Sagana: Uhuru goes flat out to reclaim place in Mt Kenya affairs

President Uhuru Kenyatta when he met with over 7000 leaders from Mt Kenya at Sagana State Lodge during the popularisation of the BBI. 

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s much-anticipated meeting at the Sagana State Lodge will be the first political engagement in the region after announcing he is ready to play an active role in his succession.

He is expected to “spill the beans” on why he fell out with his deputy William Ruto and why he believes the DP should not be entrusted with leadership after working with him for two terms.

The meeting planned for early this week, according to pro-government leaders, will change the geopolitics of the region as Uhuru seeks to stamp his political influence. Last year, he said anyone who wants to visit the region should go through him.

Kangema MP Muturi Kigano acknowledged that while the President’s long absence from his backyard had given Ruto political muscle, the political equation they have been grappling with will be settled once and for all by Uhuru’s visit.

He said Uhuru’s place in local politics will be reinstated since he will have all the time to debunk the propaganda that Ruto is the region’s kingpin. He is expected to touch on the government’s commitment to developments projects in the region. Uhuru has faced accusations that he neglected Mt Kenya region during his presidency.  

“He will tell the people the truth. He will share with them his personal commitments to development projects initiated in Mt Kenya and demonstrate how Ruto could not offer him the support he needed. That will be the end of Tanga Tanga in the region,” Kigano added.

Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu claimed Ruto’s camp did not anticipate that the President would participate in his succession and that his decision to campaign for his desired candidate has caught them pants down.

“That explains why they are running up and down in Mt Kenya ahead of Uhuru’s visit. What they don’t know is that Uhuru never buys fear and never rushes politically. They are desperate because they have all along lied to the Mt Kenya electorate that the relationship between Uhuru and and Ruto was intact,” Wambugu added.

He says before Uhuru’s visit, the rebranded Jubilee Party conducted 25 grassroots meetings while the President met elected leaders and the youth at State House. The MP says Sagana Three will be the climax of meetings and the beginning of Uhuru’s political tours in Mt Kenya.

Town Hall meetings

As Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza partners have been wooing the region, the Jubilee remnants have been trying to revive the ailing party by holding town hall meetings at the constituency level.

On Friday, MPs Kanini Kega led a battalion of Jubilee MPs to activate the party in Kieni while in Othaya, Gichuki Mugambi hosted supporters and urged them to support the party.

In Muranga, MPs Nduati Ngug (Gatanga) Muturi Kigano (Kangema) and Peter Kimari of Mathioya joined former presidential candidate Peter Kenneth in bid to restore Jubilee’s lost glory in the region.

Wambugu, who started the Kieleweke movement to counter Ruto’s Tanga Tanga, says by the time Uhuru is done crisscrossing Mt Kenya region, UDA will be a shell and that it will not garner even a single MP. Other than Jubilee lieutenants who have been supporting the President and his handshake partner Raila Odinga, defectors are expected to join the President’s camp and give it the much-needed boost. 

They include Githunguri MP Kago Wa Lydia and Kirinyaga Women Rep Wangui Ngirici, who have since dictched Ruto’s UDA. 

Mathioya said they are waiting for the meeting with baited breath and hopes it will be a game-changer in Mt Kenya politics as it will solidify Uhuru’s grip.

He said the region will be united and for the first time, Uhuru will publicly and on the record explain why he chose Raila over Ruto.

The meetings by the Jubilee party are as a result of realisation that Ruto’s popularity in Mt Kenya region is growing. The DP has been making forays since 2013 when he started visiting the region in the name of launching projects and attending church fundraisers.

Muranga Women Rep Sabina Chege says Ruto is popular in Mt Kenya because he started campaigning earlier than Raila. She says Raila should increase his interactions with the region. 

“It is no doubt that Ruto is the popular due to the obvious reason that he has always been in the region for the past nine years,” she says.

“For Raila, the region has been a no go zone but, at the moment, the conversation has changed. In every five people, three are for Ruto and two are for Raila. Ruto can’t gain any additional votes while Raila can’t lose any vote but can gain. It depends on how he (Raila) approaches those who are not yet decided and how Ruto will sustain his support,” Chege says.

Full control

Sources within Jubilee have confided in The Sunday Standard that Uhuru is determined to regain control of Mt Kenya region. “Ruto seems to control Mt Kenya and Rift Valley. Basically, this is a battle between Uhuru and Ruto and not Raila as many would think,” an elected leader who did not wish to be named said. But as Uhuru plans to revive his political fortunes in the region that voted for him overwhelmingly, Ruto’s team is awake and has been making inroads in Mt Kenya counties preceding the Sagana meeting. On Monday, Ruto and his brigade camped at Brookridge Gardens in Nyeri where Raila met various stakeholders two months ago. Ruto’s supporters dared Uhuru to campaign for Raila in the region.

Ruto and his allies have warned the President not to force Mt Kenya region into backing Raila. Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua cautioned Uhuru to avoid succession politics and to follow the footsteps of former President Mwai Kibaki, who kept off succession politics.

“When he comes to force us to vote for Raila, we will disagree with him. Let him visit the region and launch development projects. That way, we shall respect him,” Gachagua said.

He urged the electorate to consider backing Ruto in August 9 polls since he has visited the county countless times, unlike Raila who has been to the region only a few times. Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, who signalled his interest in joining UDA, said only Ruto is capable of ensuring continuity to projects initiated by the Jubilee administration.

“Ruto had stood with Uhuru for a very long time and it’s only fair for him to reciprocate. Bring back the Nakuru declaration of yangu kumi ya Ruto kumi,” the governor added.

On Wednesday, Ruto and his troops traversed parts of Muranga South which includes Kandara, Gatanga and Maragua where he welcomed area MP Mary Waithira Wamaua to his party.

They visited Kirinyaga on Thursday and on Friday, they headed to Kiambu which is home to President Kenyatta.

Political analyst Gitire Naituri believes while many may think Uhuru is chasing a wild goose while refusing to retire silently, he could be seeing beyond elections and could be seeking to control Parliament regardless of who will be the President. “What if Uhuru’s game plan is to control Parliament and if possible executive? He might want to populate Parliament with his own lieutenants through multiple regional or county-based political parties he is sponsoring,” Naituri said. If Raila wins, Naituri says, he will have a few loyal MPs. This means Uhuru MPs will take leadership roles in Parliament which would be the same case if Ruto will also win.

Political analyst Joshua Githinji says the President may deliver about 30 per cent of the region’s votes to Raila but MPs who will vie using Azimio may not be re-elected due to Raila phobia created in the region.

Githinji says over the years, local leaders have presented Raila as an enemy of the region and apart from the ardent supporters of the President who may constitute to 30 per cent, the votes may not be enough to see Azimio candidates win elective positions.

“Uhuru himself made it clear that he would campaign for Ruto and urged Raila to wait until 2032 and the videos are there to authenticate. He together with his foot soldiers made Raila look like the worst politician in the world and this is why any leader close to him may be in for a rude shock,” Githinji said.

But Jubilee Party vice-chairman David Murathe sees it different. He says once Uhuru steps in the region, the Mandela moment will be activated.

“In the next few months, Azimio will be the strongest camp and the processes are currently going on. Once Uhuru hits the ground, the ‘yellow fever’ in Mt Kenya will be swept away and the red color will reign,” Murathe said.