Kipruto arap Kirwa: There is still hope for Raila in 2027

In a panel discussion on K24 TV on Wednesday,  Kirwa, who ditched UDA in May for the Azimio camp said Odinga, now 77, will be formidable in the next polls despite his age.

“I would be hesitant to write the obituary of any politician. I know one man in Africa called Abdoulaye Wade who became the president of Senegal (aged 74) after trying for 35 years. Raila may be 81 or 82 in the next election. This therefore means he is still formidable. To be elected you do not need to be so energetic, you just need to be present and be in tune with the wishes of the people,” he said.

Kirwa further cited Kenya’s tough economic climate as a factor that could work against President Ruto if not addressed by his administration. This, he said, could turn out to be an advantage for Raila should he seek to give the presidency a sixth stab.

“The way I see the next five years – and I wish my brother Dr. William Ruto well – is that the debt burden by 2025 will be high, unemployment will be high, the policy of bottom-up he has to be very ingenious to improve in terms of financial discipline,” argued Kirwa.

“The hope that the people of Kenya have in him, especially the young population, is so overwhelming that it can turn into some sort of backlash and so Raila is still in this town and we never measure somebody’s life by the extent of his age,” he added.

Asked on his move to the Odinga-led faction, Kirwa said he doesn’t regret ditching Kenya Kwanza because his ideologies did not match with those in the UDA party.

“In politics, when you feel uncomfortable about the environment under which you are operating, you are forced to bolt out of it. I did so not because of any disagreement with the current president, but I realised I was in a team of individuals whose school I don’t belong to,” Kirwa said.

The former Agriculture minister added: “I don’t regret whatsoever the decision I took. Possibly there could have been benefits on the other side, but that was not the consideration.”