The political journey of William Ruto
It
has been a rollercoaster ride for Deputy President
William Ruto. His
endorsement to fly the United
Democratic Alliance (UDA) presidential flag, is a culmination
of a 20-year political journey walked by the deputy president.
The Tuesday
UDA national delegates convention marked a significant milestone in the
deputy president’s political career.
The DP had
been expelled from the Jubilee
Party following his
association with the United Democratic
Alliance that nominated him a presidential candidate.
Over 4000 delegates were gathered at the Kasarani gymnasium as Ruto went through the nomination
formalities.
In signing on the dotted line of the declaration, the deputy
president officially ended his association with the ruling Jubilee Party.
“I William
Ruto accept your
nomination to be the UDA party, presidential candidate... I promise you a campaign that you
will be proud of,” he told a
cheered crowd.
Ruto’s story of political parties reads like de javu. Kicked
out of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, the deputy president took over
the control of the United
Democratic Movement (UDM). But a leadership tussle made him
shop for another party, the United
Republican Party (URP).
URP
came together with President
Uhuru Kenyatta’s The National Alliance (TNA) in 2012 to win the
election and form government.
In 2017, URP
and TNA folded to form the Jubilee Party. President Uhuru Kenyatta
became the Jubilee Party leader with DP Ruto being the deputy
party leader.
But the advent of the handshake in 2018 shook up the
arithmetic within the Jubilee
administration. DP Ruto,
opposed to handshake,
was sidelined and isolated not only within the government but also in the ruling
party.
With the breakdown of relations at the Jubilee Party, DP Ruto and his allies began shopping
for yet another home. UDA
was born in December
2020 as the alternative house from the Jubilee Party.
At a recent Jubilee
Party NDC, Ruto and his allies were shown the
door. The UDA delegates conference
now marks yet another turning point as DP Ruto finds
a new abode that he will use to challenge for the country’s presidency.
“I
am grateful for your support and sacrifice… I welcome you on this walk until we knock on the gates of the
glorious throne,” he said on
Tuesday.
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