Ruto promises to agree with Gachagua to preserve UDA presidential running mate post for opposite gender

President William Ruto has promised to agree with his deputy Rigathi Gachagua to preserve the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) presidential running mate position for women.

Speaking during the launch of the Women Governors Caucus G7 Strategy in Nairobi, on Thursday, March 7, 2024, Ruto emphasised his commitment to implementing the two-thirds gender rule in his party.

To actualise this, the president affirmed that his party will lead from the front in materialising the inclusion of women in senior positions per the constitution.

While reiterating that he will agree with his deputy to reserve the running mate position for women, Ruto assigned UDA chairperson Cecily Mbarire to hatch new rules that will see women taking up the running mate positions whenever a man is contesting for presidency and vice versa.

"Cecily Mbarire is the chair of UDA not by default, it is deliberate and intentional, and one of the assignments she has is that we must as a party lead from the front and we must make it in the rules that when Riggy G and myself tukifika hapo mbele na tumepangana tumekubaliana vile kutaenda we must also agree that going forward if a man is a candidate for president in our party, the woman must be the running mate and if a woman is vying for president then a man must be a running mate," Ruto said.

The president went on to state that the proposal would apply to other positions including governorship among others and claimed that the move was not meant to put down men but to create a balance and actualize the two-thirds gender rule per the constitution.

"We must cascade it down to governors and be intentional and deliberate about it so that it can happen and all the other parties will agree with us because I am sure the party leader in Wiper supported Wavinya, the party leader in ODM supported Gladys and all the other party leaders supported their women candidates, so we will do this not because we want to do anything against men but because we want to balance so that we all move together," Ruto said.

"Women are the cornerstone of our country’s politics. They are drivers of change and agents of democratic governance. Yet, their active participation in our politics is limited, restricted and always dotted with obstacles. We commit to change this! At Safari Park, Nairobi County launched the strategy of the G7, a caucus that brings together the seven women Governors in Kenya," the president added.