Isaac Rutto reveals how he was NASA’s presidential candidate briefly in 2017
By Emmanuel Rono, October 24, 2025Former Bomet governor Isaac Rutto has made a surprising revelation about his political career, disclosing that he was briefly the presidential candidate for the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition in the run-up to the 2017 General Election.
Speaking on a local radio station on Friday, October 24, 2025, Rutto claimed that in a few days he would reveal the presidential candidate for NASA, that the leadership disagreed, and that the late Raila had promised to reveal a “surprise” candidate.
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Rutto earlier revealed that he held the position for approximately 48 hours as a “compromise” choice before the coalition settled on veteran politician, the late Raila Odinga, after a lengthy discussion.
The former governor, who is also the vice chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission and was a principal member of the five-person NASA leadership, recounted the dramatic events that unfolded just before the coalition’s planned public announcement at Uhuru Park.
According to the former governor, a disagreement arose among the four top principals, the late Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi, and Moses Wetang’ula, over who would be the presidential candidate on the Friday preceding the Uhuru Park rally.
Rutto stated that Raila had earlier revealed they will announce a surprise candidate at their rally at Uhuru Park who will heavily compete with then-President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was seeking his second term.
“The four of them could not agree, and it was at this juncture that Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka made a sudden decision, announcing that they would give Kenyans a “surprise” the next day.
The surprise, Rutto revealed, was that they were going to announce him as the compromise presidential candidate for 2017 and not Raila, as expected by the public.
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Rutto at that time had recently joined the NASA coalition using the Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) party, which has its roots in Bomet County, and he was expected to bring a number of votes from the lower south Rift.
“I was a presidential candidate from Friday up to Saturday morning,” he said, adding that he was “dumbfounded” by the proposal as he had “never imagined” contesting the presidency.
He further said that not even his wife knew that he was the presidential candidate.
However, the candidacy was short-lived. Ruto explained that early before the public event, he called his colleagues to a meeting, expressing his intention to ensure unity, telling the principals to agree that Raila is the best candidate.
Rutto further revealed that he threatened to take the microphone at Uhuru Park if they announced his name and declare, “No, I’m handing it over to Raila Odinga.” Upon hearing this, his colleagues “all agreed” to back Odinga.
Despite the change, Rutto noted that his designated chair on the podium at the Uhuru Park rally remained in the middle, a testament to the previous plan that he was to be the candidate.
He explained his initial willingness to join the NASA team was rooted in his commitment to social justice and the strengthening of devolution, which he feared would be “overrun” and disappear under the incumbent government at the time.