Deputy President William Ruto seems to be ready to go miles to secure his 2022 presidential bid.
In a crafty plot to win over the populous Luhya vote ahead of the 2022 succession, Ruto is allegedly scheming, through proxies, to take over the management of AFC Leopards Soccer Club.
Known as Ingwe, the club is historically associated with the Western Kenya region.
Ruto who has been supporting Ingwe including when he donated Sh 3 million that included Sh 1 million from President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2015 is said to be considering going all in.
The DP is leaving nothing to chance in his quest for the 2022 elections, this time round targeting the embattled club’s support base to vote his way come the June 23 club elections as a measure towards of political patronage.
Jointly with a host politicians gravitating around him, Ruto has set his eyes on the polls that are largely expected to usher in a brand new band of football administrators.
The DP has enlisted the services of a former Nairobi City County official during former Governor Evans Kidero’s reign at City Hall to sway the vote his way the vote his way.
Vincent Shimoli, then in charge of the influential liquor and licensing department, is said to be under the direct command of Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka, a close ally of the DP who recently donated Sh800,000 to the club.
Shimoli recently shepherded his allies to meet Ruto at his Karen residence to plot for the AFC takeover.
Lusaka has also held meetings with Dan Shikanda, a former AFC player and now front runner for chairmanship seat. Shikanda has been in control since chairman Dan Mule deserted the club has.
It is worth mentioning, however, that Shikanda once played a better-part role at the legendary Ingwe.
Apart from Shikanda, others in the race are Boniface Ambani, Kakamega businessman and former Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) pensions boss Maurice Amahwa and football administrator club executive Ronald Namai.
The elections has been scheduled to take place at Kakamega’s Bukhungu Stadium ostensibly to ward off meddling.
Shimoli, a former soccer administrator, is said to be the man the DP is using to ensure that the results of the elections favour those he considers to be on his side ahead of the 2022 transition poll.
Leopards have struggled on and off the pitch over the past decade and have yet to win a league title since 1998.