Today, as matters stand, Mr Ruto is in the so-called pole position. He’s the man to beat.
While his opponents wobble or remain comatose, he’s marching ahead collecting weaklings and stalwarts.
My crystal ball tells me there’s a very good chance DP William Ruto, the man who escaped the gallows of the International Criminal Court by a whisker, could become the fifth president of the Republic of Kenya. This isn’t a prognosis I make with the warm cockles of my heart. No. But in this column, facts do indeed matter. And I go wherever facts lead me. Mr Ruto is surging while his opponents – declared and would-be – are in a state of lethargy and catatonic schizophrenia. They’ve become the proverbial watermelons. That’s why I predict today that on election day 2022, Mr Ruto will capture the State House hands down and early. He wants it more than the others.
There’s a caveat. A year and some change is an eternity in politics. We don’t know what might, or could, happen. We don’t even know whether we will be alive then. Perhaps a more virulent mutant of Covid will send us to our maker. I have lived long enough to know that politics can turn on a single dime. Who knew that VP Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania would be president today? The least among us may yet rise to the throne. But today, as matters stand, Mr Ruto is in the so-called pole position. He’s the man to beat. I call them as I see them. Next year, the “capital” of Kenya might be Sugoi. Get your popcorn.
