William Kabogo: I have moved on from Kenya Kwanza 'sibling rivalry'

Screengrab of former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo. [Ktn News]

Former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo says he has moved on from the Kenya Kwanza ‘sibling rivalry’ days after complaining of being sidelined by the coalition, especially in the Mount Kenya region.

Kabogo’s Tujibebe Party and Moses Kuria’s Chama Cha Kazi had co-authored a letter to the coalition’s principals requesting a meeting to chart the way forward.

“I have moved on as the party leader of Tujibebe. I have not spoken to Chama Cha Kazi’s Moses Kuria in the last two days. I don’t know his moves. We imagined it would go smoothly,” Kabogo revealed.

In an exclusive interview with Ken Mijungu on KTN News on Wednesday night, the former county boss disclosed that their letter has not been responded to by the coalition.

“We did not get the meeting. I don’t know what happened after our secretary generals wrote to them. There is no response. We haven’t heard from them,” Kabogo said. “There were speculations that we were to meet on Monday or Tuesday but we have not been invited to any meeting.”

Kabogo, who is the pioneer governor of Kiambu County, expressed optimism about the success of his governorship bid, and hinted at distancing himself from the two major coalitions, Azimio la Umoja and Kenya Kwanza, ahead of the August polls.

“Life has to go on. I am now focusing on my campaign for Kiambu Governor. There are several presidential candidates and some of these things are a blessing in disguise. I was in Githurai today, I asked them to vote for their preferred candidate but vote me in as the governor,” said Kabogo.

He added, “As small parties in Mount Kenya Region, we are not included in the planning of campaign activities. The campaigns also drum support for UDA only. Even the Deputy President-designate campaigns for UDA, and not the Kenya Kwanza coalition. I am not surprised because I know most politicians in Kenya are deceits. They see others' mistakes, not themselves. People talked to me about joining this coalition but I insisted. It was a coalition of convenience.”

Kabogo went on to urge the electorate to elect qualified leaders as opposed to giving dominance to some political parties over others.

“I want to tell people to be careful with what they do with their votes. The big parties have a lineup, what if they win all through? There is a plan for big parties to take over counties. So please, localise the politics of your counties. Take control of your county,” he warned.

The rift in Kenya Kwanza came to the fore last Wednesday after a heated exchange between the former governor and Kiambu Senator and gubernatorial candidate, Kimani Wa Matangi.

A day later, Kuria and Kabogo’s parties wrote to Kenya Kwanza principals seeking an audience for dialogue.