According to Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, President William Ruto knew months in advance that ODM leader Raila Odinga would lose the 2007 presidential election.
When Raila ran for the presidency a second time, this time against Mwai Kibaki, who was seeking reelection, both Ruto and Duale were in his corner.
Following the Koffi Annan-mediated peace agreement that resulted in the formation of the Grand Coalition Government, Kibaki and Raila went with their lieutenants to reach an agreement on the number of ministers so that it could be divided into two.
Duale claims that Ruto disagreed with several of Raila's decisions. Najib Balala, a former Mvita MP and fellow member of Raila's Pentagon Alliance, expressed a similar opinion at the time.
According to the book, Ruto had worked hard to get a favorable deal for ODM but was not satisfied. Ruto believed he was entitled to the Deputy Prime Minister position, which was the only prominent post left.
They believed that Ruto's appointment to Agriculture, given his history as a native of the North Rift breadbasket and him (Duale), was a move to encourage them to focus on their local communities.
Duale, who freely admits to having supported Raila till the elections, adds that ODM, which was unsatisfied with Raila's leadership style, gave Ruto a sizable following.
Some ODM MPs, including Duale, broke their hearts in a contentious parliamentary meeting in Naivasha, where Ruto presided over the session. After months of missed appointments and public humiliation, according to Duale, ODM's heart-to-heart meeting was necessary.
They were labeled as ODM rebels, the CS acknowledges. Ruto was admitted, but Raila was unable to expel him because doing so required a majority in the House.
ODM devised a strategy to implicate Ruto, the Agriculture CS, in the scam after some state officials stole corn from the National Strategic Reserves and sold it to South Sudan.
Duale reveals that the grain was taken days before the country experienced famine, following the elections.
Ruto declared that while he was prepared to retire if there was proof against him, he would not do so if the accusations were being made by people who wanted to see him removed from office, such as his political rivals.
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