The Kenya Kwanza alliance will be doomed, according to Makueni MP Daniel Maanzo, if Deputy President William Ruto does not choose Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua as his running partner.
Maanzo stated on Tuesday that if the Mathira MP is not named as Ruto’s deputy, Gachagua and his colleagues will leave the Kenya Kwanza alliance.
Mt Kenya is a vote-rich region, according to the legislator, and presidential contenders are expected to recruit a running partner from the region.
“Azimio la Umoja, One Kenya Alliance and UDA or Kenya Kwanza, the running mate will still come from Central Kenya and if William Ruto’s running mate is not Rigathi (Gahagua) then that is the end of that coalition,” Maanzo said on KTN News.
“The deputy presidency of UDA I believe belongs to Rigathi and I expect him to be named Ruto’s deputy bearing in mind the effort he has made to build UDA and financial support to Ruto.”
The Makueni MP was responding to Gachagua’s claims on Monday that DP Ruto’s running mate would not be ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi, but rather a Mt Kenyan.
“When they came for discussion we were very fort-right because we are honest people. They were told that we agreed that running mate is from the mountain (Mt Kenya region),” he said.
“We don’t want to con someone. They will not be running mates.”
On March 15, Gachagua declared, the UDA party will announce Ruto as their presidential candidate.
Gachagua’s assertion is correct, according to MP Maanzo, because it is the same difficulty that Azimio will face.
