Ruto's army keeps Kalonzo's troops busy in his Ukambani backyard

Wiper Patriotic Front Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka addresses residents of Nambale town, Busia County. [Dennish Ochieng, Standard]

President William Ruto appears to be leaving nothing to chance as he strives to frustrate Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s political grip on the lower Eastern region.

Alive to the fact that Kalonzo stands a good chance of being named the united opposition’s single presidential candidate to face him at the ballot in next year’s general election, President Ruto has not only identified, but has also equipped and unleashed a lean but lethal battalion of foot soldiers who appear to be effectively disorienting Wiper party dominance in Ukambani.

Through what appears to be a meticulous strategic plan to diffuse the residents’ suicidal allegiance to the umbrella party, and unqualified loyalty to the region’s undisputed kingpin, the president’s dogs of war appear to be making a positive advancement into the opponent’s territory by deploying an incredibly vigorous campaign laced with visible development projects, cash and a promise for better days to come.

Considered widely as Kalonzo’s political bedrock, Ukambani appears to be slowly ceding some significant ground to Ruto’s conquest spearheaded by infatigable ground troops fearlessly brandishing the two finger sign signifying endorsement of Ruto’s second term in office.

To actualize his grand plan, Ruto has undoubtedly identified Kalonzo as his most formidable threat to his re-election. Harkening his unmatched political instincts to smell the opposition’s options for the single presidential flag bearer to challenge his second-term bid, Ruto has descended on Kalonzo with a mission to not only disrupt his political grip of Ukambani, but also ensure he (the president) secures substantial votes from the region come next year.

According to the latest voter registration figures available for the 2027 election cycle, the lower Eastern region comprising the three counties of Machakos, Kitui and Makueni has an estimated 1.92 million votes with Machakos leading the pack with 784,702 votes followed by Kitui’s 605,703 and Makueni with 529,993.

The figure could jump to nearly 2.7 million if diaspora votes are factored. It is from that chunk that Ruto plans to snatch a significant percentage of votes in 2027.

 

Initially, Ruto’s political incursion of Ukambani was assigned to Public Service and Human Development Cabinet Secretary, Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku, who vigorously combed through the three counties distributing food aid and preaching the two-term gospel.

Ruku later held major town hall meetings with representatives drawn from the Akamba Clans Governing Council of Elders across the three counties where he persuaded the Akamba community to rally behind Ruto’s re-election.

As that happened, the President was assembling a major political assault on Kalonzo’s dominance in Ukambani.

The simultaneous political assault forces deployed in the three counties is spearheaded by Mwala MP Vincent Kawaya, who is also the UDA party’s national organizing secretary.

Serving his third term as Mwala MP, Kawaya is a hardened Ruto diehard whose political survival in the Wiper jungle is marked by his defiance of Kalonzo.

Kawaya is also actively leading the ground troops in Machakos County backed by Machakos Town MP Caleb Mule, who is currently serving his first term.

The team also features MPs Fabian Kyule (Kangundo), Joshua Mwalyo (Masinga) and Robert Basil (Yatta). Basil was elected on a Wiper ticket but has since decamped to UDA.

The team has repeatedly held endless ‘empowerment’ forums across all constituencies in Machakos where bare knuckle politics have played out.

“The two-term wave is sweeping across the region. The political tide is shifting as the people demand a new chapter of leadership, empowerment and development. The old political order is facing a new reality,” Kawaya said during a recent empowerment drive in Kathiani constituency.

Kawaya has been rigorously persuading Ukambani residents to abandon what he calls “political slavery” and blind loyalty to Kalonzo and instead embrace leadership that offers practical solutions to modern day challenges.

“In barely four years, Ukambani region has experienced exponential transformation through infrastructure, markets, coffee reforms and affordable fertilizer. This is the difference between Ruto’s administration and those who remain in the opposition without offering solutions,” Kawaya said.

Kawaya has said he holds no grudge against Kalonzo, what he doesn’t like is his calibre of politics. About the presidency, Kawaya says the community should focus on the person that is working for Kenyans.

Ruto’s proponents are emboldened by numerous roads currently being tarmacked by the National Government across the region. The state has launched roads construction in literally every constituency represented by a Ruto allied MP.

Cash hand-outs have been intensified during the so-called mama mboga empowerment forums which have been taking place at least every week at ward and constituency level.

Such activities have awakened Kalonzo’s political gatekeepers in Machakos, led by Governor Wavinya Ndeti, her deputy Francis Mwangangi and MPs Stephen Mule (Matungulu) and Robert Mbui (Kathiani) who have been forced to retreat to the drawing table.

Wavinya, a fierce defender of the Wiper party leader, has vowed she will not allow ‘enemies’ to spoil the party for Kalonzo under her watch.

“As a community, we cannot afford drop our own son (Kalonzo) and vote for a stranger who has been using some wayward leaders to divide the community. All Kambas must rally behind Kalonzo and vote for him to the last man,” Wavinya said.

Wavinya is also not sitting pretty with the emergence of former State House chief of Staff, Nzioka Waita, whose hand-shake with Ruto signaled his candidature for the Machakos County gubernatorial seat.

She has unleashed her deputy, Mwangangi, to deal with Waita politically through demonizing his political vehicle, the UDA party which they want considered a taboo in Ukambani.

In Makueni County, first-time MP Mwengi Mutuse (Kiwezi West), who shot to fame after sponsoring the controversial impeachment Motion against former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, is leading Ruto’s two-term campaign and at the same time, dismantling Kalonzo’s fanatic following among Makueni residents.

Mutuse leads senior civil servants in Ruto’s administration who are eyeing elective positions within Makueni County.

They include Principal Secretary, State Department for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Terry Mbaika, who is eyeing the Kaiti parliamentary seat, and head of the National AIDS and STI Control Program (NASCOP) Dr Andrew Mulwa, who is seeking the Senate seat currently held by Daniel Maanzo, Kalonzo’s point man in Makueni.

Like their Machakos counterparts, Mutuse and his team have pitched camp in Makueni, selling and profiling Ruto as the most progressive president who ever served in the country’s history, insisting he will be re-elected in 2027.

“I heard Kalonzo say that he would look for Ruto. I respectfully urge him not to wait to be defeated in the ballot in order to open talks with Ruto because defeat is inevitable. Look for him now and join the government early enough,” said Mutuse.

Among the huge projects lobbied by Mutuse is the completion of Thwake Multipurpose Dam whose construction had stalled, and the ongoing tarmacking of Emali-Ukia road, a key transit corridor connecting the fruit growing regions of the vast county to Mombasa road.

To tame Mutuse’s overtures in Makueni, Kalonzo is banking on Senator Daniel Maanzo, outspoken nominated MCA Urbanus Wambua, and Makueni County Assembly Speaker, Douglas Mbilo who have been on the forefront in neutralizing opposition’s inroads into the county.

“Mutuse has been walking around dishing out millions of shillings yet we all know his salary as MP. What is the source of his money? We demand of those young men to stop contradicting Kalonzo because they are not his age mates,” Speaker Mbilo told Mutuse in a recent public forum.

In Kalonzo’s Kitui backyard, fiery Kitui East MP, Nimrod Mbai, his Kitui South counterpart, Rachael Nyamai and Mwingi West legislator Charles Nguna have been holding brief for President Ruto.

Mbai, known for his mafia-style politics has mutated into one of the fiercest defenders of President Ruto in Ukambani. On several occasions, he has dismissed Kalonzo’s long tenure in public leadership as only beneficial to himself and his immediate family.

Former Kitui governor, Charity Ngilu, who is seeking a political comeback to the same position, has emerged as a staunch supporter of Kalonzo.

The firebrand politician, who is known to harbor unkind words for Ruto and his followers, has stirred the local political scene, considering Kalonzo’s trusted lieutenants, Senator Enoch Wambua, County MP Irene Kasalu and Kitui Central MP, Makali Mulu have declared interest in succeeding Governor Julius Malombe, who is set to exit in 2027.

Political analyst Titus Juma argues that Ruto’s inroads in Ukambani will not yield much in draining Kalonzo’s political stamina to seek the country’s top seat.

“Ruto’s political incursions will not disrupt Kalonzo’s focus on the presidency. Kalonzo is unlikely to abandon his presidential campaigns to respond to Ruto’s agents in his backyard,” Juma told The Sunday Standard in an interview.

However, a policy analyst, Bramwel Rotich, pointed out that Kalonzo was already feeling the heat from Ruto’s activities in Ukambani. “Ruto is not merely campaigning with promises. He is initiating transformative development programs that other leaders did not do in Ukambani. That is why Kalonzo has been oscillating in Machakos, Kitui and Makueni,” he said.