Ruto faces Mt Kenya as he crafts his 2027 political strategy

President William Ruto during the commissioning of Chemususu Water Supply Project at Muserech in Eldama Ravine on August 2,2024. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

President William Ruto is expected to visit Mt Kenya region for a three-day tour at a time his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua continues to cry foul over supposed humiliation from the president's aides.

The visit will start in Embu (Wednesday), Murang'a (Friday) and Kirinyaga on Saturday

While efforts to get the president's itinerary from State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed did not bear fruit, elected leaders from Mt Kenya region confirmed that the president will be visiting the region on a ‘developmental tour.’  

“We have been briefed that the Head of State will be visiting our region for development tours because those who should be assisting him have abandoned him to focus on their private affairs,” Murang'a Women Representative Betty Maina told The Standard on the phone.

The visit comes at a time when there are claims of a plot to impeach Gachagua, with analysts saying Ruto could be seeking to test the waters on how his deputy has been able to pacify his region.

On Sunday, the Deputy President who addressed the region on vernacular stations painted a picture of a targeted community by the Kenya Kwanza administration. He said the devious plan started with humiliating him labelling him a tribal bigot yet he has been pushing the interests of his community.

“Prof Stephen Kiama University of Nairobi a man with a reputable character having done many academic writings around the world is being targeted. When I ask I’m labelled tribal.  82 acres, belonging to the widow of former Minister Arthur Magugu have been stolen and everybody knows the land belonged to him. When I call the DCI, they accuse me of blackmail,” Gachagua said.

Gachagua has claimed “11 officers were illegally fired from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) while an additional 13 officers from NIS faced the sack, my war against illicit brew has been frustrated and this is an affront to my community.”

When the President visits Mt Kenya region, he will be expected to meet face-to-face with the realities on the ground, especially after his allied MPs' popularity has been dwindling for supporting the impugned Finance Bill 2024.

According to Albert Kasembeli, a communication expert and political analyst, the president’s visit could be geared to the extent at which his deputy has galvanised his region.

“The way the president has been behaving around his deputy, their body language says they are not in sync and given that Gachagua has been galvanizing his region, it would interest Ruto to understand the level at which his deputy has united the region,” posed Kasembeli.

The visit also comes on the backdrop of Ruto’s Cabinet appointments, where the region produced eight nominees majority of whom are technocrats, except for Interior's Prof Kithure Kindiki Lands' Alice Wahome and Public Service Justin Muturi.

It is felt that the technocrats may not articulate policy as politicians can. From the opposition Ruto handed powerful dockets such as the National Treasury, Energy and Petroleum and the Cooperatives and MSMEs which domiciles the Hustler Fund, a key component of Ruto's political animals, John Mbadi, Opiyo Wandayi and Wycliffe Oparanya.

The nominees will lead the dockets as they maintain political relevance and influence in Nyanza and Western region.

Ruto has also picked three political supremos from Coast to be members of his Cabinet in a strategic move that will boost his re-election in 2027 as they will articulate the government agenda and defend its policies unlike the technocrats from Mt Kenya who are largely apolitical.

The Cabinet nominees from Mt Kenya region with no political affiliation and influence include Adrew Mwihia (Agriculture) Rebecca Miano (Tourism and Wildlife) Eric Muga (Water, Sanitation and Irrigation) Dr Margaret Ndungu (Communication and the Digital Economy).

The political bigwigs and former governors Hassan Joho (Mombasa) Salim Mvurya (Kwale) and Amason Kingi (Kilifi) are right at the bargaining table of the Kenya Kwanza administration.

Ali Hassan Joho, nominee for the position of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs CS before the Committee on Appointments at the Mini Chambers, County Hall, Nairobi. August 4th,2024 [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Joho, one of Raila Odinga’s deputy party leaders, was picked by the president as his Cabinet nominee to succeed Mvurya in the Mining and Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs docket while Mvurya was proposed to head the Investment, Trade and Industry.

The East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) Mp Hassan Omar who is also the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Vice-Chairperson, added another title of UDA Secretary General.

The Secretary General of a political party is a senior official with responsibility for organizational and daily political work.  In most parties, the SG is second in rank to the party leader.

According to the UDA constitution, the secretary general is the party’s spokesperson and manager, reporting to various party organs. He calls meetings, supervises policies and programs, writes and presents reports, and keeps track of the party’s activities.

He is also responsible for the party’s finances, seal, legal documents, nomination certificates, and communication, as well as any other duties delegated to him by the party constitution or the National Executive Council (NEC).

He serves as a secretary to the National Delegates Council (NDC), National Governing Council (NGC), and NEC, implementing their decisions while also performing the duties and functions expected of a political party secretary-general.

Kingi, the Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) party leader on the other hand, is the other hand is the Senate Speaker heading the House that serves to protect the interests of the counties. It determines allocation of national revenue among counties, as provided in Article 217 of the Constitution and exercises oversight over national revenue allocated to county governments.

Joho, Kingi and Mvurya served their two terms as governors under ODM giving them the much needed influence to drive Coast politics while Omar served as Mombasa’s first Senator under Wiper party.

Lamu Governor Issa Timammy who succeeded Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cs Musalia Mudavadi as the party leader of the Amani National Congress (ANC is also at the heart of government as ANC is among the Kenya Kwanza affiliate parties.

Timamy recently accompanied the President in State House where the leaders resolved to merge both the UDA and ANC.

In a rare show of solidarity the Kenya Kwanza administration, the ODM leaders led by Kwale Senator Issa Juma Boy, Kwale Woman Rep Fatuma Masito, Nominated Senator Hamida Kibwana, MPs Rashid Bedzimba (Kisauni), Badi Twalib (Jomvu), Ken Chonga (Kilifi South), Masoud Machele (Mvita) and George Aladwa (Makadara) thanked the president for nominating Joho to the Cabinet.

Twalib hailed President Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga for agreeing to put the interests of Kenyans first for the sake of stability in the country.

The Coast leaders said they are ready to work together regardless of party affiliation to ensure the government delivers for the people.

“We would like to thank President William Ruto for supporting Azimio coalition leader Raila Odinga’s quest to be the next Africa Union Commission Chairman and for nominating Hassan Joho as Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs,” said Twalib.

In a strategy aimed at seeking to inherit Raila’s stronghold, the Head of State who was in a developmental tour at the Coast on July 27, tasked Kingi, Joho and Mvurya to help solve land issues in the region announcing that he had set aside Sh1 billion to facilitate the process.

“I want to give three leaders an assignment. We made an agreement with the coastal people that we are going to solve the land issue. Now this year we have set aside Sh1 billion to seek out the issue of absentee landlords),” Ruto said.

The move by the president to tap coastal leaders into his government, according to pundits, is a political game plan aimed at convincing the region to back his re-election bid following the stubbornness of Mt Kenya region, a key player to his 2022 Presidential bid.

“Mt Kenya region seems to be very cagey and that is why he seems to be looking for political partners in other regions. It should not be lost that the region is divided between him and his deputy and this could be what informed the president to start planning early,” Dr Charles Nganga senior lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology said.

According to Dr Nganga by selecting politicians from Nyanza Western into his Cabinet, the president was also courting the regions for political purposes.