By Joab Apollo
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s party, Jubilee, has walloped the United Democratic Party (UDA), a party associated with his deputy, William Ruto, in the Muguga Ward by-election, Kiambu County.
Joseph Githinji of Jubilee garnered 4089 votes, beating his close rival Peter Thumbi of UDA, in what is viewed as a flexing of the political muscle between the president and his deputy.
Ruto fell out with the president after his hopes of becoming Kenyatta’s heir apperent waned, thanks to the famous handshake between President Kenyatta and Opposition Leader Raila Odinga.
While the handshake has been widely viewed as a slap in the face of Ruto, Kenyatta and Odinga have maintained it’s about reconciling politically hostile Kenyan communities and ensure inclusivity in leadership.
The win means Ruto must return to the drawing board because a divided Mount Kenya vote cannot assure him victory come 2022 presidential election.