Nairobi — United Democratic Alliance (UDA) presidential candidate William Ruto arrived at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Karen for the presidential debate on Tuesday accompanied by a mama mboga and boda boda rider who endorsed his State House bid.

The Deputy President who was also accompanied by the Second Lady Rachel Ruto and his running mate Rigathi Gachagua arrived for the debate shortly after 7pm.

Also in Ruto's entourage were ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi, FORD Kenya's Moses Wetangula, MCC's Alfred Mutua and CCK's Moses Kuria, all members of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

Pauline Waithera, who runs a fruit grocery shop in Kiambu town, proposed Ruto's nomination when the DP presented his papers for clearance by the electoral commission on June 4 while Calvince Okoth, a boda boda operator in Kangemi, Dagoretti North, seconded.

The two were pictured accompanying the DP as he went through the pre-debate preparations ahead of a 90-minute discourse jointly produced by Kenyan media houses that his chief rival Raila Odinga vowed top boycott.

During the June 4 appearance at the Bomas of Kenya, when the two endorsers gained public prominence, Ruto praised Pauline, the proposer, as a "great woman from Kiambu Market in Kangangi where I met her in one of our economic forums discussing the economy of every county."

Ruto described Calvin Ochieng, the seconder, as "a great friend who runs his small hustle around Kilimani and constantly gives us support in the UDA office whenever we need somebody to transport something."

DP Ruto has several occasions during his campaigns committed to include 'hustlers' in his government if elected President.

He has been championing for the bottom up economic model as the sure to Kenya's predicament of social imbalance compounded by lack of access to affordable credit for small and medium-scale enterprises.

Ruto has positioned himself as the champion of Kenyans at the bottom of the pyramid and his campaign agenda has been revolving around how to better their lives.