Sports and Culture cabinet secretary (CS) Ababu Namwamba has revealed how President William Ruto identified him and nurtured him into politics.

Speaking during an interview on WabebeXP show by Willis Raburu aired on TV47 every Friday from 10 PM, Namwamba explained that his political journey began in 2004 after a meeting with President William Ruto.

“One gentleman got into my office. That was four years before the 2007 elections. And I would go on and run for MP, win, and get into Parliament. That gentleman is President William Ruto,” Namwamba said.

President William Ruto, who was a member of parliament for Eldoret Noth by then, identified Namwamba through some of the articles he was publishing with local dailies.

Namwamba explained that a day before Ruto visited him at his office, he had written an article in the Daily Nation, about his vision for a better Kenya.

The current Sports CS said that was when Ruto encouraged him to contest for the Budalang’i parliamentary seat, in order to push the agenda of a better Kenya through parliament.

 “You have passion for this country, you have passion about the new constitution for Kenya, you care about Kenya being better governed, do you know to bring all these, in reality, is on the floor of parliament?” Namwamba narrated the words Ruto had told him.

At that time, Namwamba was practicing law with no intention of joining politics.

“I was practicing law in my law firm and hadn’t thought of joining politics by then, I was also in civil society called chambers of justice,” Namwamba stated.

The sports CS explained that he was encouraged to venture into politics by Ruto who was by then one of the youthful MPs.

He also noted that he admired how Ruto played his role in Kenya African National Union (KANU) party politics, by then.

Namwamba mentioned that Ruto was also working closely with former president Uhuru Kenyatta, who was a presidential candidate in the 2002 general elections.

He at the same time appreciated President Ruto for nurturing him into politics and giving him a chance to serve in the Kenya Kwanza government as a cabinet secretary.

“President William Ruto is good at identifying talent and good at nurturing that talent,” said Ababu.

“I served as Budalang’i MP for 10 years, served as minister for youth affairs in the Kibaki government, and here I am today, serving as cabinet secretary for sports and culture in the Ruto government,” he added.