Khalwale emerges as Ruto's point man in western Kenya

Former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale is fast becoming Deputy President William Ruto’s point man in western, upstaging his previous allies.

The outspoken Ford Kenya deputy party leader has taken the front seat in Mr Ruto’s kitchen cabinet in the region and has mobilised a series of fund drives for boda-boda operators in Kakamega County.

In the last month, Mr Khalwale has rattled the political landscape with aggressive campaigns for Mr Ruto, complete with unusual displays of bravado.

A confident Dr Khalwale has said he will show the community the direction to take in the 2022 General Election.

“I’m confident that when the next government is formed, the Luhya will either clinch the presidency or the deputy presidency position,” he said.

REFERENDUM

Dr Khalwale’s moves in Mr Ruto’s direction have kicked off speculation about the Kakamega governor race.

The former senator appears to have curved out a niche for himself as a key player in the unfolding political campaign matrix, as Mr Ruto intensifies his forays in the western region and other parts of the country.

On October 6, Dr Khalwale represented Mr Ruto at a harambee in aid of Christ Church in Amalemba. Tellingly, he was with Faruk Kibet, Mr Ruto’s long-serving aide.

Other MPs at the function were Bishop Titus Khamala, Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo) and Didimus Barasa (Kimili).

At the event, the script was familiar — dismissal of the referendum call as a scheme by Opposition leader Raila Odinga to reinvent himself politically.

Intriguingly, Dr Khalwale said he decided to walk his friends into the ruling Jubilee Party because of the respect he has for Mr Ruto.

BULLFIGHTS

The comments came as a surprise given that during last year’s presidential campaigns, Mr Ruto made unsavoury remarks about Dr Khalwale, referring to him as a politician obsessed with bullfighting and with nothing meaningful to offer his community.

“It’s unfortunate that all Khalwale does is feed bulls on bhang and other drugs and then head to bullfighting contests. He is a leader without vision and has nothing meaningful to offer his community,” Mr Ruto said at a campaign rally at Makhokho Secondary School.

“Instead of wasting time in bullfights, Khalwale should buy dairy cows for his people as a source of income.”

The ex-senator decided to organise the contest at Malinya grounds during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s visit to Kakamega.

The President had planned to address a rally at the venue. Dr Khalwale’s plans saw security teams engage in a confrontation.

NEW ALLIES

President Kenyatta’s rally was delayed for close to three hours as villagers drove their bulls to the contest despite heavy police presence. He did not mince his words.

“Mwambie Khalwale asicheze na mimi kwa sababu nitanyorosha yeye (Tell Khalwale not to joke with me because I will deal with him).”

A year later, however, the “bullfighter” appears to be mellowing. “The Luhya supported [Opposition leader] Raila [Odinga] for 15 years but we have nothing to show for it. Time has come to make new friends, including the Kalenjin who are our neighbours, because we wasted time campaigning for Mr Odinga,” Dr Khalwale said.

Mr Kibet, who represented the DP at the church, said: “We have confidence in Khalwale because he is a focused leader, not a con man. We are ready to work with him so that he is part of the next government.”

With his activities, Dr Khalwale seems to be upstaging Mr Wangwe, Mr Barasa, Benjamin Washiali (Mumias East MP), Malulu Injendi (Malava) and Bernard Shinali (Ikolomani MP).

SUPPORT

The politicians have pledged to support Mr Ruto in 2022 despite backing the Luhya community’s production of a single candidate.

“We have resolved to back Ruto. He is our next-door neighbour so it would be a big mistake to abandon him,” Mr Barasa said when the DP toured Matungu Constituency on Friday.

Bishop Khamala joined them, saying his decision is purely to ensure those he represents benefit from the government’s development projects.

He posed, “The DP has bought buses for our secondary schools and contributed funds for construction of classrooms. How can we lock him out when he comes knocking at our doors for friendship?”