Mathira Member of Parliament, Rigathi Gachagua, and Tharaka Nithi Senator, Kithure Kindiki, have left Deputy President William Ruto's Karen residence in a huff amid reports of disagreements on the running mate position.
Gachagua left minutes after Kindiki even as another team was holed up in a meeting with the Deputy President who was scheduled to unveil his running mate Saturday, May 14.
The two are the frontrunners in the running mate race that has threatened to tear apart the political coalition.
Insiders told Kenyans.co.ke that the DP's Kenya Kwanza had already settled on a running mate but last-minute demands by the Mathira MP threw spanner in the works.
The insiders intimated that Gachagua made it clear last week that he would not settle for anything less despite a promise by the DP Ruto-led team to give him the Interior Ministry should they win the August 9 presidential vote.
Before Gachagua's entry into the running mate's race, the contest was between Kindiki and Kirinyaga governor, Anne Waiguru. The entry of the Mathira MP at the last minute complicated the matrix for Ruto, further throwing his plans in jeopardy.
While insiders in the Ruto camp support the candidature of Kindiki, Gachagua argues that the Tharaka Nithi Senator has no commanding power when it comes to numbers.
The insider further intimated that Gachagua - in putting up his case - argued that picking Kindiki would have a negative effect on Ruto's votes, especially in Mt Kenya west region that stretches from Kiambu through Murang'a, Kirinyaga, Nyeri and Laikipia.
On the other hand, Ruto's team prefers Kindiki over his calm and collected nature and impressive resume when it comes to development and policies. The proponents of Kindiki argue that his less abrasive nature would come in handy in running the government.
According to the insider, DP was set to unveil his running mate at 10am on Saturday, May 14, but a meeting that started as early as 6am to streamline the process degenerated into day-long negotiations pitting the two camps against each other.
Gachagua had initially disclosed that the job of picking a running mate would be solely handled by DP Ruto.
"We have given him the free hand to pick his running mate as opposed to the other side whereby the talks are polarising," the MP stated in a past interview.
"Our presidential candidate is ready (to announce) because he is not held by any external forces."
