It has now been revealed that a respected Kibaki-era civil servant is said to be the mastermind behind the coming together of Uhuru and Raila during the March 9 handshake and also the push for constitutional change.
There are claims that there is a low lying but powerful clique of operatives working against Ruto’s State House race.
Mr Ruto’s allies claim that a clique of powerful businessmen and State officials, some of whom have supported President Kenyatta’s political journey since 1997 when he first campaigned for the Gatundu South parliamentary seat, are working behind the scenes to “cut the DP to size”.
The coming together of Raila na Uhuru also includes some influential figures who ironically tried to use the same strategy to block Mr Kenyatta’s 2013 bid in favour of Mr Musalia Mudavadi.
“We have been monitoring events as they unfold. It will be premature to engage politically at this moment, but saying ‘no’ to any referendum proposal is a way of sending a message that we are prepared for a brutal phase ahead,” said an MP from the Rift Valley, who requested anonymity.
The thinking within this secretariat, an MP close to the DP and aware of the gigantic power of the team said, is to force events and elicit strong reaction from Mr Ruto and his allies.
Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, who has previously been vocal on Mr Ruto’s candidature, admitted the existence of such a team, but dismissed the notion that it was set up expressly to block Mr Ruto’s ascendancy to the presidency.
He instead said the aim was to ensure there is a strong running mate for Mr Ruto in 2022.
The fundamental question right now is: Can the DP defend himself against all these people? Can he absorb the shocks and the undertones of propaganda, and survive? The answer is yes,” Mr Njuki told the Sunday Nation.
He explained: “My biggest worry, actually, is when the DP is in this race with no pressure at all. He works well under pressure. He is the kind of person that will be told that some place is dangerous because some politicians do not like him there, and he will choose that place, and forego those that are already intact, just to thrive in the pressure.”