Ex-Uhuru pointmen in Ukambani now rally behind Kalonzo

A group of leaders from Ukambani region who campaigned for the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2017 have endorsed Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s 2022 presidential bid.

The leaders include Kibwezi MP Patrick Musimba, Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai, Kitui South MP Rachael Nyamai and former MPs Kalembe Ndile (Kibwezi), Kisoi Munyao (Mbooni) and Philip Kaloki (Kibwezi).

Others are former Makueni Assembly Speaker Stephen Ngelu and former Makueni Majority Leader Francis Mutuku.

DEMOCRATIC SPACE

Most of the leaders had defected from Wiper ahead of the 2017 polls, citing shrinking democratic space in the party led by Mr Musyoka.

Mr Ngelu introduced Jubilee to the region when he contested and lost the Kibwezi East parliamentary seat in the 2013 General Election on a United Republican Party ticket.

He has become the face of a team of Ukambani politicians who aggressively supports Mr Musyoka.

Those who landed government posts after they lost their 2017 bids cited the enhanced working relationship between the President and Mr Musyoka as the motivation for their return to Mr Musyoka's fold.

“We have decided to work with Mr Musyoka because he is working with President Kenyatta. Their close working relationship has created cohesion in the country, including Ukambani, which has benefited from appointments in government agencies and development projects such as the ongoing Sh62 billion Thwake Dam and Konza City project,” Prof Kaloki said recently during a burial ceremony in Makindu.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

His sentiments have been echoed by Mr Munyao, who has linked the ongoing development projects in Ukambani to the enhanced working relationship between Mr Musyoka and President Kenyatta.

Mr Mbai, who was elected on a Jubilee ticket, is among the leaders who have become part of Mr Musyoka's entourage when he tours the region. He has endorsed the former Vice-President who has announced his 2022 State House bid.

The leaders are banking on their support of Mr Musyoka to rekindle their political careers, according to political analysts.

Aware that their close working relationship with Mr Musyoka may cause jitters among his close allies, Mr Ndile has called on Wiper loyalists not to panic. “We have not come to Wiper to assume leadership positions. We are here because we need to speak with one voice as a community,” he told a rally attended by Mr Musyoka at Mbuuni Primary School in Machakos recently.

FACTION

The combined team is expected to be more effective in taming a faction led by the three Ukambani governors who have been criticising Mr Musyoka.

The endorsement comes at a time when Mr Musyoka is making inroads into the vote rich Mount Kenya and Rift Valley regions through deals championed by former Jubilee chairman David Murathe and Kanu chairman Gideon Moi.

His critics, however, insist that the region has not substantially benefited from Mr Musyoka’s many years of leadership and argue that his ambitions are untenable.

Dr Mutua, who had campaigned for the re-election of President Kenyatta, has announced that he will be running for the presidency.

Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana has called on Mr Musyoka to drop his State House bid and consider supporting other candidates instead.

Their calls have been echoed by former Kitui Senator David Musila, who has urged the Kamba community to change tact as the community had severally supported the Wiper leader’s shots at the presidency in vain.

RIVALS

Mr Musyoka's supporters, however, accuse the critics of taking instructions from some of his political rivals. "Former President Mwai Kibaki attempted several times before he became the president. Mr Musyoka has vied only once," said Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu at a party hosted by Kathiani MP Robert Mbui at Mbuuni Primary School in Machakos County recently.

"As we head towards 2022, we have to condemn Ukambani leaders who are bent on scattering the Kamba vote," said Mr Mbui recently.

Mavoko MP Patrick Makau and Mwingi Central MP Gideon Mulyungi called on Mr Musyoka to crack the whip on Prof Kibwana, the party’s estranged chairman.

The only MP who was elected on a Jubilee ticket in Machakos County, Victor Munyaka (Machakos Town), excited Wiper supporters a fortnight ago when he recognised Mr Musyoka as the most prominent politician from the Kamba community. He urged him to use the position to unite the community "so that we speak in one voice".

SUPPORT

Buoyed by the growing support from the unlikely quarters, Mr Musyoka has pressed on rallying the region behind his quest for the country’s top job. The veteran politician says that it will be foolhardy for him to rally behind another candidate in his quest for the presidency.

Mr Musyoka has urged his Ukambani critics to stop fighting "their best option". He is convinced that he is the right candidate to succeed President Kenyatta with whom he says he had a good relationship.