Ukambani leaders read mischief in Mutuse motion

 Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse tabled the impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on October 1, 2024 in the National Assembly. [File, Standard]

The tabling of the impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse has ignited a political storm in Ukambani.

The first-term MP has come under a barrage of criticism from Ukambani residents, particularly on social media, as well as from some local leaders. Many believe he is being used as a pawn in a political chess game by powerful figures intent on removing the Deputy President from office.

One of the first leaders to criticise Mutuse was Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, who is also the Wiper Party vice chairman. In a WhatsApp post that quickly drew the MP’s ire, the governor questioned why Mutuse had moved the motion.

“Why pick a Kamba to move this motion? Where are all the Kiambu noisemakers?” Mutula Jnr asked, suggesting that the MP was being manipulated. However, Mutuse responded fiercely, insisting that he had acted independently and had worked on the motion “conscientiously”.

“I was not picked to present the motion. This is my motion. What problem do you have with me or any other Kamba taking the lead on a national issue? Must we always be followers? I’m not a coward,” an agitated Mutuse retorted.

However, the first-term MP appears to have struck a nerve with the Wiper Party, whose secretary-general Shakila Abdalla clarified that Mutuse is a member of the Maendeleo Chap Chap party. The statement reiterated that Wiper was strongly opposed to the impeachment of the Deputy President.

“This distinction is important in understanding the  political alignments and affiliations in Kenya,” read part of the statement.

For political observers, this swift response from Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Party—which commands significant influence in Ukambani—was seen as an attempt to counter the perceived political mischief by Mutuse when he took to the floor of the House to move the motion.

When it came time to read the names of those who had signed the motion, Mutuse appeared particularly enthusiastic in announcing the three Wiper members who had supported it. He read their names loudly, along with their party affiliations and constituencies, seemingly trying to imply that the Wiper Party backed the motion.

The Wiper members who signed the impeachment motion against the party’s official stance include Patrick Makau (Mavoko), Robert Basil (Yatta), and Charles Nguna (Mwingi West).

MPs Makau and Nguna later explained that their support for the Gachagua ouster motion was motivated by personal grievances, citing poor treatment by the Deputy President when they approached him to address issues in their constituencies.

Political analysts from the Ukambani region now believe that these developments hint at a larger political strategy at play, aimed at the 2027 presidential election.

The recent camaraderie between Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and the embattled Gachagua, who enjoys support in Central Kenya, has raised eyebrows. Some of Kalonzo’s allies suspect that Mutuse’s role in the impeachment motion is intended to drive a wedge between the two.