President-elect William Ruto has been praised by Francis Atwoli, secretary-general of the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU), for being a master tactician.
Speaking on Friday, Atwoli claimed that if the results of the presidential election are any indication, Ruto’s political strategy outperformed that of Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Alliance.
Ruto beat Raila Odinga in the just concluded polls by a margin of a little over 200,000 votes. Raila was vying for the presidency for the fifth time.
“I was confident that Odinga would defeat William Ruto in the presidential election. On election day night, I slept knowing Odinga was ahead of Ruto. I never imagined I’d return to Kakamega to tell you to get used to William Ruto’s voice as Kenya’s fifth president,” Atwoli said.
Read: Uhuru Can Still be President After 10 Years – Atwoli
The COTU leader believes that God’s plans are enigmatic and invulnerable to human interference.
“Ruto is a political schemer whose gamble paid off. It appears in Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition, we were politically naïve,” he said.
According to Atwoli, Raila’s political rallies drew sizable crowds, which indicated that most Kenyans were in favor of the former prime minister’s campaign for the presidency.
“It turns out that we were wrong to think so. The assurances some of the voters gave us did not materialise at the ballot box,” he said.
Read Also: Suicide Is Not Funny – DP Ruto Hits Out at Atwoli Over Failed Attempt At “Crude Humour”
The seasoned trade unionist claimed that Ruto defeated Raila tactically, especially when it came to organizing his supporters to cast ballots, securing his strongholds, and adopting a campaign message that many Kenyans could relate to.
Atwoli said that Ruto’s campaigns, messaging, personality, and energy were all spot on.
“He had the right [mobilisation] skills. He was politically smart and alert. Honestly speaking, he outwitted us at the ballot box,” added the COTU boss.
The trade unionist declared that he had no choice but to cooperate with Ruto and promised to back him while he governs the country.
Read Also: Atwoli Criticizes Mudavadi for Teaming up with Ruto, “Ashaming” the Luhya Nation
He also stated that he will organize COTU members to show up for Ruto’s swearing-in on Tuesday, at the Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi.
Atwoli, who had previously expressed his certainty that Ruto would not succeed Kenya’s current president, Uhuru Kenyatta, recently changed his mind, saying he was aware of Ruto’s qualifications to hold the position.
He adopted a conciliatory tone in an interview with NTV on Monday, indicating he was prepared to cooperate with Ruto’s administration for the sake of Kenyan workers.
“Whatever happened (a candidate not backed by the incumbent administration winning an election) could happen in any democracy. What I said about Ruto was in the context of competition, and [it] was within my constitutional rights [to say so]. This is the freedom our people died for,” he told NTV.
Read Also: Atwoli Claims Three OKA MPs Have Received Sh3 Million from DP Ruto
He expressed confidence that Ruto recognized the political significance of his comments and that it was unlikely that the President-elect would seek retribution.
“Ruto has said before that he will not reflect back on who said what about him. We must accept that the fifth President of Kenya is Ruto, as he has gone through all the stages [to win an election],” he said.
“William Ruto is an articulate politician. I had foreseen him becoming the President of Kenya; I did not say he can’t be a president. I am urging all Kenyans to rally behind him, give him an opportunity to form his government and support him,” said Atwoli.
Ruto has promised to lead Kenya toward economic expansion, debt reduction, social progress, and transparent governance.
1 thought on “Ruto is a Master Tactician who Outsmarted Azimio – Atwoli”