Ati? Rao assured of votes? Mt kenya wapi?
You need to understand the Ruto wave in Mt kenya - to it's root - so you know how deep it is. It very deep - that is why one by one - folks are abandoning Uhuru and running to Ruto - one year to election. Moi was abandoned few months to election - this one is happening more than a year - because the people resolution on this issues is very LOUD AND CLEAR.
There are two things Mt Kenya hate now 1) Raila 2) their elite led by Uhuru;
There has always been class divide in mt kenya - btw half and half-nots - started way back in civil war called Mau Mau when Mzungu kicked out poor kikuyus from farms in rift valley and brought in tractors - and POWs from World War 2 - around 1950s - that sparked Mau Mau in 1952 - as peasant came back from RV to find no land back home in central - having been given to chiefs and their headmen by same Mzungu - and Mt kenya spent a lot of time killing each other than killing the Brits. After Uhuru - Jomo managed to keep the half-nots happy by shipping them back to rift valley. The 92/2007 war saw many of them again kicked back - and there were attempts in 90s to re-create MauMau in Mungiki.
Then Uhuru made peace - everyone was happy - finally kikuyus esp would live happly with Kalenjin - everyone was happy until handshake.Not only did Uhuru embrace their sworn enemy - and he was starting war with Kalenjin - and therefore threatening their millions. This one is unsaid.
Ruto being a great propagandist ( KANU, ODM, ICC name it - Ruto can sell it) - realized this - and started the hustler nation - by showing Mt kenya majority poor - their struggle were his struggle.
I can tell you for free - come 2022 - very few if any of Mt Kenya elite will make it back. People will elect real hustlers. Unheard of.
Mt Kenya poor majority are supporting Ruto - the educated elite are guys who are maybe unsure - but when they see Raila - they get realize they are in a wall.
Mt kenya elite being too smart for themselves...by embracing Raila....they removed the external enemy that was keeping the class divide fissure underground...now it out and bubbling. The poor hustlers of Mt kenya have smelt blood against entrenched GEMA elite...and Ruto is assuring them of victory.
The battle is in Mt kenya. Elsewhere Ruto and Raila and rest have their votes. Ruto starts strong in Kamatus+pastoralist. Raila start strong in Luo+possibly Gusii and coast. Kalonzo in Ukambani. MaDVD in Maragoli. Weta in Bukusu.
Whoever wins Mt kenya is the next PORK. Nothing more. Nothing less.
I disagree.
1. Mt Kenya is not as critical as you think considering they have to vote for an outsider, split electorate, many disillusioned will sit it out.
2. It very premature to bank Mt Kenya for the man who orchestrated PEV in the Rift, there is still bad blood and recrimination on both sides. It is a cagey affair.
I call this basic facts. Neither RAO nor Luto can totally be assured of Gema votes. This election will be decided by non Gema, that is my prediction.