President William Ruto has set his sights firmly on 2027 re-election and leaving the country a one united party for the future as opposed to the trend since 2002 where every other General Election has been trashing the incumbent’s ruling party.
After the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) swept Kanu out of power in 2002 with Mr Mwai Kibaki as President, he sought a second term and won riding on the Party of National Unity (PNU) in 2007.
In 2013, Uhuru Kenyatta became president on The National Alliance (TNA) Party and sought re-election in 2017 on Jubilee Party (JP) before Dr Ruto won the 2022 presidential race on United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
According to confidential reports from Thursday’s Parliamentary Group meeting as State House Nairobi, Dr Ruto and his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua confided to their audience that 2027 General Election is a feature and to increase their success, have to be in one big party that will preserve either the UDA or Kenya Kwanza Alliance (KKA) trademarks.
Dr Ruto was reported to have told the MPs that they should keep the debate alive in their respective constituent parties about the immense benefits of approaching 2027 as a formidable party that will retain its current strongholds and eat into the opposition.
Already, Chama Cha Kazi Party leader Mr Moses Kuria—now Trade CS—has since announced intent to dissolve it and merge with UDA.
On October 25, Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leader Mr Raila Odinga accused president Ruto of getting into 2027 campaign mode as Kenyans reeled under indignities of poverty and hunger while at the same time losing their livestock to drought.
“The meeting that started at 7am had the President and Deputy suggest to us that we engage our National Executive Councils (NEC) in our domicile parties to pursue collapsing into one national party,” said a Mt Kenya MP.
Asked whether the two leaders suggested the preferred name of the party, the MP responded that “the president made this call as a passing thing…Like testing waters”.
The MP added that Mr Gachagua attempted to talk more about it but “but the President said a Parliamentary Group meeting should not attempt to make resolutions of individual NECs.”
However, the meeting was said to have been whipped into embracing the debate about 2027 and on logic that uniting the country cannot be by political parties but by development projects from a united government.
“Dr Ruto said Kenya Kwanza Alliance should also seek to make history by giving the country a solid ruling political party of the future as opposed to the trend of aspirants moving into the next General Elections in new parties every five years,” said another MP.
Dr Ruto was reported to be winning hearts in this cause owing to what was described as “gentlemanly trait of keeping his word and acting for the common good”.
To keep political passions high, the two leaders suggested that the Kenya Kwanza Alliance was committed to win back Elgeyo Marakwet’s Senate seat as well as Garissa Town and Kandara parliamentary slots that are now vacant following the swearing in of Kipchumba Murkomen, Adan Duale and Alice Wahome respectively, to the Cabinet.
Dr Ruto reiterated that his is a praying government that has God as its foundation, adding that the ruling alliance should avoid exchanging rhetoric with the opposition and instead, render it irrelevant through transforming lives across the country.
Mr Odinga has since announced he will be naming a shadow cabinet to keep Dr Ruto’s Cabinet on man to man check.
To that end, the two leaders are reported to have told the MPs to be ready to make budget making and legislative agenda “a matter of seeking to fulfil pre-election pledges and seeking to ride on a scorecard that will reunite them back plus new signings winning in opposition strongholds after 2027 polls”.
