What next for President Uhuru Kenyatta?

President Uhuru Kenyatta ascended to power in 2013 with a promise to support his then Deputy William Ruto as his successor.

But the retiring Head of State appeared to change his mind in between and instead elected to back Raila Odinga.

Project Odinga didn’t quite work out as Dr Ruto emerged victorious in the August 9 General Election which was the climax of a breakdown of the relationship between the president and his deputy, now the president-elect.

Either way, President Kenyatta’s time is almost up and while he is yet to publicly congratulate Dr Ruto, we look at his options ahead of his last days in office.

1. Make peace with Ruto – The president could elect to settle for a peace deal with Dr Ruto, his friend of two decades plus. Dr Ruto has backed Kenyatta in four elections since 2002. The peace deal could mean throwing Mr Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua under the bus.

2. Stick with Raila – The president also choose to stick with Mr Odinga all the way. This will include supporting the case the seasoned politician plans to file at the Supreme Court challenging the results of the presidential election.

President Kenyatta has not been shy in supporting Odinga since the two embraced a separate peace deal referred to as the ‘handshake’ in 2018. So this will not be a first.

3. Support no one – President Kenyatta may sit back and let nature take its own course. The Head of State has been missing in action since Dr Ruto was declared president-elect. He could remain quiet, let the courts decide whether there will be another election or not, and then turn up to hand over power to his successor.

4. Handshake -President Kenyatta could also negotiate for a three-way deal to bring Ruto, Odinga and himself together. Mr Odinga has in the past benefitted from a political handshake and sharing of power with Presidents Daniel Moi, Mwai Kibaki, and Kenyatta.