Kindiki under siege following political alignments

The ongoing political alignments in the country pitting former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and a host of other Opposition leaders against President William Ruto place Deputy President Kithure Kindiki in a precarious position.

Some analysts argue that Gachagua’s move to galvanize Mt Kenya region and remove it from President Ruto’s grip will force President Ruto to look to other regions for a running mate in the hope of replacing the over three million votes he received from the voter-rich region.

Already, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has warned the restive Mt Kenya region against shifting its political allegiance away from President Ruto, cautioning that such a move could cause the region to lose its Deputy President position.

Speaking in Nyeri on Sunday, Mudavadi said that there are many people who are eyeing the position, including himself and if not careful, Mt Kenya region risked losing the prestigious position.

“I want to appreciate the leaders from here, you are solid, but if you continue playing and let it slip, we want it, and we will take it. A bird in hand is better than 10 in the bush. Hold on to what you have, take it seriously. There are Kenyans out there who wish they had a fraction of what you have,” Mudavadi said.

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He said the Mt Kenya leadership must not waste the available opportunity, and that they must continue working with Ruto stressing that shifting their allegiance could cause the region to lose out on crucial government opportunities and development benefits.

“Other Kenyans wish they had a fraction of what you have,” he added. “Hold on to what you have, take it seriously,” he said.

Mudavadi’s exposé exposes the competitiveness and the political landscape that will take effect following Gachagua’s conviction towards a section of Mt Kenya leaders who played an integral role in rallying for Ruto’s support in the region.

Other than Gachagua, other former Ruto allies turned rivals include Justin Muturi (former Public Service CS), Mithika Linturi (Former Agriculture Cs), and a host of elected Senators and MPs who have ditched Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), awaiting Gachagua’s.

Political analyst Mwangi Githinji said Ruto’s political arithmetic was further complicated by the fact that Former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee party and those who had been elected through the party such as Maina Kamanda, vocal Kirinyaga Jubilee chairperson Muriithi Kangara coalesced around Gachagua.

“The person who will take the blame for failing to return the region into Ruto’s fold is Kindiki because his position can only be secured and assured based on the votes that Ruto will get in Mt Kenya region,” Githinji noted.

According to Githinji, the decision by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro to chart his political path and the silence of Ruto’s advisor, Moses Kuria, in the political discourse further worsened the political survival for Kindiki.

“These were some of the key political figures in the 2022 general election, while Kindiki was focused on board politics. He needs to reconcile with them for his political future,” opined Githinji.

Ruto has in the past hinted that he could pick a woman as his running mate in bid to ensure that his UDA party leads from the front in supporting women and consequently help in attaining the two-thirds gender rule.

However, Kindiki, who has been engaged in the meet-the-people tour in the region through the empowerment drives, dismissed the coalition between Gachagua, Wiper leader Klaonzo Musyoka, People’s Liberation Party (PLP) Leader Martha Karua, former Interior Cs Fred Matiangi, and DAP-Kenya party leader Eugene Wamalwa, branding it a "coalition of failures."

Downplaying the coalition’s ability to dislodge them from power in 2027, Kindiki asserted that the Kenya Kwanza administration's main challenge was not political alliances but the commitment to deliver on its promises to the Kenyan people.

“Our biggest competition is not political groupings, but staying true to the pledges we made to the citizens,” said Kindiki, who accused Gachagua and his group of engaging in political theatrics.

He added “The government will not be distracted by premature political campaigns as the country approaches the 2027 general elections. Those who are meeting every day—what did they accomplish when they had the opportunity to serve Kenyans?” he posed.

However, some of Ruto allies in the region believe Gachagua’s influence in the region is a passing cloud and believes that he will not sustain his influence up to 2027.

"The influence that Gachagua believes he has over Mt Kenya region politics is overrated, and he is overshooting himself; by that time, he will have lost his mojo.