By Anderson Ojwang
Could the former Vice President, Mr. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka have been served a ‘poisoned chalice’ in his journey from Tseikuru village of the lowland Mwingi county to the Mountain ahead of the 2027 presidential contest?
The planned impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua by the National Assembly could turn out to be a mixed political grill served cold to Kalonzo by President William Ruto and his allies.
It could either embolden Kalonzo’s climbing of the Mountain or render him to the periphery should Rigathi survive the storm.
Kalonzo has for over four decades remained the de facto leader of Ukambani politics and has determined the voting pattern in all the elective posts including the presidency.
In the last general elections, Wiper dominated the parliamentary elections in Machakos county where it won four seats of the eight while in Makueni, it dominated by bagging five of the six slots, and in Kitui the party took home six seats of the eight to allow Kalonzo to cement his political might in the region.
In the presidential election, Kalonzo gifted Azimio Presidential Candidate Raila Odinga’s basket with 76 percent of the total votes cast in the region accounting for 769,892 while Ruto took home 24 percent which translates to 250,188 votes.
In the three counties namely Machakos, Raila led with 305,300 votes against Ruto at 101,437 while in Kitui the Azimio La Umoja leader got 235,405 against Ruto at 89,420, and finally in Makueni, the ODM leader received 229, 187 against Kenya Kwanza candidate 59,331.
And now after 15 years of futile fishing expeditions in Lake Victoria for the presidency, the Wiper Party leader has opted to try his luck by climbing the Mountain for the presidential contest.
Kalonzo’s dalliance with the Mountains dates back to the disputed 2007 Presidential election when he joined President Mwai Kibaki to form a new government.
Kibaki gifted Kalonzo, the vice President seat for sticking with him during the post-election violence that birthed a coalition government with Raila, which was brokered by former UN Secretary General Koffi Annan.
The exit of Raila in the local political scene leaves Kalonzo as the current probable main challenger to President Ruto. Kalonzo has strained his eyes on the Mountain to deliver his presidential ambition.
In the last general election, President Ruto received 2,938,938 votes in Mt Kenya to propel him to victory against Raila’s 847,709 despite the latter enjoying the support of then-President Uhuru Kenyatta.
With the emergence of tremors and restiveness in the mountain, Kalonzo is positioning himself to inherit the region and possibly harvest from the falling out in the Kenya Kwana government.
But with the new political dynamics emerging, Kalonzo has to now contend with the fact that the sponsor of the impeachment motion against Rigathi is from his backyard of Makueni county.
The MP for Kibwezi West, Mwengi Mutuse is the sponsor of the impeachment motion and is raring to make history by slaying the political Goliath.
But in a swift move, Kalonzo confidant and Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo has also filed a censure motion against President Ruto in the Senate, accusing him of failing to protect Kenyans and address critical national issues.
In the motion, Maanzo lists several concerns, including what he describes as Ruto’s failure, in his role as Chairperson of the National Security Council (NSC), to address issues such as police brutality and abductions.
Interestingly, the presenters of all the two motions are from Makueni county, Kalonzo’s political bedrock, and where he enjoys near fanatical support.
Kalonzo who has lately softened criticism of Rigathi, has opposed his impeachment. The Wiper party has stated its position, before the tabling of the motion in the parliament in a statement.
“ Any attempts to link the party to the impeachment drive were unfounded,’ read the statement.
The party leadership made it clear that they were focused on promoting unity and supporting the country’s development agenda rather than engaging in politically divisive actions.
And immediately after the tabling of the Motion, Wiper again issued another statement that read “Mutuse is a member of Maendeleo Chap Chap Party associated with Cabinet Secretary For Labor and Social Protection Dr. Alfred Mutua.
“This distinction is important in understanding the political alignments and affiliations in Kenya,” read the statement.
Lately, Kalonzo has been traversing the Mt Kenya region in the accompany of several local leaders who issued a clarion call to unite the GEMA community ahead of the 2027 Presidential elections.
Kalonzo has claimed that he has the support of former president Uhuru and urged the community to support his bid.
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waitutu declared that Kalonzo would be the region’s candidate.
“Now that President Ruto has deserted us, it is important to have Kalonzo to lead us and bring back the GEMA community unity for the future. We as Mt Kemya are solidly behind him” he said.
Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni said it was important for the Mt Kenya community to open their eyes to a new political dawn and realignment emerging in the country.
‘This time, it is Kalonzo walking with us after ODM joined the government. He is one of us and we must open our eyes and walk with him,” he said.
Kioni said they were building a strong team that would include all the right-minded persons who are interested in changing the destiny of the nation.
“They have regrouped just like the 2007 to isolate us and this is not an empty talk. Even former President Uhuru Kenyatta is a worried person because we know they are plotting against us. When you see us and Kalonzo crisscrossing this region you know something is happening outside there,” he said.
