When Kenya’s second president Daniel Arap Moi decided to retire in 2002, he chose Uhuru Kenyatta the son of Kenya’s first President Jomo Kenyatta as his successor. General elections were held on 27 December 2002 and the people of Kenya preferred Mwai Kibaki of the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). The election of Kibaki brought to an end the dominance of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) which had governed the country since independence.
Moi, who belonged to the KANU was ineligible for a third term due to the two-term limit in the Constitution of Kenya. The election also saw a revolution in the democracy of Kenya. There had never been an undisputed election since independence in 1963. Several by-elections were held in 1966 before the onset of de facto one-party rule in 1969.
Following the election of Kibaki, Moi remained relevant in the politics of Kenya, playing several advisory roles until 28 August 2007, when he announced his support for Kibaki’s re-election and said that he would campaign for Kibaki. He sharply criticised the two opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) factions, arguing that they were tribal in nature.
The ODM is a centre-left political party in Kenya that succeeded the grassroots people’s movement which was formed during the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum campaign. This movement separated in August 2007 into the Orange Democratic Movement Party of Kenya and the Wiper Democratic Movement – Kenya (formerly the Orange Democratic Movement – Kenya, known as ODM–Kenya). The original linchpins of the ODM were Uhuru Kenyatta’s KANU party and Raila Odinga’s LDP. ODM was led by Raila Odinga.
In the run up to the 2007 general election, Kenyatta led KANU to join a coalition (called Party of National Unity “PNU”) with President Mwai Kibaki who was running for a second term against Raila Odinga PNU won the controversial 2007 elections but the dispute over the poll resulted in the 2007–08 Kenyan crisis.
Under an agreement between the two parties to end the chaos, Kibaki remained as President in a power sharing agreement with Raila as Prime Minister, while Uhuru Kenyatta was Kibaki’s choice as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in his share of Cabinet slots.
On 13 September 2007, Uhuru Kenyatta withdrew from the December 2007 presidential election in favour of Kibaki for re-election. He said that he did not want to run unless he could be sure of winning.
Following the election, amidst the controversy that resulted when Kibaki was declared the victor despite claims of fraud from challenger Raila Odinga and his Orange Democratic Movement, Kibaki appointed Kenyatta as Minister for Local Government on 8 January 2008.
After Kibaki and Odinga reached a power-sharing agreement, Kenyatta was named Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade on 13 April 2008, as part of the Grand Coalition Cabinet. He was the Deputy Prime Minister representing the PNU, while another Deputy Prime Minister, Musalia Mudavadi, represented the ODM.
In 2013, Uhuru Kenyatta was elected as the 4th President of Kenya under The National Alliance (TNA), which was part of the Jubilee Alliance with his running mate William Ruto‘s United Republican Party (URP). Uhuru and Ruto won 50.07% of votes cast, with closest rivals, Odinga and running mate Kalonzo Musyoka of the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy garnering 42%.
Odinga disputed the election results at the Supreme Court which however held (7–0) that the election of Uhuru was valid and such irregularities as existed did not make a difference to the final outcome. Uhuru Kenyatta was therefore sworn in as President on 9 April 2013.
On 30 March 2013, Dr Willy Mutunga, the Supreme Court ruling declared the election of Uhuru Kenyatta and his running-mate, William Ruto, as valid. On 11 August 2017, the Chairman of the IEBC, Wafula Chebukati announced Uhuru’s re-election to a second term in office during the 2017 Kenyan general election, with 54% of the popular vote. This was later contested in court and annulled. A second election was required in which Uhuru Kenyatta won with 98% of the vote with a 39% voter turnout.
On 9 March 2018 Uhuru Kenyatta agreed on a truce between the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, reshaping the election structure of Kenya.
President Uhuru Kenyatta last weekend held a marathon tour of Nyeri and Murang’a Counties in Mt Kenya region, drumming the people of Kenya “not to make the mistake of electing his deputy, William Ruto.”
Speaking to the electorate in the local dialect, President Kenyatta was categorical to the people that Ruto is not a trustworthy leader and cannot be entrusted with the nation’s future.
“I want to urge you that do not be cheated by Ruto’s eloquence. I have worked with him and has found that he is a person who is untrustworthy and of bad temper he is not thus fit to lead this nation,” he stated.
Media quotes the out-going president giving an analogy of a person who goes to bath in a river, but a mad man picks his clothes and instead of being patient he goes chasing after the mad man, the Head of State said that Ruto driven by his selfish needs abandoned him thus leaving him no choice but to seek Raila Odinga’s assistance.
“When I realized that Ruto is not a trustworthy person, I went for Odinga and since then, this country has been peaceful. That is why I am asking you to elect Odinga and Karua am driven by need for peaceful and prosperous nation,” he stated.
He said that his deputy was worried by Odinga’s entry thus the reason why he put the country in a campaign mood which should not have been the case.
The turn-around actions of Kenyatta backing his former rival against his friend-turned foe might look like betrayal, but looking at the history of elections and alliances that have characterised Kenyan elections, it might seem like there is actually no love lost between the two leaders as Kenya goes to the polls tomorrow.
