What BBI Proposals Could Mean for Ruto’s 2022 Presidential Bid

Of late, Deputy President William Ruto has been a man walking on a tight rope thanks to the introduction of the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM party leader Raila Odinga.

The handshake and the Building Bridges Initiative, BBI seems to have gotten the self-proclaimed hustler in an awkward position.

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While Ruto was gearing up for presidency in less than three years, his biggest threat to the seat Raila might have scored one over him in the long run.

Raila’s political moves were far more strategic than the DP, who he claimed was holding on to 2022 too tightly. Ruto seems to have forgotten that politics is like romance, if you hold onto someone too tightly, they will leave you.

By holding onto his 2022 presidential ambition, Ruto was “suffocating those who love him and it was expected that they would soon leave him.”

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With Raila’s ‘entry’ into the government, Ruto’s dalliance with Uhuru seemed to have hit a dead end with the president suggestively sidelining his deputy in every vital decision that is being carried out in the government.

Knowing the President, and reading his current body language, one gets a feeling that more than ever before he is firmly in support of the BBI and its recommendations. It’s no doubt that he has now come out in the open. And this has set the political ball rolling.

Those opposed to the BBI, (Ruto’s political camp) have been jittery about the initiative and its agenda. It’s not lost on many Kenyans that DP Ruto and his political brigade have always voiced their opposition to the BBI.

There are probable reasons as to why the deputy president has kept a low profile when it comes to offering his full support for the BBI.

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First, Ruto is afraid of his political future. If the leaked BBI proposals are anything to go by, then Ruto’s presidential ambitions will completely be thrown into uncertainty.

The introduction of the Prime Minister’s post will definitely reduce the president’s power. This, according to analysts, will not favour Ruto, who seems to be eyeing for a presidential system where the president enjoys all the executive powers.

According to political analyst, Mutahi Ngunyi, the adoption of the new BBI proposals means Ruto might miss out on the presidential cake because there is a likelihood the position will be scrapped by 2022.

“The 2022 presidential election will not happen under the new constitution, zero! There will be a referendum that will affect constitutional changes. If this is true, then Ruto is consistently campaigning for a position that will not exist in 2022. He has become the proverbial blind man in a dark room chasing a black cat that is not there,” the political scientist went on.

Ngunyi’s sentiments clearly indicate that Ruto will be out of 2022 matrix which is likely to see President Uhuru Kenyatta ‘who is still young’ go for the prime minister’s post with ODM boss Raila Odinga eyeing the Presidency’s seat.

But nevertheless, William Ruto could also play wise and form part of the next government if he decides to support the proposal.

Supporting the initiative, however, will likely not guarantee Ruto a slot in the next government. Unless political goalposts are changed or something else happens, the dice is already cast.

What this means is that with the BBI report and the political actions which follow, we are surely staring at very interesting political times.

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