Kalonzo, Gachagua need wisdom or miracle

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka at a past function. [File, Standard]

President William Ruto has delivered another soft but hard political tackle on his critics by incorporating more ‘outsiders’ into his government.

Thursday’s shock decision to pick his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta’s allies for plum positions has sent various signals. Some observers say it’s a 2027 gimmick while others see it as a strategy to foster unity.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, who’ve become the face of the Opposition, have been outfoxed. They’re seeing political dust, and their critics asking for popcorns.

In Mbooni this week, Mr Gachagua announced he’s crafting a coalition with Mr Musyoka. He claims Mt Kenya owes Eastern a debt. It will be remembered how Mr Musyoka defended the impeached deputy president to the hilt in October when allies of Ruto and Parliament went for the jugular.

With Uhuru and Raila Odinga firmly in Kenya Kwanza, Mr Gachagua and Mr Musyoka must take extraordinary steps to secure their future. Certainly, Mr Gachagua won’t contest the presidency. It’s also an open secret that ‘mlima’ won’t field a candidate. This is why the truthful man’s best bet is Mr Musyoka.

While a day in politics is eternity, the two politicians must henceforth avoid wallowing in self-pity. Besides, they have to convince Kenyans that they’re driven not by emotions but reality and public interest. Their determination to defeat President Ruto in 2027 shouldn’t come across as a matter of sour grapes!

But perhaps it’s their past errors that could kill their alliance even before it’s formed.

In 2022, Mr Gachagua marshaled his region into Kenya Kwanza without a home-grown party. He dissed Uhuru and ruled through hubris. For Mr Musyoka, he used ‘panya’ routes into Mwai Kibaki’s power circles in 2008 when Kenya was hurting and burning. He literally became the ‘watermelon’ of the moment.

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As a supporter of political pluralism, this is my two-cents to Mr Gachagua and Mr Musyoka: Before inking a coalition, Mr Gachagua must come out and publicly apologise for the disdain he showed Azimio supporters soon after Kenya Kwanza triumphed in 2022.

Otherwise, he risks being remembered in ignominy. Basic wisdom laws dictate you own up to your mistakes.

Let the former DP say sorry for his phantasmal pugilism. Now that he is officially an outsider, what’s he waiting for to name the individuals he claimed caused state capture, planned to ‘overturn’ the people’s will, schemed to grab Galana and Kibiku land and inflated bank interest rates to benefit cartels?

For Mr Musyoka, has his ‘modus operandi’ since Kanu days changed? Support must be earned, not assumed. He should apologise to 2007 poll violence victims on whose blood he swam to vice presidency. His current obsession with terming Raila a betrayer and opposing Ruto’s every move – including the planned livestock vaccination – won’t work. He must rebrand to save us the fatigue.

Some say the Wiper leader doesn’t fit well in the evolving political landscape because he can’t sway the Gen-Z vote to his side against hopefuls like Fred Matiangi, Okiya Omtatah and George Natembeya. Now, Mr Muskoka must prove that he’s acceptable across all age sets and regions.

Until he smells the coffee and expands his grassroots support, the man from Tseikuru risks humiliation in 2027. His sycophants led by Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua must stop expecting Raila and Uhuru to endorse or spoon-feed their man. They must sell him pretty well in Nyanza, Rift and elsewhere outside Eastern knowing well that a combined force of Ruto, Uhuru and Raila is an all-time hard nut to crack.

Also, Mr Gachagua shouldn’t bank hopes on ‘sympathy’ votes. It will equally be risky for Mr Musyoka to rely on Jeremiah Kioni and Eugene Wamalwa since they’ll shift camps. In summary, 2027 is Ruto’s year of a bounty harvest unless Mr Gachagua and Mr Musyoka become wiser. With the latest appointments, their alliance is dead before arrival.

-The writer is a communications practitioner. X:@markoloo