It was during that campaign that Ruto endeared himself to the Kalenjin nation across Rift Valley, creating a strong ODM wave in the region. When Uhuru Kenyatta announced in 2007 that Kanu would not field a presidential candidate, Ruto had already technically decamped to ODM. Ruto appeared satisfied with the exercise, perhaps with hopes that he would have become Vice President should Raila have won. Andati argues that Ruto wanted to run for president in 2013 after he formed the URP party. Ruto’s campaign picked steam after the March 2018 handshake between Uhuru and Raila, when he began complaining he had been sidelined.

Source: Daily Nation June 05, 2022 06:50 UTC