Should Deputy President William Ruto get a direct Jubilee ticket to have a shot at the Presidency?
For sometime now, Kenyans and a section of political leaders have always been of the opinion that DP William Ruto will be the ultimate successor of President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Fast forward to 2019, Ruto’s chances of ascending to the Jubilee ticket seem to be growing dim as many forces both within and outside Jubilee work so hard to scuffle his bid.
The Jubilee Party leadership led by Secretary General Raphael Tuju and Vice Chairman David Murtahe has indeed told off Ruto against expecting a direct nomination heading into 2022.
Ruto has now declared that he will support whoever beats him in the 2022 Jubilee presidential nominations.
He said the party was founded on democracy and therefore candidates running for various seats should accept the outcome of the process when that time comes.
“We will all compete for different positions in the nominations. Those of us who will be defeated should concede and support the winners,” he said.
He said it was time the country developed a culture where losers accept the outcome of elections, “because, in a democracy, there will always be winners and losers in a fairly-held contest”.
In particular, the Deputy President said he would rally behind any other presidential nominee from Jubilee Party who defeats him in the race fairly.
“We want to compete on ideas, agenda and programmes that would make the lives of Kenyans better. We are past the petty party and ethnic-based politics,” he said.
The Deputy President noted that when they opted to merge more than 10 political parties to form Jubilee, the goal was to have an outfit with a national profile, driven by ideas and based on fairness.
He called on those who intend to run for various political seats in 2022 to work for it by serving Kenyans, rather than banking on endorsements.
“There will be no automatic tickets in Jubilee. There will be serious contests informed by candidates’ track record,” he said, adding: “I am also not waiting for a direct ticket. I will compete with other presidential candidates in Jubilee.”
He called on those thinking that they have direct tickets in any political position to forget about it.
All positions will be filled competitively. No endorsements. pic.twitter.com/UvmdyS7BoZ
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD. (@WilliamsRuto) January 3, 2019