It is just a few hours to yet another transitional election in Kenya where Deputy President William Ruto will battle it out with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for a chance to occupy the country’s topmost political office.
In Ruto’s village of Sugoi in Uasin Gishu County, expectations are high that the United Democratic Alliance candidate will emerge victorious in Tuesday’s poll.
On Monday, we met some of Ruto’s neighbors as the electoral commission finalized preparations for the general election.
“We are happy our son is contesting to be President. We will ensure all those eligible will cast their vote & we are confident he will win,” said Jacob Kogo.
“We are praying for him (Ruto) and we hope he will be the President after tomorrow (the election),” added Roselyn Rotich
And they are not alone. Another resident Joseph Rono is hopeful, and believes Ruto’s win will turn around “our fortunes forever.”
But even though they are vouching for Ruto to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta, they concede that the race is too tight and his main rival, Raila of Azimio la Umoja, may also emerge victorious. If this were to happen, they say they will have no problem.
“We are praying for Ruto to win. But we will still accept the outcome if he doesn’t win,” Simon Agoi said
His sentiments resonated well with those of Julius Kuto, also a neighbor to the deputy president.
“If Raila wins, we will support him. We will pray for God to grant him wisdom to lead us,” Julius Kuto
The locals say they are praying, above anything else, that peace will prevail during and after the poll. Sarah Kemei, now in her 70s, said the election should not divide the country as it has done before.
“”All we want is a peaceful election in our country…I will wake up very early in the morning tomorrow to cast my vote. I believe we will remain a cohesive society even after the poll,” she said
They reiterate that irrespective of who wins between the two front runners, unity of the country is hugely important.
“We are peaceful here. Ruto and Raila are our brothers. We will support whoever wins,” said Jane Maiyo
“In truth, we have analyzed this election and we agree we do not know who will win this election. If Ruto wins, we will celebrate and we will be happy. But if Raila wins, we will also be happy. He is our brother. We will support him. We have no problem with him,” she added
They argue that a loss for their ‘son’ this year will not amount to an end to his dreams to become the country’s President.
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