By Anderson Ojwang

The demise of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party leader Raila Amolo Odinga has turned the party into an overnight millionaire club.

From a financially cash-strapped party, due to over Sh12 billion debt owed to the party by the government and previously depending on donations and contributions from members, ODM has undergone an overnight transformation.

Similarly, the majority of ODM leaders who struggled to contribute even Sh100,000, but were known to contribute between Sh10,000 and Sh20,000 at fundraisers, are currently donating millions at these events.

Last weekend’s show of the millionaire club by a section of ODM leaders at a function in Siaya and Migori, where most of the contributions were in millions and up to Sh10 million in cash announced, marked a new financial dispensation.

Raila’s contributions

From the late Raila’s sampled contributions, the range was between Sh100,000 and Sh200,000, and only went as high as between Sh1 million and Sh2 million on very special and rare occasions.

Raila, before his death, gave Sh10 million to Gor Mahia Football Club.

During his era, ODM members and leaders struggled with donations and contributions during fundraisers.

But his demise opened a new valve for money flow into the party that has never been witnessed in the last 20 years. Currently, ODM swims and bathes in money.

The “Tunataka Pawa” Era

The new party leader, Dr Oburu Oginga’s era, has ushered in the moment of “tunataka pawa” and money is power.

This explains why the embattled Secretary General Edwin Sifuna sounded the alarm over heavily free-flowing money in the party.

Kisumu Women Representative, Ruth Adhiambo Odinga, early in the year raised the alarm over the free-flowing money in the ODM party, which was undermining its unity and activities.

Adhiambo wondered where the free-flowing money currently being witnessed was coming from and for what purpose.

Ruth wondered where the huge amount of money currently being used by the party was coming from.

“But we are seeing a situation where a lot of money is flying around, and there appears to be a deliberate approach to commit the ODM party into a coalition agreement more than a year to the next general elections. Where is the money coming from? Is it in the Budget and Appropriations Committee at the National Assembly? I know that the government has not given ODM party money. So where is all the money coming from?” she asked.

Insatiable love for money

Cabinet Secretary Wycliff Oparanya expressed concern over the love for money in the party that could damage its own foundation.

Oparanya early in the year lamented how the insatiable love for money was destroying the party and going against the grains and principles of the founder leader, the late Raila Amolo Odinga.

“Lakini nikiona ile inaendelea kwa ODM, na mimi nimekuwa karibu sana na mweshimiwa marehemu Raila Amolo Odinga (When I see what is currently happening in the ODM party, and I was very close to the late Raila Amolo Odinga), nauzingika sana. Niki ona wale… mambo ya pesa imeharibu viongozi. Viongozi anaenda hapa anaongea jambo lingine, akitoka hapa kwa sababu amepewa pesa, kichwa imechanganyika (I am shocked. Money has destroyed the leaders. A leader goes to one place and says one thing, and shortly after says a contradictory thing. Money has destroyed the minds of our leaders). Aongea mwingine kwa sababu ya pesa (They talk because of money). Haya mambo, naona saa hii sikuona wakati wa marehemu Raila Odinga. Raila alikuwa mtu wa msimamo. Akisema jambo ni hilo (This was not a matter predominant during Raila’s time. Raila had a stand),” he said then.

The arrival of choppers

Currently, the airspace of Nyanza is busy with choppers flying over from Siaya to Migori, to Busia and Kakamega, and then back to Nairobi.

Unlike Raila, who mostly used commercial flights and the road, the Oburu era is airborne on most occasions.

It has become a chopper parade at most functions attended by the Oburu-era ODM leaders and MPs.

The millionaires

Last Saturday in Migori, Suna East Constituency, in a record time of 45 minutes at the women’s economic empowerment programme, Sh35 million was realised. It was a mixed grill, with UDA caps and attire competing with those of ODM for space and dominance.

For instance, the MPs take home approximately Sh1 million to Sh1.5 million depending on the mileage, and in the recent past, MPs from Nyanza have been holding and attending fundraisers, dishing out hundreds and millions of shillings.

For instance, the Suna East fundraiser witnessed MPs TJ Kajwang’ give Sh100,000, Paul Abuor give Sh100,000, while Peter Masara, Tom Odege, and Fatuma Mohammed each donated Sh200,000.

Alego MP and Chairman of the Budget Committee Sam Atandi gave Sh1 million, while Governor Wanga and Ochilo Ayako each gave Sh1 million.

Dr Oburu gave Sh2 million, while Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi gave Sh1.5 million. Junet Mohammed, the area MP, gave Sh10 million, and another Sh10 million came from President Ruto.

The Sh200 million Kisumu rally

The recent Kisumu rally consumed a whopping Sh200 million for mobilisation and planning of the event. Unlike before, during Raila’s time, where the expenditure was way far below, the “Tunataka Pawa” era is all about moneyed events.

Kisumu Senator Prof Tom Ojienda opened the lid to the inside story of how the party leadership used millions to ferry people to the rally.

Ojienda said Members of County Assembly from Kisumu were each given Sh100,000, while the MPs were given between Sh500,000 and Sh600,000 for the same.

For instance, Kisumu County Assembly has 42 MCAs, which translates to Sh4.2 million, while there are seven constituencies; at Sh600,000 each, that comes to Sh4.2 million, totalling Sh8.4 million.

Apart from Kisumu, Migori, Homa Bay, and Siaya were also expected to bring people to the rally, and all were bankrolled for the meeting, running into millions of shillings.

This was just the first avenue through which funds were channelled, including the county party office and the sub-branches.

Ojienda said: “I know the MPs were given, I think, between Sh500,000 and Sh600,000 to bring people to the rally.”

The ODM party leader, Dr Oburu Oginga, in a recent interview with a local TV station, said the government had released Sh200 million for their operations.

The Sh200 million has also brought differences in the Linda Ground faction over its usage and threatens to divide it further after Linda Mwananchi of James Orengo, Babu Owino, and Edwin Sifuna bolted out.

He said ODM gave out facilitation for the rally because the party seems to be in a strong and sound financial standing.

Ojienda said there were people mobilised from Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, and Homa Bay, and the party had to mobilise.

Raila’s grave

In Raila’s grave, he could be turning, watching how his treasure is being destroyed and money wreaks havoc on his legacy.

Winnie Odinga, the daughter, aptly captured it: “I didn’t see the death of my father coming. And even before I could recover, I saw the destruction of what he had built and treasured so dearly by those he had entrusted. I felt so much pain.”

In an explosive interview, Winnie talked about the desecration of the party’s creed.

Winnie raised the red flag over the desecration when she alluded to the fact that ODM was not formed from the comfort of pillows and bedroom talks but from the streets in fighting for social justice, and that is what Raila stood for.

“I raised the statement out of concern that certain people and certain quarters were trying to achieve something which necessarily doesn’t stand for the creed of the ODM party and perhaps want to take advantage of the situation for their own gain,” she said.

It is party time while it lasts. Before the taps dry and the funder vanishes into thin air as mysteriously as he came.

By Anderson Ojwang

Linda Mwananchi leader James Orengo has after 32 years moved to reclaim and actualise the dream of the doyen of opposition, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, as the heir apparent.

In December of 1993 in Ugenya at a function, Jaramogi, in reference to Orengo as the potential heir to the throne, referred to then Ugenya MP as “Nyathi punda” (foal) in a symbolic reference.

In the meeting, Jaramogi was preparing the community for Orengo’s takeover after his exit, and that was why in 1994, before he died, he summoned the fiery MP to his bedside at Kisumu Aga Khan Hospital.

Orengo, who was then in Nairobi, after the summons arrived at Kisumu Airport at 4.00 pm and was driven straight to the hospital.

Upon his entrance, the elated Jaramogi requested the three people who were with him, including his doctor, the late Dr Odhiambo Olel, to give them room to allow them to discuss important matters.

And Jaramogi last breathed in Orengo’s hand.

The 1980s moment

In the 1980s, was a critical political moment in Jaramogi’s life, and he relied heavily on Orengo as his legal and political advisor.

Orengo even tried to register a political party for Jaramogi and the late George Anyona for the 1988 elections, but the Registrar of Political Parties declined the request.

In the absence of the late Raila Amolo Odinga in detention, Orengo became the new ‘son’ to Jaramogi, and that was why he fondly referred to him as a foal.

The Ford

In Jaramogi’s political arrangement, he had envisaged Orengo’s takeover of the party as the apparent heir apparent.

This explained why, at his death, the majority of MPs who were his close allies, including the late Prof Ouma Muga among others, sided with Orengo to defeat Raila in the party election for the post of Vice Chairman.

In the battle over Ford Kenya leadership, Orengo enjoyed the support of MPs, party members, and youths.

In the battle, Orengo and the Chairman, the late Wamalwa Kijana, outwitted Raila, who subsequently resigned from his Langata parliamentary seat to contest on the now-defunct National Development Party (NDP).

In the 1997 general elections, Orengo successfully defended his Ugenya seat against Raila’s wave, which swept nearly all his allies in Ford-K.

The Mageuzi Movement

Orengo formed the Mageuzi Movement as a national outfit and rivalled NDP’s hold on Nyanza politics.

During that moment, Nyanza and Kisumu specifically witnessed political rivalry between Orengo and Raila.

In the 2002 general elections, Orengo contested for the presidency on an SDP ticket, and the Narc wave not only swept him to the sea but also cost him the Ugenya parliamentary seat.

The reunion

The reunion of Raila and Orengo changed the political discourse of the region and the country. Orengo became to Raila what he was to Jaramogi.

Orengo became Raila’s lead counsel and confidant until his death in October last year.

The mantle fight

The death of Raila occasioned a political vacuum in ODM and Nyanza. In a strategic move, a section of the top party officials elevated Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Oginga to the position of party leader.

But the lethargic Oburu soon ran into problems with the Orengo-led faction, Linda Mwananchi.

Orengo declared himself the de facto party leader to the chagrin of Oburu, who dismissed the move.

Orengo has dominated and monopolised his political battles with the Siaya Senator, edging him out to the periphery. Orengo and Oburu first clashed over the ODM ticket for the Siaya senatorial seat.

Currently, Orengo is leading the onslaught against Oburu over the pre-election coalition and the party leadership.

Orengo has managed to isolate Oburu from his close relatives, including Kisumu Women Representative Ruth Odinga and niece Winnie Odinga, over the coalition.

But Oburu’s elevation has not been rosy, with Orengo appearing once again to challenge his leadership. Orengo is currently part of the faction, Linda Mwananchi, which is opposed to the pre-election coalition pact with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

Oburu leads the Linda Ground faction, which has been traversing the country but is facing a serious challenge from Orengo, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, and Babu Owino-led Linda Mwananchi, which is gaining momentum.

Oburu also hit out at Orengo for trying to lead the community away from the broad-based government.

No record of struggle

Orengo recently dismissed Oburu as one who has never been at the forefront of political struggle, and that is why Raila became the heir to the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

“Oburu has never been on the political front, never tasted teargas, and is not capable of leading ODM,” he said.

He said despite Oburu being born into a political family, he is mostly in the background, and this is why he has been on the periphery.

“Oburu was born in a political family. Most of his father’s life he was in the political background. He never tasted teargas. He has never been inside a police station. It was not by accident that Raila was the true heir.”

The battle for Nyanza

After the death of Raila, Orengo had his eyes on controlling Nyanza politics, and with Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, they have destabilised the status quo.

Orengo has constantly rattled Dr Oburu and ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga’s hold on Luo leadership with a series of rallies and meet-the-people tours.

The recent successful Linda Mwananchi rally in Kisumu rattled and changed the political status quo and threw Linda Ground into three weeks of planning to hold last week’s rally.

Linda Ground used Sh200 million to mobilise for the rally, while Orengo’s rally was organic, as he continues to receive a warm reception across Nyanza on his tours.

At the recent Kisumu rally, Dr Oburu told the crowd that he was ready to quit as the ODM party leader to avoid dividing the Luo community, to the chagrin and dismay of his allies.

“An ok ahero gima ilaro ma pogo oganda (I don’t like things people fight over that divide the community). An adwaro ni gimora amora ka oponi an ema de apog oganda to ayie weyo (If it’s me who is bringing division to the community, I am ready to quit). Ka pon ni an ema de apog ogandawa to ayie weyo (If it’s me who is the cause of division, then I am ready to quit).”

Orengo also gave conditions for his reconciliation and negotiation with Dr Oburu to avert the party from splitting.

The Cabinet

Orengo’s Siaya cabinet is composed of his allies and has weeded out Oburu’s point persons.

That was the first mantle capture and left Oburu in the political cold in matters of Siaya county governance.

Has Jaramogi’s will finally been met in Orengo’s leadership, or will Oburu stop him?

By Anderson Ojwang

Mt Kenya, which is expected to be pivotal in next year’s presidential election, is rumbling and opening up for a scramble which may undermine opposition unity.

Already the battle between former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Jubilee Party presidential candidate Dr Fred Matiang’i is causing jitters in the united opposition.

The presence of Matiang’i in Mt Kenya politics has rattled Gachagua’s game plan to have his party, DCP, as the dominant player in the region, but the revival of former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party is causing discomfort.

What is cooking

Jubilee’s Deputy Party Leader Jeremiah Kioni has claimed that Gachagua’s main threat was Matiang’i and not President William Ruto and his UDA party in Mt Kenya.

This could be because Gachagua’s preferred candidate is Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka, while Uhuru prefers Matiang’i, and this could be causing collision.

Kioni said: “The biggest enemy of the DCP party is not Ruto, it is not UDA, but it is Matiang’i. That we have already got it from that side. So we must defend our party and we must defend Matiang’i.”

The Ol Kalou fallout

The Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election has opened the united opposition unity test, and they have faltered, with Kioni claiming Gachagua has discarded the initial agreement.

“A good example is Ol Kalou. The issue was this, and this was the agreement, and I sat in the office when this decision was made. The united opposition had agreed that if we have a by-election in this country, the party that is holding that position, and if it is within the united opposition, that is the party that will be supported by all the parties,” he said.

He said Gachagua changed the script and demanded that the DCP party candidate should be the one to be supported because his party was the most popular one in the country at the moment.

“We did it in Mbeere, and when it came to Ol Kalou, we told DCP that we apply the same formula. DCP said they were the most popular party in the country and Jubilee must give way,” he said.

Internal cannibalism for survival

The scramble for elective posts in Mt Kenya could lead to internal cannibalism in the united opposition and create room for a major fallout within the ranks.

“I will be laying that you, DCP, are fighting not UDA but Jubilee. We have a candidate, and he is working hard,” he said.

Kioni said currently the political parties were fighting for survival in Mt Kenya and other parts of the country.

“It is no longer us just fighting UDA, but your own political survival. If that is the gear of fighting your own political survival, then how do we ensure we do not disappoint Kenyans?” he said.

He said Kenyans were not in the field of political survival but in the field of who among the presidential candidates they field against President Ruto.

“But don’t give us your worst or sacrifice the best for political expediency,” he said.

Kioni said the presidential contest should not be used to resolve personal disputes but as an avenue to give Kenya new leadership.

“On the table are issues of hate, bitterness, experience, among others. Which of these attributes do you want to present to Kenyans? Kenyans do not want to come and help one achieve his personal greed,” he said.

No boardroom decision

Kioni said Kenyans will not allow forced boardroom decisions that were not in tandem with the nomination of a presidential candidate for the united opposition.

“Don’t sit in a boardroom and think Kenyans have given you a mandate. None of the people sitting in the boardroom was elected to sit there. You went into the boardroom and locked yourself,” he said.

He said more probable presidential candidates were emerging and should be allowed space in the nomination of a joint presidential candidate.

“Do not lock others out thinking they don’t have a voice. Until the other day, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna was not in the room, but now you cannot lock him out. There is time, and more people are coming up,” he said.

Kioni said the united opposition should copy the 2002 script and allow Kenyans to make the choice.

“The setting we saw in 2002 is what we envisage to come up with. If the decision is made by six or ten and announced by the most popular person, we are likely to have a fallout,” he said.

DCP game

After resigning from his party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Gachagua unveiled DCP, through which he hoped to face President Ruto.

Through the party, Gachagua first hoped to lock out Ruto from the vote-rich Mt Kenya to deny him a second term of his presidency.

“We will stop at nothing to make Kenya a better place, with good governance and leadership in place. The people of Kenya have unfinished business with you. I have a date with you in August 2027,” he said then.

Gachagua’s game was to make the party popular and the fulcrum in the country’s politics at all levels.

“We took the challenge. I made a promise to you that in May 2025, I will unveil a new political party. I have kept my word. We finally have a political party that belongs to us. We believe that every citizen must be listened to by the leaders. As the party leader, I will listen to the people; I will continue to listen to their voices. This is the biggest political movement in the country since 1963,” he said then.

The anniversary and the double-edged sword

The decision by Gachagua to skip the Gen Z anniversary presented him as a double-edged sword to the opposition in next year’s general elections.

From one perspective, Gachagua could be the engine to drive the opposition to victory against President William Ruto, while on the other, he could be the soft belly in the opposition’s failure.

Last Thursday’s Gen Z anniversary exposed Gachagua’s weakness, which may haunt the opposition in the 2027 general elections.

Gachagua’s no-show at the anniversary should be a wake-up call to Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Siaya Governor James Orengo, former Chief Justice David Maraga, and opposition leader Martha Karua of a similar trend in the future.

The anniversary also laid down Gachagua’s script, which he may be playing close to his chest by consolidating Mt Kenya to have the majority of members of the National Assembly and Senators, and be able to negotiate with whoever becomes the President.

King of Mt Kenya

The move by Gachagua to replace DCP founding Secretary General Hezron Obaga with Nyandarua Senator John Methu and other founding officials with his close allies showed a glimpse of his game plan.

“Senator John Methu, for all practical purposes, is a member of DCP, and he will start acting from today as the Secretary General designate and be the spokesperson of the DCP party on all matters starting today,” he said then.

In Gachagua’s script for Mt Kenya is the power arrangement formula with governors elected on the DCP ticket.

Under the DCP model, governors elected on the party ticket would cede half of all appointive positions to the party, allowing Gachagua to reward loyalists and maintain grassroots control.

“Governors elected on the DCP ticket will have an agreement with us. Half of the positions will come to the party so we can take care of our people who contested but did not win,” Gachagua said.

This is a script Gachagua has borrowed from the former ODM leader, the late Raila Odinga, where his close allies were absorbed in counties in which ODM won the gubernatorial race.

The mountain continues to rumble, and Gachagua and Matiang’i will up the stakes over control. Will Uhuru’s preferred candidate, Matiang’i, prevail, or another 2022 circus?

By Anderson Ojwang

Siaya Governor James Orengo finally felt he has had enough of the Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi and opened a can of worms on the CS’s past.

Unknown to many, Orengo revealed how he secured Wandayi’s release from jail after he was charged with murder.

“CS for Energy is being very presumptuous. Sometimes, I don’t like going personal. I don’t like talking things about people. But this is a guy I removed from jail. He was charged with murder, and I spent time in court trying to defend him,” he said in a TV interview with KTN.

Orengo said he stood by and supported Wandayi when he wanted to be a Member of Parliament for Ugunja.

“When he wanted to be a Member of Parliament, I stood by him and made sure he got the nomination. A lot of these are claptrap at the end of the day,” he said.

Sweet deal

Orengo said Wandayi and his colleagues in the broad-based government were not driven by love for President William Ruto but by personal interest.

“They have just seen a good deal, and that deal is too attractive. By the way, if they could throw away former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s deal and take Ruto’s deal, who knows? If another deal is on the table, they may just run for it,” he said.

Constant

Orengo said he has been constant and has never changed his stand on the political discourse in the country.

“I am constant as the northern star. People who did politics with me like the late Masinde Muliro, the late Martin Shikuku, the late Kenneth Matiba, and subsequently the late Raila Odinga, Paul Muite, they know on matters of principle, I stand like a rock. I can negotiate on other issues,” he said.

Wandayi’s counter-attack

Wandayi criticised Orengo over what he termed as misleading the Luo community regarding the region’s political direction.

At a fundraiser at Ngunya Catholic Church in Ugunja constituency, Wandayi said it was illogical to tell the community that being in government was undesirable after years of seeking access to government.

“Let us ask him to leave the citizens of this place alone. These citizens know where they are going. If he says that being inside the government is bad, then what is good? And all these years we have been fighting so that we can get into government. How can you say that being in government is bad and yet all these years we have been fighting to be in government? What logic is that?” posed Wandayi.

The CS urged Orengo to allow residents to make their own political choices, arguing that the community is politically aware and capable of deciding its direction.

Broad-based Government

Orengo has dismissed the broad-based government and declared President William Ruto a one-term president.

This has put him on a collision path with Wandayi and a section of leaders from Nyanza, who have accused him of betrayal and rebellion.

Wandayi stated that leaders from Luo Nyanza, including MPs, Cabinet Secretaries, governors and Principal Secretaries, among others, are working within the government to push the region’s development agenda.

“We are working together with all the leaders of this region. We are working together in unity. Therefore, I have no worries. We have decided that our candidate for the presidential seat next year is President William Samoei Ruto,” he said.

Who is your presidential candidate?

The Energy CS further dared Orengo to declare an alternative presidential candidate.

“If you have your candidate, Mr Governor, come forward and tell us who it is. Or if it is you yourself who wants to run, come forward and say it today, and then we can compete against each other,” he said.

Wandayi added that he will lead a campaign across the Nyanza region to mobilise support for Ruto in the next election.

Orengo, who recently declared himself the de facto party leader, could be preparing himself for a second stab at the presidency and wants the community represented on both sides of the political divide.

Expert? Where did you train?

In a recent interview with Obinna TV, aired on Saturday, May 23, 2026, Orengo questioned the labelling of Wandayi as an expert.

He said Wandayi was not an expert since he lacks formal training in the energy sector.

“Wandayi is not an expert. I don’t think he went for training in a chemical institute or any training in the oil industry,” he said.

Impeachment

Wandayi and a section of leaders from the region have toyed with the idea of impeaching Orengo and have even led MCAs from the county to visit President Ruto at his Sugoi home.

But the attempt has failed to gain any meaningful push and has remained a cropper.

With 15 months to the general elections, Siaya politics will suddenly turn murkier, and who will blink first?

By Anderson Ojwang

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua could turn out to be a double-edged sword to the opposition in next year’s general elections.

From one perspective, Gachagua could be the engine to drive the opposition to victory against President William Ruto, while on the other, he could be the soft belly in the opposition’s failure.

Last Thursday’s Gen Z anniversary exposed Gachagua’s weakness, which may haunt the opposition in the 2027 general elections.

Gachagua’s no-show at the anniversary should be a wake-up call to Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Siaya Governor James Orengo, former Chief Justice David Maraga, and opposition leader Martha Karua of a similar trend in the future.

The anniversary also laid down Gachagua’s script, which he may be playing close to his chest by consolidating Mt Kenya to have the majority of members of the National Assembly and Senators, and be able to negotiate with whoever becomes the President.

King of Mt Kenya

The move by Gachagua to replace DCP founding Secretary General Hezron Obaga with Nyandarua Senator John Methu and other founding officials with his close allies showed a glimpse of his game plan.

“Senator John Methu, for all practical purposes, is a member of DCP, and he will start acting from today as the Secretary General designate and be the spokesperson of the DCP party on all matters starting today,” he said then.

In Gachagua’s script for Mt Kenya is the power arrangement formula with governors elected on the DCP ticket.

Under the DCP model, governors elected on the party ticket would cede half of all appointive positions to the party, allowing Gachagua to reward loyalists and maintain grassroots control.

“Governors elected on the DCP ticket will have an agreement with us. Half of the positions will come to the party so we can take care of our people who contested but did not win,” Gachagua said.

This is a script Gachagua has borrowed from the former ODM leader, the late Raila Odinga, where his close allies were absorbed in counties in which ODM won the gubernatorial race.

Control in the National Houses

Gachagua is an admirer and a student of the Raila school of politics and is keenly implementing his script episode by episode.

Gachagua already has his eyes either on controlling the opposition and being able to negotiate with the government of the day, or controlling the government by virtue of the number of MPs and Senators in the Houses.

A Mau Mau or Home Guard descendant

The Kikuyu Home Guard was a colonial-era paramilitary force formed in 1953 by the British administration in Kenya to fight Mau Mau insurgents. Made up primarily of “loyalist” Kikuyu, it became a primary target of the Mau Mau and remains a deeply divisive and controversial aspect of the community’s history.

While the Mau Mau were the militant wing of a growing clamour for political representation and freedom in Kenya, Gachagua has always carried himself and boasted as being the descendant of the Mau Mau, the brave warrior from Mt Kenya.

Gachagua claimed there was a plot to assassinate him and instead remained locked in his Wamunyoro home.

“Since I was targeted for assassination then by this killer squad in church, I am apprehensive; probably Mr. Kipchumba Murkomen and DIG Lagat have instructed them to proceed to Wamunyoro and complete the job they failed to do in January. In whatever situation, God is in control,” he wrote.

Internal Security Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen claimed Gachagua was a coward who hides under the bed when others are out protesting.

“I know Gachagua is the father of violence in our country. I know he is a coward. That is why I know how to deal with him. Have you ever seen Gachagua go to any demos? Have you seen him in any protests? He sits back and sends people’s children. Ask him to try to come to the streets,” he said.

Home Guard mentality

Gachagua, as Deputy President, vowed to crush the protesters and even asked President William Ruto to assign him the duty of handling the Azimio la Umoja protesters led by the late Raila Amolo Odinga.

Gachagua, in his past speeches on demonstrations, said Mt Kenya people were known as wealth creators and not destructive.

“This region, nobody will be allowed to come and destroy property. We from Mt Kenya have never known the stupidity of killing people and destroying properties. It has never happened in this region. The people of Mt Kenya are progressive, businesspersons and farmers; they do not know about wealth destruction but wealth creation and protection. Let me say now, let’s see how it will unfold. No responsible government will allow such hooliganism witnessed in Nairobi. You said demonstrations are your right. Is destruction of properties a right? What right are you fighting for? That is why we told Uhuru Kenyatta to his face: we cannot elect that person. We know him that he is the lord of violence and impunity in the Republic of Kenya. I told Uhuru Kenyatta this man is the problem of this country. I am going to call a meeting for the leaders of Mt Kenya region on how to deal with these characters now,” he said then.

Survivor

Gachagua denied claims that he was a coward, saying he was only protecting his people.

“Some people have labelled me a coward. ‘Why can’t Gachagua join the demos?’ I am not a coward. Everyone knows. I am a leader who cares for his people. I can’t take my people to die; I would be stupid. I cannot accept to allow destruction of properties of my people; I would be stupid. We have the opportunity to remove President William Ruto through the ballot. If we die, how will we remove him?” he said.

A pretender

The CS labelled Gachagua as a false pretender to the throne, who claimed to have taken over the leadership from the late Raila Odinga while he hides in his bedroom when others were on the streets.

“He is pretending that he has taken over and he is like Tinga, the late Raila Amolo Odinga. You cannot be Tinga,” he said.

Murkomen said Gachagua was not comparable to Raila, who at 80 braved teargas while the former DP hid in his home.

“Tinga at 80 years was on the forefront leading despite being teargassed. You have not left your house. You went to hide under the bed, and you ask your wife, Mama Dorcas, to look outside if it is safe. What kind of a man are you?” he said.

For Gachagua, any side of the bread is buttered for him, and the opposition may suffer Gachagua’s double-edged sword.