The presidential elections in Kenya will be held in August this year. A little more than six months later, the two main camps are emerging more clearly. On the one hand, William Ruto, Kenyatta’s vice-president, self-proclaimed spokesman for the ‘hustlers’, the young people without economic security crushed by the gig-economy, who are up against the Kenyan caste, i.e. those who come from the country’s main clans. On the other, Raila Odinga, the historic opposition leader to Kenyatta’s rule in the country, who, paradoxically, after the famous October 2018 handshake with Uhuru Kenyatta, is presenting himself in this election as the candidate of continuity of government.
Polls see Ruto still clearly ahead of Odinga, although the gap has narrowed considerably since six months ago. In July, the numbers predicted 42.7% for the vice-president and 28.6% for the ODM leader; today Ruto has only grown by three points while Odinga has reached 28.6%. This growth is also due to an abstentionist front that is getting thinner and thinner as the elections draw nearer.
If neither of the two seems to be able to clearly prevail over the other, the most important game could be resolved in the game of alliances, in order to arrive at the elections with the greatest possible support from the world of politics. It was in this light that Ruto joined ANC (Amani National Congress) leader Musalia Mudavadi at the Bomas during the party’s national delegates’ congress on Sunday. The vice-president said he will hold the upcoming rallies jointly with the ANC and Ford Kenya. Mudavadi, who has already run for president, represents the Luhya ethnic group and is therefore very important in the election.
