President William Ruto has revealed that two individuals have shaped his political journey.
Speaking on Saturday, November 15, during the ODM founders' dinner in Mombasa County, Ruto said the late Daniel Moi and the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga played key roles in his political journey.
The President noted that he was first elected as MP under KANU, and although his relationship with the late Daniel Arap Moi started off on a difficult note, the two eventually became friends.
“Two people have really influenced my political journey; one is former President Moi, because I first became a member of parliament in KANU. It was a difficult exercise when I ran for the first time. I was not a favorite of KANU at the time, but I won anyway.
“We started on not a very good note with former President Moi, but finally we became friends when he discovered that I wasn’t a bad boy after all,” said Ruto.
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The Head of State also disclosed that Raila Odinga played a significant role in shaping his political journey and encouraged him throughout.
President Ruto recalled that the late ODM leader even attended his crowning as a Kalenjin elder in Eldoret.
“The other person who has influenced my political journey is the Honorable Raila Amollo Odinga. He came to Eldoret when there was a ceremony for me to be made a Kalenjin elder.
“He encouraged me along the way, and I can say without any fear of contradiction that I learnt a lot from Raila. If there are mentees of Raila, I am one of them,” Ruto stated.
At the same time, President Ruto said he was at the center of the formation of the ODM Party.
“I am a founder member of ODM and I have no apologies to make to anybody, it is a historical fact and I was not just a founder member, I was at the center and heart of the formation of ODM,” the President stated.
ODM was formed in 2005 when Raila led the ‘No’ campaign against a proposed constitutional change.
After the referendum victory, ODM was registered as a political party under the leadership of Raila, with Ruto being the Deputy Party leader.
Following the disputed 2007 general election, ODM entered into a coalition government with PNU.
Raila became the Prime Minister while Ruto was appointed Minister of Agriculture and later Minister for Higher Education.
Ruto then broke ranks with ODM in 2011 and went on to form the United Republican Party (URP).
