Elite Ukambani team to champion Uhuru re-election bid

Top professionals and businessmen from Ukambani have been roped in to lead President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election campaign and woo the critical Kamba constituency.

The Jubilee Party strategy is to get respected high ranking professionals and prominent business leaders to rally behind President Kenyatta’s bid for a second term.

In the 2013 presidential contest, Mr Kenyatta garnered 89,064 votes in the region against Cord’s 768,025 votes.

Jubilee Party has identified prominent figures from the three counties of Kitui, Machakos and Makueni to bolster campaigns by elected MPs in a region dominated by the Wiper Party.

The approach appears to have been informed by the realisation of the difficulties Jubilee MPs are likely to face in the opposition stronghold and Jubilee has opted to reach out to respected community leaders to make inroads.

Among those picked to spearhead the Jubilee campaign are billionaire businessman Peter Muthoka and retired military chief General Jeremiah Kianga.

During President Kenyatta’s tour of Ukambani in the past week, Mr Muthoka was introduced to “greet the people” at rallies in Mutomo, Kibwezi and Makindu towns, a privilege not accorded to most MPs.

Mr Muthoka, the chairman and CEO of international freight firm Acceler Global Logistics, is from Machakos County and is one of the most prominent business figures from the wider Ukambani region.

BATTLE AHEAD
Mr Muthoka accompanied Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto in their two-day tour.

He said he had agreed to work with the President to deliver development in the region.

“We’ve agreed to bring our people together and fast-track development in Ukambani,” he said in his brief address at Africa Inland Church, Kibwezi Girls Secondary School.

The businessman was nominated by community elders in Machakos to represent them and serve as a bridge to State House for the community.

In the 2013 elections, former Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu led Jubilee’s campaigns in the region.

But now, first-time MPs like Rachel Nyamai (Kitui South), Kisoi Munyao (Mbooni), Joe Mutambu (Mwingi Central) and Francis Mwangangi (Yatta) are in charge.

According to Dr Joshua Kivuva, a political science lecturer at the University of Nairobi, the new faces will help the President’s troops on the ground, but they will have to fight perception problems.

Wiper Party still enjoys vast support in Ukambani. Those who defected from the party to join Jubilee will have to contend with accusations of desertion, Dr Kivuva said.

The strategy also attempts to weaken the grip of former Vice President and Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, since the entire team comprises close allies instrumental in his 2007 presidential bid.

Some of the new faces were paraded at public rallies by the President and his deputy, Mr William Ruto, during their recent tour of Ukambani.

In Kitui, the new faces in Jubilee include lawyer Paul Musili Wambua, who is the Chancellor of Embu University, and environmentalist and businessman Isaac Kalua.

GENERAL'S PLEDGE

Prof Wambua is a long time close ally and legal practice partner of Mr Musyoka.

However, after parting ways with Mr Musyoka in legal practice, Prof Wambua has been drifting towards Jubilee.

Dr Kalua has been on Mr Kenyatta’s side since his first presidential bid in 2002 and has been chairman of Kenya Water Towers Agency since the last days of President Kibaki’s rule.

He also ran for Kitui Central parliamentary seat on a Kanu ticket in 2002 but has since kept away from elective politics, concentrating on business and conservation work through his Green Africa Foundation.

Dr Kalua confirmed the existence of a team of top Kamba professionals and businessmen working to bolster Jubilee-leaning leaders and aspirants.

“The team is neutral and is removed from internal political competition because we are not interested in elective seats and, therefore, can advise objectively on the dynamics on the ground,” Dr Kalua told the Sunday Nation.

The other key player is Gen (Rtd) Kianga, who is also the chairman of Kenya Railways.

The soft spoken retired general, who also featured prominently in the presidential tour, is highly respected in Ukambani and is seen as a possible point man for Jubilee Party in Makueni.

During the Kibwezi rally, Gen (rtd) Kianga was endorsed by Jubilee MPs, led by Mwingi Central MP Joe Mutambu, as the man they would be seeking advice from on how to deliver the Kamba vote to Mr Kenyatta’s basket.

He pledged to help President Kenyatta get more votes.

Nairobi businessman Sam Muumbi from Makueni, who has vast interests in real estate and banking, is another big name on Jubilee’s side.

Mr Musyoka’s loyalists insist the defection of Wiper MPs to Jubilee was inconsequential with Kitui Rural MP Charles Nyamai saying the government had a constitutional obligation to develop the whole country