In picking Rigathi Gachagua, an MP from the vote-rich Mt. Kenya region, Ruto is taking a gamble on Gachagua’s grassroots mobilisation skills against a clouded profile of a man facing graft charges in Kenya’s anti-corruption court. Can the Ruto-Rigathi ticket stand the storm of accusations against a pro-reform ticket presented by his main rival Raila Odinga?
A few minutes before 1 pm on Sunday 15 March, Ruto approached the nation to name his running mate for the forthcoming presidential election. He had kept the country waiting for over 24 hours after word had gone out that he would name his deputy as early as 10am on Saturday.
It would later turn out that an intense back and forth is what had delayed the announcement and possibly led to a switch. Kithure Kindiki, the senator of Tharaka Nithi County and a professor of law, had earlier dominated speculations as the preferred choice for
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