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.
