Ruto seeks to stem nominations fallout with jobs, tender promises
Deputy President William Ruto. The DP is dangling goodies to UDA party nomination losers to avert fallouts in his Rift Valley backyard and Mt Kenya.
Deputy President William Ruto is now dangling government appointments should he win in the August elections, nominations to Parliament and roles in the presidential campaign secretariat to nominations losers to avert fallouts in his Rift Valley backyard and Mt Kenya.
After suspending Kenya Kwanza county economic forums following the demise of former President Mwai Kibaki, the DP retreated to his Karen residence in Nairobi to hold meetings with both winners and losers of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) nominations and strike a deal of working together ahead of the August 9 polls.
Unlike the initial plan where Dr Ruto was supposed to meet the entire team this week, he has now resorted to handling the issues on case by case basis.
On Wednesday, DP Ruto brokered a deal between winners and losers from Nyandarua and Embu counties as he disclosed that Mr Kinyanjui Theuri, who vied for the Nyandarua senatorial seat, and Ms Jane Karimi Mwaniki for Embu woman representative have joined the national campaigns.
“We associate with their courage and sacrifice to accept the outcome of UDA primaries for Senate and woman representative seats in Nyandarua and Embu,” Dr Ruto said.
Other areas he has calmed a storm are Moiben, Tetu, Keiyo South, Eldama Ravine, Nyeri Town, Kigumo, Mbeere South, Marakwet East and West Constituencies, as well as Kitui, Kericho, Bomet, Kiambu and Nandi counties.
The deal-making comes at a time when leaders like Embu Senator Njeru Ndwiga, Starehe MP Charles Njagua, Eldama Ravine MP Moses Lesonett have decided to vie as independent candidates.
This could pose a big threat for the DP’s quest to have the majority in the National Assembly, Senate, Council of Governors (CoG) and county assemblies.
“There is less noise in UDA because the DP brings warring parties to the table. He has provided good leadership and hundreds of people are meeting him every day. He also calls on winners to reach out to their opponents,” said nominated MP Cecil Mbarire, who clinched UDA ticket for Embu governor race.
Majority of those who did not succeed, she said, are being promised plum jobs should Kenya Kwanza win the elections.
“He is trying to pacify antagonists who have been fighting for the same position and just to let everybody feel that they are wanted and appreciated in the party,” Ms Mbarire said.
The promise is said to only apply to those who lost in the nominations and campaigned for UDA aspirants across the country.
DP Ruto’s party bagged 5,700 aspirants from the nomination registration and issued certificates to just 1,745 aspirants.
This means the DP has almost 4,000 aspirants to deal with, although most of them were vying for county assembly seats.
Among those given certificates were 270 MP contenders, 43 for senate, 1,341 ward representatives, 45 for woman representatives and 42 governor hopefuls.
Keiyo South MP Daniel Rono, who is among those who lost in the party primaries and was reconciled with his competitor in the presence of DP Ruto at Karen, told the Nation that the dishing out of such jobs will not be a one-off exercise but will continue until all people are catered for.
He further revealed that those who will not land state jobs will be helped to start businesses while those with their own companies will secure government tenders without breaking the country’s laws on procurement.
Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua, said the bid to bring winners and losers together was for the sake of the party’s stability.
“It is not easy to bring opponents together but we have made substantial progress by asking them to put the interests of the party first,” said Mr Gachagua.
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro yesterday told the Nation that majority of those who have been meeting the DP have been coming up with different ideas on how, in case the party forms the next government, they would revive the economy.
