attempt to test his political might in readiness for the 2022 polls.
Ruto is said to have been buoyed by the surprise victory of Langata MP, Nixon Korir, his close ally, in the 2017 General Election, who floored ODM's Oscar Omoke.
