Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa has defended Kenya Kwanza's plan for choosing President William Ruto's running mate in the 2027 General Election, saying the coalition will once again rely on political calculations, regional balance and the strength of its opponents before settling on a candidate.
Speaking during an interview on Radio Generation on Monday, Barasa said it was too early for the coalition to announce who would deputise President Ruto in the next election, insisting that the decision would only be made after leaders have fully assessed the political environment.
According to him, Kenya Kwanza intends to apply the same criteria it used when selecting former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as Ruto's running mate in the 2022 elections.
"The names which we will consider... we will use the same syllabus that we used when we were arriving at Gachagua," he said.
Barasa explained that the coalition would first examine the country's regional balance, the home area of its presidential candidate and the opposition's line-up before making a final decision.
"We will look at the balancing of the country... If the President is from this particular area, it is only fair that the running mate comes from an area that is not in the neighbourhood," Barasa said.
He added that the opposition's choice of presidential candidate would also influence Kenya Kwanza's decision.
"We can also look at the opposition flag bearer. Where is that person coming from? And how do we use the position of the running mate to deny that opposition candidate numbers? It is not something that we can make a decision now," he added.
Barasa said the approach was not new, arguing that major political coalitions have often waited until the final stages of an election campaign before naming a running mate so they can respond to the political situation at the time.
The Kimilili legislator also defended the coalition's decision to pick Rigathi Gachagua in 2022, saying the choice was driven by political appeal rather than personal qualities.
"We went for Rigathi Gachagua not because he was the best, but we just felt that this is the one that we can take to the market and sell," he said.
Barasa said Kenya Kwanza was aware of Gachagua's weaknesses before the election but believed that occupying the office of deputy president would reshape his leadership style.
"Rigathi is an astute mobiliser... but we knew his weaknesses, which we felt like we can rebrand him," he said. "We thought that his position would change his demeanour and actually make him a good person. We actually rebranded him."
However, Barasa claimed that after assuming office, Gachagua returned to what he described as divisive politics instead of embracing national leadership.
"He went back to his old tribal rhetoric, sounding drums of wars and always talking about... ensuring that budgetary estimates only contain things from the mountain," he alleged.
The MP also accused the former deputy president of using his office to influence procurement decisions and Cabinet appointments for personal benefit, allegations that Gachagua has consistently denied.
"You know, it's clear that he used his position not in the right way," Barasa claimed. "The guy knew he would want to run for presidency at some point, and therefore he was looking for money by all means."
His remarks come at a time when debate over President Ruto's running mate for the 2027 election continues within the broad-based coalition. While ODM leaders have maintained that the deputy presidency should be part of any coalition agreement, leaders allied to Deputy President Kithure Kindiki have insisted that the position is not available for negotiation.