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Moses Kuria who served as President William Ruto’s Senior Economic Advisor until June this year has claimed that the 2027 presidential elections will a hotly-contested affair that will be determined by a run-off, a significant change from his earlier belief in which he declared that 2027 will mirror Kibaki’s 2002 victory.
Expressing his views on social media, Kuria opined that 2027 will see the candidates fail to meet the 50% plus one vote required to secure victory with Kenyans having to vote a second time to decide who among the top two candidates will become the next president.
"For the first time, the winner of the Presidential Election will be decided in a run-off. There will be no outright winner in the first round.” Kuria stated.
Reason behind Kuria's latest prediction
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According to him, the situation will be as a result of Kenya’s thriving multiparty democracy which will see several parties front candidates with none of them securing outright victory.
Kenya's fledgling multi-party democratic project has been growing gradually over the last 33 years. In 2027, a new chapter will be written in this book.
Earlier prediction of 2027 election mirroring Kibaki's 2002 victory
This assertion is a significant deviation from his earlier pronouncement, given in June where he declared that the 2027 presidential election will not be any contest, but will be a moment of national consensus similar to the 2002 election.
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In an interview with Citizen TV’s Jeff Koinange, Kuria stated that the 2027 presidential elections will be a mirror-image of the 2002 General Election, in which Mwai Kibaki secured a landslide win with 62% of votes cast following a pre-election political agreement that unified the opposition.
The Chama Cha Kazi leader indicated that a similar scenario would play out with political figures rallying behind one popular candidate.
“There’s not going to be an election in 2027 for presidential [seat]. There’s not going to be a contest... It will be another moment like 2002," Kuria stated at the time.
He claimed that the consensus would be brokered by experienced political players with the backing of elders.
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Wazee wataketi chini [elders will sit down]…the alternative will be too dire to fathom,” he said, warning that the country could either “go the Rwanda way and destroy the nation” or unite under a shared vision.
The men & women keen on making Ruto a 'wantam' president
A number of aspirants have indicated interest in the seat, with President William Ruto also keen on securing a second term.
File image of Eugene Wamalwa, Rigathi Gachagua, Martha Karua, Kalonzo Musyoka, Fred Matiang’i and Mukhisa Kituyi in the front row (L-R).
Others are former Chief Justice David Maraga and activist Boniface Mwangi among others.
Although veteran politician Raila Odinga is yet to make his position known, his allies have been giving mixed signals with some hinting at possible collaboration with President Ruto and others indicating that the ODM leader could contest for yet another time.