By Habil in HB Onyango.

Numerous incidences of political thuggery and violence in Kasipul constituency is creating concern among the political leaders and the residents.

Allegations of sponsored violence and thuggery have emerged with different political divide pointing accusing fingers at one another

Area MP Mr. Ong’Ondo Were has issued a stun warning to a number of politicians and Government and County officials whom he claims of ferrying the “goons” to cause violence in the constituency.

The MP claimed a number of political goons believed to have been terrorizing the region were ferried from other regions.

The MP claimed his political opponents were to blame for high incidences of political thuggery in the area.
Speaking during a press conference, Were said he will not allow such acts to continue

“We have been living in a cohesive constituency for the past five years and we have been able to implement a number of development projects.

But in the last six months there has emerged insecurity in the area,” he said.

Were said the violence has targeted public gatherings especially during funerals.

Were claimed for the last six months he had fallen victim to political thuggery caused by his opponents.

“At first I was attacked at Kalando area during a funeral service, secondly my vehicle was deflated by goons,” he claimed.

“We have reported the matter to the DPP and soon action will be taken against the aiders of such acts,” he said.

By Anderson Ojwang

Kenyans could soon witness a return match between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and his successor, President William Ruto, in the 2027 presidential election.

Smarting from the loss in the 2022 presidential contest, where Uhuru’s candidate and leader of the Azimio la Umoja Coalition, Raila Odinga, suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Ruto, Uhuru is back to the drawing board.

Now, through his Jubilee Party, Uhuru has returned to the political ring with a new candidate—his protégé, former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Okengo Matiang’i—as the party’s flag bearer for the 2027 contest.

After two years of maintaining a low political profile and insisting that Raila Odinga was his leader, a tough-talking Uhuru is back. This time, he is organising and reorganising his Jubilee Party to face off against his former ally turned political foe.

Despite Ruto extending an olive branch to Uhuru after he visited him at his Ichaweri home in Gatundu North, and despite the subsequent appointment of Uhuru’s allies into the government, Uhuru is not budging as he sets his sights on the presidency.

Following the visit, President Ruto spoke of a possible handshake with his former boss, but given the emerging political dynamics, such a reconciliation could be stillborn.

Speaking during a Jubilee delegates’ conference, Uhuru said he had initially considered retiring from politics to focus on his private life, but the prevailing political climate had forced him to change his mind.

“I wanted to step away from politics and engage in other business. I had thought that the next National Delegates Conference for the party would be my last.

I planned to tell you, my great people, that I had done what was expected of me and that it was time to elect a new party leadership.

However, some individuals decided to resort to threats, intimidation, and the misuse of power to take over our party by force.

Today, I am telling them—try someone else, but not Uhuru, son of Kenyatta. When you entrusted us with leadership, including the party, we had a manifesto, and we did our best to implement it.

We played our part and handed over power peacefully. We did so in broad daylight. Even when they insulted me in public, I remained silent because it was their right.

But despite my silence, all I received were insults, humiliation, the theft of livestock, and the burning of farms. They thought this would intimidate me. I tell them—carry on!

But this party does not belong to Uhuru alone; it has its rightful owners. They asked me to safeguard it, and until they choose a new leader, I will remain at the helm.

Kenya is a democratic country. Jubilee formed alliances with other parties, and the dream is not dead. If it is to die, only you—the people—can decide that.

Some of those who received appointments under Jubilee are now trying to dictate how the party should be run. Let them leave. We will find people to do the work. Leave us in peace and return the positions we gave you.

Look at our symbol—the dove. We love peace, but we are not cowards.

“Kenyans made their decision in 2022, but we still want to see our agenda fulfilled.

Let today mark a renewal. Let us return to the villages and revive our Jubilee Party. Those of us in Nairobi will support you in whatever way necessary. Do not fear speaking the truth. We are not cowards.

Those who think God is asleep—let me tell you, God does not sleep. One day, they will see for themselves.

Those who no longer align with Jubilee’s vision should do us the honour of leaving the party and allow us to pursue our path.

You claim our party is dead—so why are you interested in a dead body? If it is truly dead, why are you still trying to take it over? The truth is, Jubilee is very much alive, and you will see it.

Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni confirmed that the party had settled on Matiang’i as its presidential candidate.

Matiang’i is our flag bearer. He worked with President Uhuru for ten years. We in the Jubilee Party have chosen him as our candidate for 2027, and now we must register in preparation for the bigger battle.

We support him because he performed well in the education, ICT, and security ministries. When Uhuru was in his second term, his deputy abandoned his responsibilities to campaign. It was Matiang’i who took over. He understands the vision, and he has the energy to reignite our coalition. That is why we want Wamunyoro to come in,” Kioni said.

In the ongoing battle for control of the party, the Court of Appeal last year rejected a request by a group of Jubilee Party officials seeking to challenge the leadership of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.

In a ruling delivered on 19 November 2024, Justices Jamila Mohammed, Mumbi Ngugi, and F. Ochieng refused to grant interim stay orders sought by Cherangany MP Joshua Kuttuny, East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega, and the party’s Disciplinary Committee.

The faction had sought the orders to overturn a ruling by the Nairobi High Court in September, which upheld Kenyatta’s leadership of the party.

“In the circumstances of this application, we decline to grant interim orders of stay pending the delivery of the ruling on 7 March 2025,” the judges said.

The High Court, under Justice Mulwa, had annulled decisions made by the Kega-led group, citing procedural errors.

Justice Mulwa ruled that a notice issued in February 2023 by the faction was improperly executed, meaning any resolutions passed thereafter—including the suspension of senior officials such as Jeremiah Kioni, David Murathe, and Kagwe Gichohi—were invalid.

“The majority decision by the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal is an erroneous finding issued by the commissioners and must be set aside. I find the decision of the PPDT illegal and annul it,” Justice Mulwa ruled.

“Having determined that every process undertaken in furtherance of an unprocedural meeting was invalid, any decision resulting from that meeting is therefore declared null and void,” Mulwa added.

By Anderson Ojwang

A new political realignment could be in the offing in Siaya County after the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Opiyo Wandayi, recently hosted all the elected leaders from Siaya.

However, conspicuously absent was Siaya Governor Mr James Orengo, who is an ardent critic of the broad-based government and is also opposed to any possible alliance between the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and President William Ruto’s UDA party.

The delegation to Wandayi’s office was led by Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Odinga, who enjoys a love-hate relationship with Orengo following their 2013 battle over the senatorial seat.

Wandayi, on his X handle (formerly Twitter), wrote: “Happy to host MPs from Siaya County who called on me to discuss last-mile electrification and strategies to expand electricity connectivity in their constituencies.”

Alego MP Sam Atandi also posted on his X handle: “Siaya leaders meeting Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi over the rural electrification programme in the county.”

The MPs included Orengo’s main ally in the county, Otiende Amollo (Rarieda), and his former allies-turned-foes, Sam Atandi (Alego) and Elisha Odhiambo (Gem). Others were David Ochieng (Ugenya), Dr Christine Ombaka (Women’s Representative), and Gedion Ochanda (Bondo).

Sources revealed to the writer that Orengo was invited to the meeting but declined to attend.

The supremacy battle between Orengo and Oburu in 2012 nearly split the party at both county and national levels, with MPs taking sides.

Then Alego-Usonga MP Edwin Yinda chaired talks that led to a political pact, which saw Dr Oburu switch from the senatorial to the gubernatorial race.

“The two giants were giving us problems, and we don’t want them to do that because every time they do, they create a lot of problems both nationally and in the county,” Yinda said at the time.

The decision by the two leaders to vie for the same seat posed a significant challenge to Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is Oburu’s brother and views Orengo as his political confidant.

Both leaders accepted the compromise, stating that they had to agree on an arrangement that would guarantee peace for the people of Siaya.

Orengo said the news would be a welcome relief to the close associates of the two chief competitors, who had been engaged in a war of words.

“We have managed to get rid of the one thing that was the cause of hostility between Oburu and me,” he said.

The supremacy battle split the MPs, with the then-Government Chief Whip, the late Jakoyo Midiwo (Gem), Yinda, and Martin Ogindo (Rangwe) publicly declaring their support for Orengo, while only Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo supported Oburu.

In the recent past, Oburu has voiced his support for Wandayi as a probable heir apparent to the throne. He was said to be one of Wandayi’s main supporters when he declared his intention to contest the Siaya gubernatorial seat in 2022.

However, the party later settled on Orengo to fly the party flag in the last general election, in which he defeated Gumbo at the ballot.

Recently, Atandi broke ranks with Orengo over allegations of betrayal and declared that he would not support him.

Atandi claimed Orengo betrayed his deputy, William Oduol, and him, stating that they were reconsidering their political future without Orengo in 2027.

“In 2022, William and I embarked on a political journey. The person we supported and voted for as governor has betrayed us.

We will sit down with William and agree on our 2027 political journey to ensure we are not betrayed again. We will not enter a political agreement that is full of betrayal,” he said.

Atandi said Orengo first betrayed Oduol and then him, adding that they had learned their lesson the hard way.

“Orengo first chased William away from his government, and after that, he also threw me away. We have been betrayed in this political journey. We will chart our own future for 2027,” he said.

Odhiambo, once a close ally but now a foe, accused Orengo in 2024 of having good English but achieving zero development.

“Just loitering around at funerals does not help. The people of Siaya need development. I am partnering with the government for development. The only place where the government is building affordable houses in Siaya County is in Gem,” he said.

But Orengo has maintained that it is wrong for ODM to compromise its ideals for cheap gains that could be dangerous in the long run.

“On my part, I want my conscience to be clear. I want to say no to abduction. Again, I want to say there is too much sycophancy in the party at the moment.

I, James Orengo, the stone, Nyawawa, fear nothing. I want to say the Luo community must not lose the identity they are known for. We have an identity that defines us.

If we make compromises, they should be justified before God. We cannot suspend the Constitution. We may be happy now, but in the future, we may regret it.

I pray that ODM can withstand any storm. If compromises must be made, they should be based on principle and not mere praise and worship. We must stand firm and live by the constitution,” he said.

Recently, a section of Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) from Siaya threw their support behind Wandayi.

The MCAs, led by the Leader of the Majority in the Siaya Assembly, Mr Edwin Martin Otieno, criticised a section of leaders from Nyanza who are opposed to President Ruto.

“Ruto supported Raila in becoming Prime Minister. Currently, he has appointed some of our leaders into the government. It is unfortunate that some leaders want to bring village politics to undermine the development we are witnessing. We must call them out,” he said.

Wandayi is currently seen as one of the main supporters of President Ruto’s regime and has been instrumental in promoting its agenda and policies to the public.

“I urge my people to support the government and President Ruto. Let us not always be at the forefront of criticism but also give credit where it is due. Let us work for the government,” he has said on various occasions.

Photo courtesy

By Anderson Ojwang

Despite the buzz and excitement that have marked the entry of former Internal Security Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Okemo Matiangi into the presidential race, the former Education Minister has a plethora of odds and obstacles in his path to the presidency.

In 2002, during the presidential contest and the fallout in the then ruling party Kanu, then Cabinet Minister Simeon Nyachae formed a party named Ford-P to contest for the presidency.

Nyachae was so convinced that he was the most suitable candidate for the seat owing to his wealth of experience, financial war chest, age, and the networks he had developed while working in various government organs.

Nyachae entered into a political pact with the immediate former Kanu Secretary General Raila Odinga with a view to supporting his presidential bid.

However, Raila later came up with the famous “Kibaki Tosha” slogan, which drove Mwai Kibaki to the presidency, while Kanu’s presidential candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta, and the party suffered the loss. Uhuru later rebranded to become the country’s fourth president, but Kanu has remained a pale shadow of its former self and has been relegated to the periphery.

Nyachae took control of the Gusii votes and won most of the parliamentary seats through Ford-P, and the community, for the first time, occupied the opposition bench.

After the loss, Nyachae’s political interest faded, and the party also lost grip on Gusii land, no longer having elected leaders both at the county and at the National Assembly.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka believes that Matiangi can galvanise the Gusii community, where he has already made a name for himself.

“In the country, he is known as a hard worker who is keen on delivering results in any project that he has embarked on, and as a community, we are proud to sell him to the rest of the country,” he said.

Onyonka said that the reason they were advocating for the community to have its own party is to ensure that more than a million votes and almost 20 MPs are valued whenever those in power are making crucial decisions.

“The clamour for the Gusii community to have its own political party is at a fever pitch, as we have the numbers that count, and it is unfortunate that communities with fewer numbers than ours are benefitting more from the government than we are,” said Onyonka.

Former Nyakach MP Ochieng Daima wondered how having a Gusii-driven party would appeal to other regions and how Matiangi plans to wriggle out of Nyachae’s missteps in his presidential bid.

“The first misstep is to represent Matiangi as a tribal king, and that is how Nyachae was relegated to an Abagusii leader and eventually confined to oblivion,” he said.

It will be interesting to witness how Matiangi will wriggle through his mentor Nyachae’s political dilemma to the White House on the hill.

Matiangi also faces the dilemma of the immediate former president Uhuru Kenyatta’s political party, Jubilee, which recently settled on him as their presidential candidate.
The party’s Secretary General, Jeremiah Kioni, when he recently spoke during a morning breakfast talk show and a recent press conference, disclosed that the former Interior Cabinet Secretary was well-suited to clinch the top seat and oust President Ruto in the next polls.

“We are looking for a person who can unify the country, someone who more people can rally around. We are looking for someone who can look William eyeball to eyeball and tell him off,” Kioni stated. Kioni revealed that the Jubilee Party settled on a presidential candidate from outside Mount Kenya, where it enjoys much support, having bagged 28 seats in the 2022 general elections, the majority of which came from the region.

“We are picking somebody from outside the mountain, someone from a small community, and picking a name that’s known. The reason we have the 2010 Constitution is that it allows us to pick a candidate from any corner of the country. We, as the Jubilee Party, have our own candidate, Fred Matiangi. He will face off with the others to ensure Ruto goes home. We want a president from a small community. Let us step aside and let someone else in. Let us unite and vote as one,” he said.

But political analyst Dr Otieno Obondi said that in Kenya’s history, Kanu, the party of independence, set a precedent after it lost the 2002 elections, and in subsequent elections, it has dimmed and been relegated to the periphery.

“Narc won the election, but in 2007, President Kibaki used a different outfit. Uhuru won the 2013 elections using TNA and in 2017 used the Jubilee coalition to win. In the last general elections, Jubilee lost most of its seats to UDA, which is also currently facing a rough tide,” he said.

Otieno said Matiangi will be inheriting Jubilee’s baggage and liabilities, which are likely to puncture his bid and national appeal, as there is no freshness that the party is bringing on board.

In 2013, during President Kibaki’s succession politics, a section of leaders in President Kibaki’s inner political circle had settled on Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi as the heir apparent to the throne.
Mudavadi was taken into a charade in 2012 and even signed an agreement with Uhuru and William Ruto that he would be the presidential candidate.

Mudavadi, as reported in The Standard newspaper at the time, said a one-page agreement was signed in dramatic moments on the night of December 4, 2012, and would have seen him fly the team’s presidential bid.

“I had declared my intention, and I was preparing to formally launch my campaigns when these two gentlemen drove into my compound and declared their support for me,” Mudavadi disclosed.
Uhuru would later disown the deal, claiming he was forced to sign the agreement with Mudavadi after being blackmailed by “dark forces.”

“He (the devil) came to me and told me that if we are elected, the West will not give Kenya money; that our tea can’t be sold abroad and that Kenyans are not ready for another Kikuyu president, as this will cause more bloodshed. Given that I love peace, I decided to quit and support Musalia,” Uhuru told delegates at the Multimedia University on December 18, 2012.

Analysts and Kenyans will be closely watching how Matiangi will wriggle himself out of this dilemma to the presidency.