Ruto is already planning for 2027 elections

Ruto is an astute politician and political Chessmaster. He is always several moves ahead of his opponents and that's why he is where he is today. A case in point is how he outwitted his boss President Uhuru Kenyatta and the opposition leader Raila Odinga with all the much-hyped deep state machinery. In the runup to the elections, Ruto kept on saying, "mnaona kama mimi ni mtu wa kuibiwa kura kweli?' and they thought he was just bluffing, little did they know that this is a man who knew what he was saying and was just reassuring his followers to get out and vote. In my opinion, Ruto had planned and won this election over 3 years ago and was just waiting to be handed over the reins.

The people blaming President Uhuru that he played Raila Odinga and that it was a long con game to have Ruto into the State House effortlessly don't know what they are saying. Uhuru was just outwitted and just like Raila, he was genuinely stunned by the turn of events. Going by their frosty relations that were at an all-time low, I don't believe Uhuru was working to have Ruto succeed him, especially after the rumors about what might have led to their strained relationship. Ruto had his eyes on the prize and planned better toward getting it. Like the rest of us, Uhuru was caught off-guard without any contingency plan to mitigate the imminent loss in the end. Ruto assembled a juggernaut that propelled him to the statehouse despite the hurdles created by the Uhuru administration. He created networks even in Uhuru Kenyatta's own government that secretly helped him while undermining Uhuru. I don't believe he could have done it without the intelligence networks' help, more so the NIS and the foreign intelligence networks. Now one might ask why the foreign intelligence network? Why would they get involved in Kenya's affairs? Well, how about China's influence for starters? The Americans and Brittons have been weary of the Chinese influence for a while now. The growing influence of China in Kenya and the edging out of the west from Kenya and many African countries is a worrying trend to the western countries and reason enough to plant their own candidate in the just concluded elections. There are so many pointers to this effect from the Twitter goofs from the British High commissioner Jane Marriot to the travel advisories warning Americans not to visit Kisumu way before the elections were conducted and during the Supreme Court hearings. Notwithstanding the first foreign trips the President made were to the UK and the US.

Having been declared the winner of the just concluded elections the President is already planning on the next one. Many people might not be woke to this but anyone keen enough might have noticed. Top on the list is the appointments the president is making. Having learned from the mistakes of his former boss, Uhuru Kenyatta, Ruto's cabinet is made up of politicians and not technocrats like his predecessor's. Ruto is seeking to consolidate his grip on his traditional bases while expanding his tentacles to Raila strongholds. The appointments of Wetangula and the former Kilifi governor Amason Kingi to head the bicameral houses in Kenya is one such move. Then there is the Mudavadi factor and his elevation to a chief minister; a powerful position that's a creation of the president and one that is none existent in the constitution. One that is meant to rival Rigathi's power and water it down. There was even talk of Mudavadi being allocated Harambee Annex office block that is a designate of the Deputy President. Rigathi Gachua or RiggyG as he is popularly known was meant to occupy two floors of the OP at Harambee House. Nonetheless, RiggyG waited while his boss was away in the UK and the US to move into these office blocks - a brilliant move I must say. The plan to have Riggy G housed at the OP wa seen as an attempt by President Ruto to try and limit the powers of his Deputy, a move interpreted as Ruto trying to avoid the kind of Deputy president he was to Uhuru Kenyatta (whatever that means). If this is true then it reinforces my hypothesis that Ruto is already planning ahead for the 2027 elections. It also reinforces my thoughts that Ruto might have a different Deputy President in his second term.

Today, on his first trip out of Nairobi as President, Ruto will be in Homabay county, attending mass at a local church. This is one of those moves aimed at pacifying regions perceived to be hostile to him. In fact, before the death of Queen Elizabeth, Ruto was scheduled to attend the National Schools music festivals in Kisumu but had to send Riggy G to go on his behalf as he attended the Queen's burial. For whatever reasons, Nyanza, Coast, and western regions are key to the President's 2027 plans and he has set out to bag them by all means possible. In fact, this is also evident going by the postponement of the gubernatorial elections in Kakamega and Mombasa counties way before he even won this election. In trying to understand the reason for these moves, I can only come up with one explanation - Rigathi Gachagua, and the Mount Kenya votes. Ruto knows he cannot bank on the Mountain for long especially if he is planning to ditch their son, Riggy G, as such he is already courting new allies ahead of 2027. He knows how loyal the Luhyas, Luos, and people from Coast can be if he gets them to support him. He has seen how loyal they have been to Raila Odinga, even in opposition. He knows the same cannot be said about the mountain. As the suave and cunning politician he is, he is already planning ahead instead of waiting to have some knee-jerk reactions when finally the mountain deserts him or he deserts them. This is how Ruto has always been ahead of his opponents, this is how he has already won the 2027 elections. He is always several steps ahead.