Odinga escaped all attempts by his detractors to reduce him to an ethnic leader.
- International Relations Scholar, University of the Witwatersrand
Just over a year since he was sworn in, Ruto is no nearer to turning the Kenyan ship around.
Kenya’s inability to move past ethnic ideology has made it difficult to develop alternative bases for political organisation.
Political protests in Kenya have become insular, sectarian, tribal and unashamedly personality driven.
That there is no clear favourite to win shows the campaigning has been relatively free and competitive.
Patronage politics, a history of violent conflict and high-stakes elections increase the risks of poll violence in Kenya.
As an outlier in Kenya’s political power matrix, Ruto was elbowed out by the establishment. But he has somersaulted back by appealing directly to the masses.
Constitutional amendments sought to make it easy for Kenyatta and Odinga to craft a broad tribal coalition against the deputy president.
The changes proposed by the initiative are were well-addressed in the country’s 2010 Constitution.
For democracy to work in Kenya the country needs good leadership. Politicians must uphold the constitution to infuse trust and confidence in state institutions.
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