By Anderson Ojwang

In what was viewed as a win-win situation and was never contemplated as loss-loss situation for Mt Kenya ahead of the 2022 general elections, has currently turned out to be a battle royale between the principals against their deputies.

In the run up to the presidential election, Mt Kenya region negotiated for their son and daughter to be the running mates of the two leading presidential candidates, Kenya Kwanza coalition led by the then deputy president William Ruto and Azimio la Umoja coalition of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

In an intensive negotiation between Raila and the Mt Kenya business community and professionals, the former Prime Minister was prevailed upon to drop his running mate, former vice President Kalonzo Musyoka for former Justice Minister Martha Karua.

Ruto also defied his allies to settle on the now the impeached deputy President Rigathi Gachugua  after he was floored in a secret ballot election by the current deputy President Prof Kithuri Kindiki that nearly resulted in a fall out.

Ruto and Gachagua  team rode to victory as Raila and Karua leaked their wounds after the loss both at the ballot and Supreme Court.

But the plot for a win-win situation has turned to be a nightmare for the Murima after Gachugua was hounded out of the office while Karua broke away from the Azimio Coalition to chart a new political journey.

The emerging political realignment in the country brought Raila and president Ruto together to cobble Broad based government that allowed experts from the Orange Democratic Movement to join the Kenya Kwanza government.

Karua and Gachagua  have now become close allies and are currently visiting United States of America (USA) to meet Kenyans in diaspora to sell their political agenda.

Gachagua while speaking in Seattle, USA said the work of the boys was to take care of their sisters and that is one of the reasons he accompanied Karua to the function.

“I come here to escort my sister and if anyone person had ulterior plan against my sister. I will protect her.

When I looked at how things are going in Kenya and the struggle we are having with Kasongo, I decided to go look for my sister, because she has been the struggle to liberate the country for a long time. She has fought for the struggle and is more experienced than us.

I went to her house in Kirinyaga, and I told her my sister, I have come, this battle is not easy.

We need all of us to be together.

And she was very receptive, and she said to me, my brother, welcome, lets walk this journey together,” he said.

Gachagua also claimed that Raila’s political value has diminished and that his support for Ruto will not stop them from winning the presidency in 2027 elections.

Karua speaking at the same function said the opposition must stick together even though they are many who harbor presidential ambition and she also declared her candidature.

“I am done with running mate business. I finished that era in 2022.

I am also ready to support, if another candidate is chosen and I will support.

Kenya is bigger than all of us.” she said

Ruto and Raila have become like Siamese twins with the former Prime Minister rubbishing the one ‘wantam’ (One Term) mantra and asking his political backyard to stop political activism and instead concentrate on development.

In response Ruto has held series of development meetings with leaders and stakeholders from Nyanza that has opened the region to government tray full of development projects.

In a recent meeting with leaders from Kisumu, Ruto said unity government was not conceived by Raila and himself but God.

“The Broad-based government is neither a creation of Raila nor Ruto, but it is God sent and was aimed at uniting the country for prosperity,” he said.

ODM National Chairman Gladys Wanga has maintained that the ODM will not walk out of the broad-based government and that they support President Ruto agenda of uniting the country and development programs.

Before he exits from the coalition, Karua’s party wrote “Kindly take note that our stay in Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition is not tenable due to the prevailing political developments,” the letter by Narc Kenya Acting Secretary General Asha Bahir addressed to the Azimio Secretary Junet Mohammed read.

“As NARC Kenya, by way of this letter, we are giving notice to exit the coalition as stipulated in the exit clause (s)in the Coalition Agreement.”

“Our goal with this rebrands is to let people know that we are now the People’s Liberation Party, a party rooted in liberation,” Karua stated.

“We have introduced new colors—purple, lilac, and white—while maintaining our identity as a flower party.

Previously symbolized by a green rose, we now embrace the purple rose, which represents love, friendship, and peace. Our slogan is ‘Unite – Liberate.”

But Gachagua has declared that his party DCP was the only political party in   Mt Kenya region and that is what the region will use to seek alliance with other political outfits and leaders.

“Now we have our party DCP. You know our party.

That is the party for this region. 

We will use this party to seek alliance from other regions. 

The bedrock of DCP is Mt Kenya.

We must have a strong party with over 150 MPs to protect our interest in the parliament.

We must have over 20 senators to protect our interest in the senate and we must have over 800 MCAs to protect our interest in the county assemblies,” he said.

This declaration may ahead of the general elections bring discomfort between Karua and Gachagua  during the elections while analysts are in wait whether Raila will walk with Ruto to the ballot.

By Remmy Butta

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s continued public pronouncements, fueled by a bitter fallout with President William Ruto, are increasingly raising alarm.

Gachagua’s strategy, born from palpable anger and resentment, may involve dangerously playing the ethnic card, specifically aiming to incite the Kikuyu community against the Kalenjin, risking the reopening of wounds barely healed since the 2007/08 post-election violence.

A Man Seething, A Mission Unfolding?

Gachagua’s dramatic fall from grace – becoming the first sitting Deputy President in Kenya’s history to be impeached – has left him politically isolated and visibly aggrieved.

His attacks on President Ruto, his former boss and ally, have escalated from policy disagreements to intensely personal and tribal rhetoric.

His combative history is noted; this is a leader who previously turned against his one-time ally, former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Now, targeted at Ruto, his actions suggest a man driven by a singular, personal mission, one that prioritizes vengeance over national stability.

The Dangerous Card: Kikuyu vs. Kalenjin?

The most chilling aspect emerging from Gachagua’s narrative, particularly highlighted in his press conference before leaving the country, is the perceived attempt to frame current national challenges through a purely Kikuyu lens of victimhood allegedly orchestrated by a Kalenjin presidency.

By repeatedly emphasizing perceived marginalization of the Mt. Kenya region and invoking historical injustices, Gachagua is deliberately crafting a narrative designed to stoke resentment among the Kikuyu populace.

This tactic strikes at the heart of Kenya’s most painful recent history.

The 2007/08 post-election crisis, primarily pitting Kikuyus against Kalenjins and other communities, resulted in over 1,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands displaced.

The specter of that violence, and the ICC cases that followed (including President Ruto’s, which were eventually terminated due to witness interference and lack of evidence), remains a potent and dangerous memory.

Gachagua’s rhetoric is a deliberate, cynical ploy to resurrect these tribal animosities for political gain.

“Kenya Will Not Burn” – But Concerns Mount.

While Gachagua may couch his language in terms of “fighting for his community,” the subtext and the inflammatory nature of his accusations are causing deep unease.

The implied threat – that the unresolved tensions he claims to highlight could boil over – is unmistakable.

His focus on the shelved ICC cases in the context of current grievances is seen by many as a particularly reckless attempt to link past trauma to present politics.

Kenya has worked hard to rebuild since 2008.

The 2010 Constitution, devolution, and concerted efforts towards national healing, however imperfect, represent significant strides.

Gachagua’s strategy, if it indeed involves weaponizing ethnicity as alleged, poses a direct threat to this fragile progress.

A Nation and World on Alert

The Kenyan nation has every right to be worried.

Political competition is healthy, but deliberately sowing division along ethnic lines for personal or factional advantage is a dangerous game with potentially catastrophic consequences.

The international community, which invested heavily in helping Kenya recover from 2008 and has a stake in the stability of this regional economic powerhouse, is also watching with heightened concern.

A return to large-scale ethnic violence in Kenya would have devastating regional repercussions.

Playing with Fire

Rigathi Gachagua’s current path appears increasingly defined by bitterness towards William Ruto.

The emerging fear is that his chosen weapon is the deliberate and dangerous exploitation of historical Kikuyu-Kalenjin tensions.

By invoking the ghosts of 2007/08 and framing complex national issues through a lens of tribal persecution, he risks igniting a fire that could consume far more than just his political ambitions. Kenyans across all communities have repeatedly declared, “Kenya will not burn.”

Upholding that resolve requires vigilance against rhetoric that seeks to divide, and a collective rejection of leaders who prioritize personal vendettas over the unity and peace of the nation.

Gachagua’s words and actions in the coming weeks will be scrutinized more closely than ever, as the nation hopes his hidden cards do not include the match that could light the tinderbox.

Kenya has been down this path before, and the cost was catastrophic.

The nation cannot afford a repeat.

It is imperative that all leaders, including Gachagua, exercise utmost responsibility, prioritize national unity over personal or factional interests, and unequivocally reject any rhetoric or action that threatens to reopen the healed wounds of the past.

The Kenyan people deserve peace and progress, not a descent into manipulated conflict fueled by the bitterness of a single individual.

Vigilance from civil society, the media, religious leaders, and the international community is crucial to ensure that Kenya’s hard-won stability is not sacrificed on the altar of one man’s political vendetta.