Compare that to Karua who is just good for PR but cannot even win a governor seat in her county.This is neither here nor there.uhuru Kenyatta couldn’t win an MP’s seat at one point yet he became president years later.
You beat me to it !
Those who forget history are bound to repeat it. Deep state party and other Kenyans act as if the Baba-Mama ticket is a match made in heaven. It will not last past 2023.
Infact the acrimonious divorce will be so bad, the current DP-Prez relationship will seem great in comparison. On Ruto’s side, they will blame Rigathi for the election loss and eventually kick him out. With Martha out (or rendered politically irrelevant, Rigathi out), Baba and Ruto will have a handshake moment. Will Martha resign under pressure like she did in 2009, citing “frustrations in discharging her duties?”
Lets wait and see.
But remember, people like Rigathi are only good at mobilizing locally within their constituency. Someone like Karua has appeal not only among Kyuks, but nationally and among women.
Dont hold these guys up to such a high standard. Even Moi picked Uhuru in 2002 and lost
Wakenya wakifika elections have already proven time and time again they are stupid…august ni level ya ujinga TU watakuwa wakionyesha…wajakoya for president
Kikuyus were already with Ruto, they didn’t need convincing, least of all from Rigathi who’s sphere of influence is restricted to nyeri
The Azimio approach is somehow similar to the Democratic Party approach in the last US presidential election.
Kamala Harris was picked as Joe Biden’s running mate despite having an incredibly terrible performance in the Democratic Party primaries. She basically had no appeal as a presidential candidate by herself.
But in a clever strategy by Joe Biden, he picked Kamala Harris as his running mate to appeal to the emotions of women voters and the African American voters. It worked out in the end.
Similarly, by picking Martha Karua, Azimio hope that this will appeal to the emotions of women voters and Mt. Kenya voters. It may just work out.
On Ruto’s side, he will obviously continue pushing the Dynasties vs Hustlers narrative which has found traction with a lot of poor Kenyans who feel that their economic hardships are as a result of the insensitive and detached ruling elites (Kenyatta/Odinga/Moi dynasties) who have all congregated in Azimio.
I am always surprised by how people have become masters of spinning and at the same time being contradictory. i.e Ruto does not need Gachagua, he already had Mt.Kenya votes, and at the same time, say Gachagua is a master mobilizer. On the same breath, Karua has no political standing anywhere in Mt. Kenya, those on this position have selective amnesia on the close Kirinyaga election. It is not like the 200+ people who voted for her dissapear into thin air. Or the other day when Ruto said he is the kingpin of Mt.Kenya, also repeated here and at the same time, no one who understands politics should bring themself to say Kiraitu and Munya in upper eastern have no locus standi on getting Meru votes for baba. Another one, Kalonzo brings nothing to Azimio, but when he joins say he is inconsequential. People need to temper their expectations and also see what is hubris. Do not be high on your own supply! Ni hayo tu. August 9 ndio kusema and please mpende basic statistics.
If it had to be a Kikuyu running mate, Ruto had better options kama Kimani Waichungwa ama Alice Wahome. Choosing that illiterate thug will be his biggest undoing. Sisi tulikuwa UDA but this decision leaves us worried.
When the rumour was that Ruto will choose Kindiki, Azimio bloggers like Pauline were already forming the narrative that Central Kikuyus had gotten nothing, so either way there would have been a fallout.
Ruto must have calculated that the fallout from snubbing Rigathi would have lost him more votes than Kindiki, because now Uhuru would have been all over Central telling Kikuyus hakuna chenye wamepewa (remember at the time the 30% deal for Western had leaked).
That would have led to both loss of votes and apathy in Central. It was easier to appease Kindiki who seems affable (and he is).
The other reason was Ruto needed a strong individual to counter any Uhuru campaigns by answering him. Kenya being a tribal society, people would not have taken it kindly to have their leader insulted, and Uhuru would have baited him daily. After announcing Rigathi, Uhuru pulled out of direct campaigns, which was a checkmate.
Rigathi though is a diamond in the rough like Ruto and Raila were, and I’m sure the campaign team will have to revamp him from a village to a national politician (and help him dress better). On optics, Martha definitely wins.
While he has many gaffes (like the Kamba votes one), most of the new ones are just Azimio taking him out of context or deliberately misrepresenting him. Like what was wrong with saying people love money? That’s literally Kenya Kwanza slogan (pesa mfukoni).
And this is where Azimio need to be careful. If you’ve noticed, Ruto and his brigade have stopped talking about Martha and go directly to Raila. They know it’s very easy to make a gaffe and make women or Kikuyus angry by attacking their daughter.
Azimio view Gachagua as the weak link, and are focusing most of their attacks and mockery to Rigathi. That is very likely to backfire once someone starts claiming Kikuyus are being attacked. I’ve already seen tweets to that effect. Azimio watajipata wamegeuziwa with “Mtu Wetu” syndrome. If they have to use that strategy, they should look for Kikuyu politicians to do it (for the same reason, Ruto would do well never to engage Kalonzo directly, but use Mutua and Muthama). Hii story ya akina Ngilu na Junet attacking Gachagua is risky.
In the end, Raila went for style (women vote and reforms) while Ruto went for substance (hard nosed mobiliser). Both are sound strategies to me, but which one will work? Tungoje August!
This is what I mean.
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Ruto still had better options within Kikuyu country. People are now very vocal on their resolve to support Raila in Mt. Kenya, which was previously unheard of.
Martha Hana Kura msijichoche sana kalonzo will deliver whatever Martha was to deliver.
Votes za armed robbers IEBC haitaki
Like who? Someone else who has the balls to stand up to Uhuru and supports Ruto. The only other ballsy one was Martha Karua, but she was in Azimio.
Also sijui uko Central wapi juu huku penye niko in Murang’a sijaskia mtu yeyote amechange stand to supporting Raila. Wenye najua wa Raila walikuwa bado on his side (or rather Uhuru’s side the Kieleweke Brigade). Honestly sijaona mtu amechange stand from Hustler.
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By picking Mr Gachagua, a man facing corruption cases in court as a running mate, Dr Ruto downplayed the integrity card as part of his campaign. He says the cases instigated by the current administration are political and that the war on corruption targets his supporters. 
The Ruto-Gachagua ticket is interesting since both grew from the Kanu machination of student politics in the mid-1980s at the University of Nairobi where they served as listening posts. But unlike Gachagua, who was rowdy and boisterous to a fault, Ruto was a master of contradictions in that he carried his Bible and camera and hobnobbed with Nandi and Uasin Gishu district power brokers as a student mobilizer.
Mr Gachagua also understands the art of mobilization. Money was the other most important factor that saw him snatch the running mate ticket from Prof Kithure Kindiki, who was the favorite of Mt Kenya UDA-affiliated lawmakers. :rolleyes:
Dr Ruto has always admitted that his politics were shaped by Moi.
He and Mr Gachagua do not hide their admiration of the president who bestrode Kenya’s political landscape with an iron fist for 24 years.
o_O
William Ruto: The complex politico with a split personality.... - News & Politics - Kenya Talk
#freegachaguasmouth
Of course you’re not omnipresent, and your village in Murang’a isn’t a representation of the whole county, let alone the entire region.