When they threw their weight behind President William Ruto and helped him win the presidency by rallying support in their backyards, most were optimistic that their stay in Kenya Kwanza would be rewarded.

They include veteran politicians who devoted their time, resources, and livelihoods to help Ruto, then a heavily sidelined deputy president, to outsmart the campaign machinery that his boss President Uhuru Kenyatta had assembled, through the Azimio coalition, to upset him.

Two and a half years into Rutopolitics and his administration, the very individuals who played a crucial role in his victory and establishment of his era, feel abandoned, with their hopes of financial stability and recognition crushed.