ANALYSIS: Uhuru Kenyatta changes the game in Kenya
Patching things up with opposition leader Raila Odinga casts doubt on whether Kenyatta’s deputy will ever be in power, and on how strong ethnic ties really are
Nairobi — Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is redefining the nation’s tenuous political alliances in a move that’s likely to help him consolidate power during his final term and leave his deputy William Ruto out in the cold. Kenyatta has patched up a long-standing dispute with the main opposition leader, Raila Odinga, easing months of political tension in the East African nation over last year’s disputed election. The rapprochement has cast doubt over whether Kenyatta will honour an informal deal to support Ruto’s bid for the top job in 2022 in return for helping him secure two presidential terms. "Kenyatta is playing divide and conquer by co-opting the opposition into his administration," said Robert Besseling, executive director of political risk advisory firm EXX Africa. "If Kenyatta endorses Ruto as his successor at this stage, he would become a lame-duck president for the remainder of his term. By reaching out to different political groups he leaves the succession in suspense an...
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