Musalia Mudavadi Ruto's closest ally in government and as prime cabinet secretary the only minister not to be sacked in July the most obvious choice to replace him...

After dismissing his government with the exception of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi who also serves as Foreign Minister and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua whose position is protected by the constitution Ruto announced that a week of talks would start on 15 July aimed at forming a ‘broad-based' unity government...

His aggressive attempts to force Luhya leaders Musalia Mudavadi whose Amani National Congress party Malala defected from and Moses Wetangula to merge their parties into the UDA – comparing himself to John the Baptist in the process – has been received poorly...

The UDA could become close to a one-party state if Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula the two Luhya leaders whose switch to the Ruto camp was decisive in the President's election agree to fold their Amani National Congress and Ford-Kenya parties into the UDA (AC Vol 64 No 6 The one-party state bounces back)...

As he does so Ruto has centralised foreign policy and diplomacy in the hands of State House and Musalia Mudavadi his Prime Cabinet Secretary who had the foreign ministry added to his portfolio last October (AC Vol 64 No 21 Ruto's reshuffle rewards the technocrats)...

As it stands Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi is most likely to have his de facto prime minister job made formal...

Rumours that he would be dropped from the 2027 ticket began within months of him taking office in 2022 and intensified last October when Ruto added the Foreign Ministry to Musalia Mudavadi's Prime Cabinet Secretary Portfolio...

Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and East African Community Secretary General Peter Mathuki have been tasked with leading the diplomatic campaign for votes among the 54 other AU states...