Kakamega Senator Bonny Khalwale is slowly gravitating back to President William Ruto a week after his removal from the Senate Majority Whip position for criticizing the Head of State, on whose party he rode to power in 2022 general elections.
The vocal Senator who had in the recent past joined the Opposition side and publicly declared a contest between him and President Ruto in Kakamega, Monday shockingly said Dr Ruto remained his preferred Presidential candidate in the upcoming 2027 general elections.
“Ruto remains my 2027 Presidential candidate of choice. Kenya has a history of all Presidents getting a second chance and Ruto will not be an exception,” Khalwale said during breakfast show at Hot 96.
He had prior to the last month’s Parliamentary by-elections that the Opposition lost to the broad-based government maintained that President Ruto needed him to bag Kakamega county votes, drawing criticism from Kenya Kwanza allied MPs from the region.
One of the instances was during the former Malava MP Malulu Injendi’s burial and during the recent by-election campaigns where he asked Kenyans to reject the ruling party in 2027 elections.
The UDA Senator, who have since registered his own political party, backed DAP-K candidate Seth Panyako in the Malava MP seat by-elections that the Opposition lost to UDA’s
He however warned that miscalculations and bad politics could cost President Ruto reelection, signaling a likelihood of burying the hatchet with the President.
Khalwale shared concerns over how the recent by-elections were conducted, especially in Mbeere North and Malava, saying they were not free and fair, owing to the chaos and intimidation witnessed during the campaigns and voting day.
“It is hard to know who won in the two constituencies because the elections were not free and fair as expected,” he noted.
The Opposition team led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka have been downplaying Ruto’s reelection possibility, warning that he would be the first Kenyan President to serve a single term.
