Former Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has ignited a fresh debate about the 2027 running mate race, naming three political figures he believes stand varying degrees of chance of deputizing President William Ruto in the next election.
Speaking on JKLive, Kuria first addressed the fate of current Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, saying the professor has a mathematical chance of retaining his position on the ticket.
He was careful not to be definitive however. “Maybe, maybe not, fasten your seat belts and grab some popcorn,” he said, leaving the door open for surprises.
The second name Kuria raised was ODM chairman Oburu Odinga, a suggestion that will raise eyebrows given the current political tensions between UDA and ODM.
Kuria however insisted that Oburu has a genuine mathematical chance at the Deputy President position, adding bluntly that the elder Odinga is not in politics for the love of it.
“He also wants power,” Kuria stated plainly, stripping away any pretense about Oburu’s political motivations.
The third name he addressed was former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, but his assessment here was far less generous. Kuria described Joho as a calculated and reasonable political player who understands where he sits on the political food chain and is unlikely to make any outlier moves.
On Joho’s chances of being a running mate, Kuria was brutally dismissive. “He has two chances of being a running mate, slim and none,” he declared, in a verdict that will sting the Coast political kingpin.