By Anderson Ojwang’

On Wednesday, the country’s leading political blocks, Nyanza and Mt Kenya, displayed two sets of politics: maturity and immaturity.

In Nyandarua, they hosted President William Ruto for a burial of the Ol Kalou MP. After weeks of warring and public abuse between President Ruto and his impeached deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, they finally met for the first time after the impeachment.

Ahead of the meeting, the political atmosphere was tense, with the media predicting a possible confrontation at the burial. President Ruto was accompanied by his political troops, while Rigathi, the self-declared king of the Mountain, also mobilized and was accompanied by his lieutenants and arrived at the venue ready for a showdown, which turned out to be a melodrama.

In Nyandarua, Mt Kenya raised the bar high when the expected political showdown between President Ruto and Gachagua was turned into melodrama.

While in Kisumu, out of the blue, the region sunk to its lowest when political goons attacked Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi over his political affiliation and left him admitted at the hospital with serious injuries.

The attack put Kisumu in the spotlight over the emergence and increasing number of political gangs in the region ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Kisumu, which had shed off the bad image of political violence and thuggery, is fast sliding back to the old habit of political goons and intolerance that had negated investment in the region.

In Nyandarua, Gachagua relayed and read out a riot act to the residents to respect President Ruto, and his usual slogan of “one term” was vetoed.

Apart from lamentations and crying foul over his impeachment, the audience remained calm with no shouting or any form of disturbance.

Gachagua laughed off earlier predictions by the media that the burial would be confrontational.

Even in the program that went viral on social media and had no mention of the opposition, Gachagua and his team were still accommodated and provided with space and time to speak.

Gachagua warned the mourners and the residents that President Ruto deserves respect and that he doesn’t want to hear any shouts of “Ruto must go.”

“Today is a solemn moment. I want the president to speak and you give him respect. I don’t want to hear anyone shouting ‘one term,'” he said.

He said Mt Kenya loved and respected Ruto but he betrayed them, and that will be sorted out at the 2027 general elections.

“Ruto has come in good faith. Let us respect him. Let him speak and go,” he said.

Gachagua then turned to lamentation, accusing President Ruto of chasing him from his office to Wamunyoro.

“You chased me, and I went to Wamunyoro. We are listening to the ground, and we will sort our differences at the ballot,” he said.

Gachagua went ahead to introduce his team of sitting MPs, senators, MCAs and aspirants allied to him and joined a hymn after he concluded the introduction.

In Kisumu, with no provocation, goons attacked Osotsi at Java Restaurant and left him with serious injuries over his political affiliation, which is opposed to President Ruto’s two-term bid.

In a statement by his director of communication, Mr Derick Luvega, the Senator had made a routine visit to the Acacia area for personal grooming (to take a shave) before proceeding to Java Restaurant.

“At the restaurant he met a friend and interacted cordially with members of the public for approximately thirty minutes. It was during this time that a group of gun-wielding individuals confronted him, questioning his political stance and subsequently subjecting him to physical manhandling. They demanded to know why he is supporting one-term and not two-term,” he said.

The Senator is a principal in the ODM faction of Linda Mwananchi, which is against the pre-election coalition arrangement between ODM and UDA.

Osotsi was recently sacked as the ODM deputy party leader during the Special Delegates Conference, which confirmed Dr Oburu Oginga as the party leader, Governor Simba Arati and his Mombasa counterpart Abdulsamad Nassir as deputy party leaders, while Homa Bay’s Gladys Wanga was confirmed as the National Chairperson.

Siaya Governor James Orengo, a member of the faction, termed the incident as unfortunate and blamed the government for the attack.

“This political attack is happening to him in Kisumu for a second time. The police know what is happening, and the police are being used in Kisumu,” he said.

Orengo said during their rally in Kakamega, the Kisumu airport was surrounded by goons to deny them entry into town.

“This is making Kisumu a small port of thugs. Thugs and goons run the city, and it is happening in broad daylight,” he said.

Orengo said the incident was giving Kisumu a bad name and immature politics in the region.

“We are creating immature and primitive politics in this part of the country. It has never happened like this that goons control politics,” he said.

ODM Vice Chairman Dr Otiende Amolo expressed disappointment over the alleged attack on the Senator.

“This act of cowardice, political intolerance and goonism must be condemned and stamped out. If we don’t, 2027 might be ominous,” he wrote on his social media handle.

Kisumu Deputy Governor Dr Mathews Owili condemned the incident, saying the county leadership encourages democracy and divergent views.

“Kisumu County will not tolerate any form of political violence, intimidation, or criminal activities within its jurisdiction. Those who imagine that they can undermine peace and stability through acts of brutality are gravely mistaken,” he said.

By Anderson Ojwang

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, for the first time after his impeachment, shared a platform with his former boss President William Ruto at a burial in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua County, and sent a conflicting and mixed signal.

Gachagua told President Ruto there was a possibility they could work together in future because he, Gachagua, was an old man.

“When you go to Luo land, don’t abuse us as tribalists. We can still work with you. I am an old man,” he said.

Gachagua said the Mt Kenya community supported and voted for President Ruto and that he should look for peace with the community.

“Look for peace with the Mt Kenya community. We did not vote for you because you were called Njoroge or Kamau but Kipchirchir arap Ruto out of love. You have 14 months to work for the region and seek peace,” he said.

But Ruto responded that he is aware that he was voted for by Mt Kenya and that he knows what he is doing.

“Do not bring me your wars with other people. I don’t ask permission to go anywhere in this country. I will go to any place I want, and I don’t ask for permission,” he said.

He told the people of Mt Kenya not to be blackmailed and not to worship a fellow human being.

“I will answer my opponents through development. At the moment, I am still working for Kenyans. When the time for campaigns comes, I will show them dust,” he said.

He said the media had speculated that the burial would be confrontational.

Gachagua warned the mourners and the residents that President Ruto deserves respect and that he doesn’t want to hear any shouts of “Ruto must go.”

“Today is a solemn moment. I want the president to speak and you give him respect. I don’t want to hear anyone shouting ‘one term,'” he said.

He said Mt Kenya loved and respected Ruto but he betrayed them, and that will be sorted out at the 2027 general elections.

“Ruto has come in good faith. Let us respect him. Let him speak and go,” he said.

Gachagua then turned to lamentation, accusing President Ruto of chasing him from his office to Wamunyoro.

“You chased me, and I went to Wamunyoro. We are listening to the ground, and we will sort our differences at the ballot,” he said.

Gachagua told President Ruto that before he was impeached and when they still worked together, he had warned him that his political mentees from Mt Kenya would lead him into a pit.

“I warned you these boys would lead you to the pit. In my community, we don’t forgive betrayal. You betrayed them and me,” he said.

He said the Mt Kenya community has rejected him because of betrayal and he will not get their votes.

Recently Ruto and Gachagua had engaged in a bare-knuckle fight of body shaming and public abuses.

In a recent burial in Kirinyaga, Gachagua apologized to former president Uhuru Kenyatta and Mt Kenya for misleading them to vote for Ruto.

Gachagua dismissed allegations that he cannot work with former president Uhuru, terming them as wishful thinking.

“They say Uhuru cannot work with Riggy. You think you are one of us. You don’t know us. We are a family, and Uhuru is my elder brother,” he said.

Gachagua said he diligently served Uhuru as a personal assistant and highly respects him.

“I have been Uhuru’s personal assistant. I have worked with him for 20 years. We only differed for three years,” he said.

Gachagua said it was President William Ruto who sowed a seed of division between Uhuru and him and that now they have reconciled and remain as a family.

“It is you who divided us. You came with a bible and conned us. I blame myself. I misled my people. I want to tell our people that we must be very smart not to allow Ruto to divide us along Mt Kenya East and West. I cannot allow him. Kikuyu and Meru are one community,” he said.

Gachagua said the Mt Kenya community cannot make the mistake of 1992, when former president Daniel Moi divided the two leading leaders, the late Mwai Kibaki of the Democratic Party and the late Kenneth Matiba of Ford-Asili, and they lost in the presidential election.

By Hope Barbra and Habil Onyango

Reality check on an end to the decade-old preferential treatment in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) of the ‘sacred cows’ in the party’s primaries and general elections is causing panic and anxiety.

Finally, the political reality of a life without Raila Amollo Odinga in the 2027 general election is dawning, leaving some clutching to the hope of zoning or perishing.

The fear of facing opponents in the party primaries and general elections is causing panic in most of the ODM Linda Ground lieutenants, who for successive elections relied on Raila’s anointment to win elections.

The demise of Raila has radically changed the political landscape, and the majority who relied on the former ODM party leader for direct nomination have gone into panic mode and now want zoning of ODM strongholds to survive.

The proponents of zoning, who had earlier been lobbying for the Deputy President slot in the ODM-UDA pre-election coalition, have abandoned that debate and have now placed zoning as a priority in the negotiations.

Leading the group is ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga, Homa Bay MP Opondo Kaluma and Alego MP Sam Atandi, while MPs Millie Odhiambo, Elisha Odhiambo, Onyango Koyoo, and Senator Tom Ojienda have opposed the proposal.

Millie said ODM was the most popular party in the country and the call for zoning was retrogressive and uncalled for.

“There has been a lot of discussion on the issue of zoning. My personal position is that ODM is a popular party. We have declared ODM as a popular and the largest party in the country; how come we demand zoning?” she asked.

She said ODM has managed to successfully front candidates without any formal form of zoning, perhaps maybe a silent agreement like in Nairobi.

“There has never been a need for zoning for ODM. Let us be honest: none of us is Raila Amolo Odinga. We need to listen to the public. The public is keen that we show what we have done for the public. When we start pushing an agenda of zoning, it means we put our personal interest ahead of our constituents,” she said.

Millie said the elected leaders should not be scared of competition if they know they have delivered on their mandate.

“If I have worked for my constituency, I should not fear meeting my opponents. So when we talk about zoning, we seem to be seeking favorable treatment. Let us reconsider the issue of zoning,” she said.

The proponents of zoning argue that in order to support Ruto’s re-election, UDA should not field any of their candidates in regions currently held by ODM.

Wanga has declared that Homa Bay and the broader Nyanza region are ODM zones and will not tolerate opposition, specifically warning against UDA infiltration.

Wanga insisted that in any coalition agreement, UDA must include a clear zoning formula that guarantees ODM a fair and respectable number of seats in regions where it has strong support.

“ODM will not be a ‘junior affiliate’ to UDA, and we expect a 50-50 power-sharing structure where ODM controls its traditional strongholds,” she insisted.

Kaluma said: “I want to tell our friends in UDA, if you think you can have members here in Homa Bay, it will take away votes from the President. In fact, if you want to destroy our relationship, try fronting anyone other than ODM here in Homa Bay.”

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna wondered why a section of party members were demanding zoning in areas which are ODM strongholds.

“How do you call for zoning in Homa Bay County, the bastion of ODM? Let UDA field a candidate because that is not something to scare us,” he said.

He said the proponents of zoning have a problem and fear facing their opponents at the ballot.

Alego MP Sam Atandi said there was no negotiation over zoning and will not allow UDA to plant candidates in Nyanza.

“We are not going to allow UDA to plant a candidate here in Muhoroni. All our party strongholds are reserved for ODM, nothing less or more,” he said.

UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar has dismissed ODM’s zoning demands, saying the UDA party will field candidates across the country.

The UDA Secretary General argued that if ODM is confident in its strongholds, it should allow other parties to field candidates in those areas.

“ODM says the Coast is their stronghold; we are telling them the Coast belongs to the people of the Coast, let us compete fairly. And they claim that even if some of us are allowed to vie for seats, we cannot defeat them in their ODM zones. If you have that kind of courage and confidence, then what problem is the issue with us contesting for those seats?” Omar questioned.

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi dismissed the zoning push by ODM, saying cooperation plans between the ruling party and his Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) will see them field candidates in all elective seats, including the Mvita parliamentary seat.