Azimio presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, has gained more support from the crackles between President, Uhuru Kenyatta, and his Deputy President, William Ruto.
This is according to Dr. Tom Wolf, a political research analyst for research firm TIFA.
On Sunday while in an interview with the media, Wolf said the fight between the two which has rocketed to more accusations as the Election nears, might make the public lose trust in the UDA presidential candidate who is also the Deputy President.
“As methodical as the DP is in his campaign strategy, I don’t think his response to the president’s camp is just spontaneous. I am sure that with his think-tank they have decided that this is the best approach; to counter it head-on,” Wolf declared.
“I think with the barbs being exchanged between the president and his deputy, in a way it makes Raila – who is not in the middle of this – look more sober and relaxed. Given the fact that more Kenyans are conservative in their relations, they might be put off a bit by this mud-slinging. I am not certain” he added.
The public mud-slinging between the President and his deputy – who is looking out to succeed Uhuru on a Kenya Kwanza alliance ticket – has obtained condemnation from the clergy and parties like the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).
Ruto and Uhuru have been in constant public fights over the Jubilee government’s two terms tenure success and losses, throwing blames on losses and claiming wins. Also, Kenyatta’s endorsement of Odinga as his favoured successor, poses a betrayal to the DP, since he claimed to have supported Uhuru in his presidential campaigns in 2013 and 2017.
On the other hand, Pollster reported that the endorsement of Odinga by Kenyatta could gain Ruto supporters as a result of the frustrating economy.
However, Wolf noted that Ruto can easily lose a chance to win the election from the attacks he is forming on his boss.
“The DP is aware that Kenyans are unhappy with the status quo… so in a way, he might think; If the president represents the status quo and if the president represents the status quo and is supporting my opponent, that supports me. But does it? I’m not sure,” he argued.
Recently the president answered Ruto’s response to the Kenya Kwanza camp’s recent salvo of attacks in which the DP told the President to stop interfering with their political affairs.
While President Kenyatta told Ruto’s brigade to stop bringing his name into their campaign trails and advised him to pay more attention to his campaigns.
“Campaign for yourself and leave me alone. I am doing my job, I finish, you go and ask for votes, if Kenyans vote for you it is okay, if they don’t we go home together where is the problem. The world will still go on.”
Earlier last week, President Kenyatta attacked his deputy, referring to Ruto as unfit to succeed him.
“Hata hawa wengine ni wetu lakini inaonekana they need time kutulia, kuwacha matusi ,kutulia, kuwacha speed mingi na kujua kazi na ukweli washinda matusi na chuki,” said Kenyatta.
The bitter deputy fired back on Thursday asking the president to stop mentioning his candidate and not his people or him.
While in Kapsabet on Tuesday, DP Ruto grew intense in his outrageous speech asking the president to stop threatening his people and instead deal with him, accusing him of plotting to harm him alongside his family and allies.
“Mimi nataka nimwambie rais, Wacha kuniletea maneno wewe skuma candidate Wako, President stop talking about me, talk about your candidate, I supported you, and if you do not want to support me leave me alone,” said Ruto.
Meanwhile, the most recent TIFA poll has Odinga topping as the most picked contender in the August 9 polls to the State House with a popularity rating of 46.7 per cent.
DP Ruto of the UDA camp, comes in second with a rating of 44.4 per cent, as Roots Party counterpart Prof. George Wajackoyah came in third at 1.8 per cent.
Agano Party presidential candidate David Mwaure closed up at 0.1 per cent according to the survey carried out between July 21 to July 26, 2022.
