Jubilee behind political wars in Ukambani, Kalonzo Musyoka says

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has finally spoken out on the ongoing political warfare in the lower Eastern region.

Kalonzo's reign as Ukambani's political kingpin has of late been challenged by several politicians from the region.

The former vice president is now accusing the Jubilee administration, led by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, of instigating political turmoil in Ukambani, with a motive to upset his influence in the region.

In an exclusive interview with The Standard, Mr Musyoka turned his guns on the ruling coalition, accusing it of scheming to dwarf his influence through unorthodox means.

"These political wars you have been witnessing have been obviously engineered from State House, with the aim of destabilising the political orientation of the Kamba voting bloc, but we want to tell them that their attempts will fail miserably," he said.

Kalonzo urged the Kamba community to 'stay put' and resist any malicious attempts to scatter the region's political destiny through cheap propaganda.

He described President Kenyatta's frequent tours to Ukambani, and specifically Machakos County, as 'a clever scheme' to advance the narrative of development with a view to preparing the ground for Jubilee's penetration.

GAINING GRIP

The Wiper leader said Jubilee had resorted to divide and rule tactics after realising it was impossible to gain a grip on the region, which voted overwhelmingly for the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy.

His remarks come barely a week after a group of five MPs drawn from Machakos, Kitui and Makueni counties, while at a meeting in Athi River, urged Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua to 'take over' the region's mantle of political leadership.

The MPs who included Vincent Musyoka (Mwala), Rachael Nyamai (Kitui South) John Munuve (Mwingi North), Joe Mutambu (Mwingi Central) and Regina Ndambuki (Kilome), poked holes in Kalonzo's record of performance throughout his near three-decade political career.

Although Kalonzo declined to comment on his political relationship with Governor Mutua, he appeared to have a soft spot for suspended Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu.