Blue-eyed son of Mululu dynasty who survived Cabinet bloodbath

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi. He has served in the governments of presidents Moi, Kibaki and now Ruto. [File, Standard]

Legend has it that when influential minister Moses Mudamba Mudavadi died in 1989, the race in the family to succeed was fierce.

Some suggested one of his six vocal daughters as the best candidate, while others supported his son Musalia, who was then fresh from the University of Nairobi.

Eventually, the patriarchy card was thrown into the mix and Musalia prevailed over his sister, who some believed bore stronger traits from Mudamba.

Mudamba, commonly known as the King of Mululu, was arguably the most “generous and reachable” Luhya politician in Mulembe nation’s history.

This family battle has undeniably left an imprint on Musalia’s political career.

Critics often remark, “The sister could have done better,” especially when Musalia is unreachable or makes political missteps, such as his decision to withdraw from the 2002 presidential race despite favourable odds.

However, in times like these, when the country is walking a tightrope dealing with the Gen Z scare and their son is making headlines for retaining the PCS and Foreign Affairs CS roles, he is seen as the true heir of the Mululu throne.

“He appears to be getting favours from successive presidents, even prime ministers when he has no numbers to show for it,” says Prof Gitile Naituli, who has observed both father and son in politics.

But this smooth flow did not start recently. In 1989, when Musalia entered the political arena, vying unopposed for the Sabatia seat, senior Western Kenya politicians like Burudi Nabwera and Elijah Mwangale embraced him as one of their own, mentoring him through the early stages of his career.

President Daniel arap Moi, a close friend of Mudamba, recognized Musalia’s potential and, within two months, appointed him as Minister for Supplies and Marketing.

At just 29, Musalia became the youngest member of Moi’s Cabinet.

In January 1993, at the age of 33, Musalia ascended to the position of Minister of Finance, demonstrating his growing influence and capability.

In 2002, Moi appointed Musalia Vice President, a move widely seen as an attempt to garner support for Kanu’s presidential nominee, Uhuru Kenyatta, in Western Kenya.

Musalia would become the shortest-serving vice president in the country’s history.  He also lost his Sabatia parliamentary seat to Moses Akaranga.

Despite losing the Sabatia seat, turned down a nomination by Kanu.

In 2007, Musalia reclaimed his Sabatia parliamentary seat amid the country’s turmoil following the disputed presidential election.

He played a crucial role, as part of the ODM delegation, in the peace negotiations at Nairobi’s Serena Hotel, mediated by Kofi Annan, Benjamin Mkapa and Graca Machel.

The talks birthed the Grand Coalition Government for which Mudavadi was one of the two Deputy Prime Ministers, the other being Uhuru Kenyatta.

Marriage of convenience

His profile would slightly dim when he unsuccessfully vied for the presidency in 2013 but later rose as he joined Kalonzo Musyoka, Raila Odinga, and Moses Wetangula to form NASA in 2017. 

Prof Naituli attributes Musalia’s acceptability across political seasons to his non-confrontational personality, which makes him stand out, especially in times of crisis.

“Casual observers rate him as unprincipled because they choose to forget that he refused a nomination slot when he lost to little-known councillor Moses Akaranga in the 2002 parliamentary race and returned to the political front with a bang in 2007 in ODM,” he said.

“As things stand now in his government, Ruto can only sleep on Musalia’s shoulder without a doubt. I don’t think his deputy (Rigathi) can offer such warmth, especially since the President feels lonely and isolated because theirs was a marriage of convenience to win the 2022 elections and let other things take care of themselves.”

Martin Andati, a Nairobi-based analyst, does not believe Musalia’s long stay in political offices translates to anything to do with being blue-eyed.

“He is your average politician who has been lucky, strategic, and made blunders,” he said.

Alfred Mangula, a political commentator, sees Musalia as a good democrat who leveraged his father’s legacy.

“He may not be the most influential politician around, but you cannot afford to ignore him and the figure he has built especially in hours of crisis. Recall he was also open to folding ANC to support Ruto before Gen Z revolt happened.”

These attributes are arguably why Ruto could not ignore making Musalia a prominent face in his Cabinet.

Musalia also chairs the National Development Implementation Committee,  attended by all Principal Secretaries. While dissolving the Cabinet, Ruto said the ministries will be run by the PSs.

And this means that Musalia’s role was crucial in sustaining the smooth running of government in the absence of the Cabinet Secretaries.

Before Musalia’s dramatic shift of allegiance during the “earthquake” declaration, Ruto had dismissed him as a spent force.

Now, Musalia has turned into a key figure in Ruto’s administration.

“His political maneuvers have kept both allies and enemies guessing, cementing his place as a resilient and influential figure in Kenyan politics. It will be interesting to watch how far he gets with the Gen Z revolt that wants to get rid the old guard.”