Politics makes such strange bedfellows: Will the unions last?

A political supporter dances on top of a car during the Azimio la Umoja rally at Kamukunji Grounds in Nairobi on May 15, 2022. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

The old adage that politics make strange bedfellows is in full effect in the run-up to the elections, if what we are witnessing in the political scene is anything to go by.

Leaders who have in the past decade or so been perceived as political enemies have been brought together by different circumstances.

And the formation of two major political outfits, Kenya Kwanza and Azimio One Kenya, has given a rise to these “political marriages”.

The entrance of Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi into Kenya Kwanza has ruffled the feathers of Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa. Despite having cut their political teeth in Raila Odinga’s ODM party, the two went their separate ways.

But now they have found themselves on one side under the stewardship of Deputy President William Ruto.

However, Jumwa who is seeking to succeed Kingi as Kilifi governor is not amused by Kingi’s announcement that his Pamoja Africa Alliance (PAA) party will field candidates in all elective positions save for the presidency.

“It was agreed during a meeting that there would be no zoning in Kilifi. That only UDA, the mother party in the Kenya Kwanza coalition, would field candidates,” said Jumwa.

Her sentiments were in response to Kingi’s assertion that PAA had signed an MoU with Kenya Kwanza - and not UDA - where it was agreed that his party had a free hand to field candidates in Kilifi.

Jumwa claimed that as the initiator of the talks to bring Kingi onboard the Kenya Kwanza train, she was privy to the terms of the agreement, and nowhere was it stated that PAA would field candidates.

The tiff between the two is far from over and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

In Azimio One Kenya coalition, more than 20 parties have coalesced in search of victory. Their “scatter none and gather all” approach has, however, led to the party being a hotbed of strange political bedfellows.

In Kakamega, Lugari MP Ayub Savula has had to shelve his ambitions for governor in favour of  ODM’s Fernandes Barasa.

A deal between DAP-Kenya, ODM and Azimio’s top brass saw Savula step down for Barasa. Savula will be Barasa’s running mate in the Kakamega governor election.

This ticket, Savula believes, will ensure victory for Azimio.

Earlier, the Kenya Kwanza faction had managed to bring together two political rivals Boni Khalwale and Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala. Khalwale and Malala were in separate political camps and had each been campaigning to succeed Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya

Kwalwale, popularly known as the bullfighter, had made it his mission not to be upstaged by “his political junior” Malala in the governor race. And when Ruto came up with the proposition of a power-sharing agreement between the two, he thought it absurd.

Seize power

But spurred on by the need to seize power from ODM, Khalwale gave in and not only agreed to campaign for Malala but also settled for the Senate seat - a position he once held.

Announcing the truce Ruto said, “…this has come out of the spirit of give and take, sacrifice and clearly demonstrable leadership acumen of the two.”

In Mombasa, Wiper party was instrumental in reuniting two strange bedfellows; Mike Sonko, fresh from an impeachment, and Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo - who had already secured a ticket to fight for Mombasa governor’s seat.

Sonko, who enjoys a large following in Coast, and Mbogo have put up a spirited campaign to clinch the governorship and dim ODM’s influence in Mombasa. But the pairing of the two was not always Wiper’s plan.

Sonko’s entry meant that Mbogo – Wiper’s earlier preferred candidate- had to eat humble pie and make room for a “stranger”.

In Ukambani, two rivals Johnson Muthama and Governor Alfred Mutua are under the Kenya Kwanza alliance. Circumstances have forced them into one corner where they are supposed to work and deliver a Ruto presidency but their nine-year feud is already threatening to cause cracks.

A fortnight ago, Muthama gave Ruto’s rally in Tala, Machakos County, a wide berth, citing Mutua’s presence. Muthama would later explain that despite being born and raised in Tala, his no show was intentional given the “leadership problems with Mutua.”

Their feud began in 2013 when Mutua accused Muthama of plotting to end Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s political career, and undermining his political supremacy in Ukambani.

It would again play out in 2014 when Mutua, a first-time governor at the time, fired his deputy Bernard Kiala, a Muthama ally, accusing him of failure to discharge his duties.

All eyes are now on the duo whose rivalry could complicate matters in the Kenya Kwanza coalition, given their various positions and interests. 

Back in Nairobi, the Polycarp Igathe and Philip Kaloki ticket for the governorship under Azimio was not in the offing until recently.

Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja and Bishop Margaret Wanjiru’s stay at UDA has also been nothing short of confrontational.

Before the intervention of Deputy President William Ruto, the two had locked horns over the governor seat which they equally claimed to be suited for. Sakaja’s argument was premised on the fact that as the incumbent senator, the only way for him to go was up while Wanjiru held that she had the numbers to guarantee a resounding victory.

A deal struck between the two however saw Wanjiru cede ground in favour of Sakaja and is now seeking the Senate seat.

Shelve ambitions

Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi, too, had to shelve his ambitions thanks to coalition politics. Despite getting Raila Odinga’s endorsement to vie for Nairobi governorship, the ticket was yanked right from him in favour of Polycarp Igathe thanks to Azimio politics.

Wanyonyi is now working hand in hand with Igathe. In a bid to forestall a fallout, ODM cleared Wanyonyi to vie for the Westlands MP seat for a third time. ​

Prof Philip Kaloki, a governance expert, was to initially to deputise businessman Richard Ngatia. High-level talks involving President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, saw the Jubilee ticket given to corporate executive Polycarp Igathe.

Complicating matters is Kalonzo’s recent announcement that he had severed ties with Azimio.

Speaking to The Sunday Standard, Prof Kaloki, however, said he was unrelenting in his quest for governorship.

“I am still campaigning with Igathe and Wiper is aware of my political activities. Wiper is still in Azimio and the process of exiting is quite long,” he stated.

Political analyst Tom Mboya says political interests usually drive antagonists to join forces for a common cause. In instances where two parties vehemently loath each other, he adds, it is usually due to personal reasons.

“Politicians are always able to find a way to agree and work together because politics is a game of interests. Some of the people you see in Azimio and Kenya Kwanza were once opposed to their leaders but are now their ardent supporters,” said Mboya.