Ruto will Drop Gachagua for Mudavadi in 2027 – Mutahi Ngunyi

Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi says President William Ruto will drop Rigathi Gachagua as his running mate in 2027.

In his view, the former technical assistant to retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, the head of state will instead pick the current prime cabinet secretary Musalia Mudavadi as his running mate.

According to Ngunyi, by the next electioneering period, Kikuyus who overwhelmingly voted for Dr Ruto, will have been “downsized”.

For the Kikuyus to regain relevance in the political landscape, he continued, they would need a “Kenneth Matiba”.

Read: Lamu Governor Issa Timamy Named ANC Party Leader Following Mudavadi’s Exit

“Mudavadi will be Ruto’s RUNNING mate in 2027. Kikuyus will be DOWNSIZED and need a Kenneth Matiba to REGAIN relevance,” Ngunyi tweeted.

Mudavadi will be Ruto's RUNNING mate in 2027. Kikuyus will be DOWNSIZED and will need a Kenneth Matiba to REGAIN relevance.

— Mutahi Ngunyi (@MutahiNgunyi) November 14, 2022

Uhuru ran for two consecutive terms in office with Ruto as his running mate. The former head of state had stated that he was going to rule for 10 years and then handover to his then deputy.

But as it came to be, the former president sidelined his deputy at the beginning of their second term. Instead, Uhuru sought to work closely with former prime minister Raila Odinga.

The 2018 handshake marked the end of the “UhuRuto” regime. It is then that Dr Ruto’s allies started accusing the former president of betrayal.

Read Also: Don’t Be Left Out of Raila’s Gov’t – Uhuru Warns Mt Kenya Region

Uhuru who actively campaigned for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader, accused his then deputy of being a thief who could not be trusted to lead the country.

At some point, the Jubilee party leader said he would not handover power to a “thief”.

However, Dr Ruto beat the odds and emerged victorious in the August elections. He took out Raila who was trying his hand at the presidency for the fifth time.

Dr Ruto garnered 7,176,141 votes against his closest rival who got 6,942,930. This translated to 50.49 per cent and 48.85 per cent respectively. A difference of 233,211 votes.