Politics is a game of strategy and the team with the best strategy emerges the winner. As the 2022 elections beckons, teams are strategizing.
The next elections will be a turning point. Raila is likely to vie again “for the last time”.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has been busy managing his succession politics. In fact, the 2022 elections maybe seen as the contest between President Uhuru and his Deputy William Ruto.

Ruto was with Mr. Uhuru in 2013 when they won and he understands the strategies they used.
One of the strategies they used was being unique. Their manifesto was very glittery. In their manifesto they promised laptops hence the analogue vs digital narrative.
Currently Ruto is advocating for the empowerment of youths and has been adorning himself as the deodorant of poverty. He has been giving wheelbarrows to the youths hence the Hustler vs the Dynasty narrative.
Since then his political enemies have been throwing aspersions at him, making him even stronger. In Raila’s speeches he portrays Ruto as corrupt.

Photo: Courtesy
Raila’s dalliance with Ruto is making Ruto be a strong man. When he was attacked for giving wheelbarrows, he embraced it and even used it as his party symbol.
Orange Democratic Movement is much concerned about the Building Bridges Initiative to the extent of not conducting even party’s elections. ODM does not know who will be the flagbearer, will it be Raila or Governor Wycliffe Oparanya or Governor Hassan Joho or Jimy Wanjigi?
When the President called Ruto and his allies as Tanga Tanga,they embraced the name.
Ruto is ready and preparing to face his erstwhile political friends mano-a-mano and that is why he decided not to campaign against BBI.
Raila is deluded that with President Uhuru’s support he will easily win in the next general elections. Handshake has reduced Raila to size. His ideological shift is worrying his supporters.
In 2013 and 2017 Raila campaigned on the narrative that Uhuru and Ruto are corrupt. The narrative did not hand him victory. He is still using the same method. He is forgetting that his office as a Prime Minister was associated with some scandals like Kazi Kwa Vijana among others.
He is forgetting that William Ruto is good at propaganda.

Ruto knows that the Jubilee government has failed Kenyans and he has been distancing himself from the Jubilee government while Raila is wobbling closer to Uhuru. There is plethora of corruption and injustices in government but Raila is silent as compared to before the handshake.
The banal Raila who betrayed his supporters after being sworn as ‘People’s President’ will not find 2022 as easy as he thinks.
Yes, I called him banal because in 2013 he promised his supporters victory. In 2017 he promised them ‘Canan’ again he is promising political tsunami.
I don’t mean that Ruto being a cleaver politician will be the best President. I mean he is the man to beat.