President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga (background) and Mithika Linturi (left) Florence Bore, Aisha Jumwa, Cleophas Malala, Timothy Bosire, Stephen Tarus, Raphael Tuju, Elizabeth Meyo and Charity Ngilu.
They displayed unwavering loyalty and went above and beyond to campaign for their political masters— President William Ruto and Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga.
Some sacrificed their seats at the altars of loyalty to the duo during the 2022 elections.
Others gave up their positions to dedicate themselves fully to the campaigns, hoping for rewards once the dust of the polls had settled.
Yet, their efforts now seem forgotten as they are cast into the unforgiving wilderness of political oblivion, even as the two leaders exhibit a close working relationship under the broad-based government.
While some managed to land positions, albeit ones that fell short of their campaign contributions, others have chosen to bite the bullet and turn down such offers, deeming them unworthy of their status and efforts.
In President Ruto’s camp, major casualties of his political manoeuvres are ex-UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala; sacked Cabinet ministers Aisha Jumwa, Mithika Linturi and Florence Bore, former West Mugirango MP Vincent Kemosi and his ex-Machakos Town counterpart Victor Munyaka.
On Mr Odinga’s side, ODM National Treasurer Timothy Bosire remains the only veteran party official without an elective, or appointive post in the broad-based government.
ODM National Treasurer and former Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire.
Whereas, his peers— former ODM deputy party leaders Hassan Joho (CS Blue Economy) and Wycliffe Oparanya (CS Co-operatives and MSMEs), former ODM National Chairman John Mbadi (CS Treasury), ex-Secretary of Political Affairs Opiyo Wandayi (CS Energy and Petroleum), and former member of the party's elections board Ms Beatrice Askul (CS East African Community)— secured cabinet slots. Mr Bosire contested for Nyamira gubernatorial seat in 2022 and lost. In 2017, he lost his Kitutu Masaba parliamentary seat.
Mr Bosire, who is also a member of the ODM party’s board of trustees, had sought the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) post but was unsuccessful.
Mr Odinga and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka rallied opposition troops to back their children—Winnie Odinga and Kennedy Kalonzo respectively, as well as Mombasa businessman Suleiman Shahbal, leaving him exposed and thus losing the slot.
Apart from Mr Bosire, other close allies of Mr Odinga still wallowing in the chilly political cold are former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju, former Kitui Governor and Narc party leader Charity Ngilu and the Chief Executive of Mr Odinga’s 2022 presidential campaign board – former Kenya Revenue Authority Commissioner Elizabeth Meyo.
Ms Elizabeth Meyo.
Ms Meyo downplayed the matter, only telling the Nation that: "I thank God for the life He has granted me."
Others are Mr Odinga’s 2022 national presidential chief agent Saitabao Ole Kanchory, who has however, fallen out with the former prime minister, former National Liberal Party (NLP) leader Stephen Tarus who went against the Ruto tide in the Rift Valley and backed Odinga, as well as ousted members of ODM party’s defunct National Elections Board; Abdulahi Diriye and Syntei Nchoe.
For Mr Malala and Ms Jumwa who were in Mr Odinga’s camp ahead of the 2022 elections before they decamped to President Ruto’s side, they were poised to clinch gubernatorial seats in Kakamega and Kilifi counties respectively, but their political calculations and move appeared to have betrayed them.
Mr Malala would, however, land the powerful UDA secretary-general slot before he was hounded out of office and replaced by former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar in an interim capacity.
An ally of Mr Gachagua, Mr Malala’s goose was cooked following his association with the former DP who was not in good books with his boss – President Ruto.
Former UDA Secretary-General Cleophas Malala.
“Together with Rigathi, we have been kicked out and our role now will be to remind him of the truth. We have no jobs but we shall now be telling him the truth. He should serve Kenyans and not to dwell on promises,” said Mr Malala.
“We have been kicked out and what we are left with is just our lives and that you cannot touch because it is God who gives life.”
For Ms Jumwa, she secured a powerful Cabinet slot for Public Service before she was moved to the gender docket and finally pushed out at the height of the Gen Z protests.
Together with former Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi and Florence Bore of Labour, they were among the ministers shown the door.
Those CSs who were sacked but found a new footing in government include former ICT CS Eliud Owalo who was appointed as Deputy Chief of Staff, Performance and Delivery Management while ex-Public Service CS Moses Kuria was appointed by the president as a Senior Adviser in his Council of Economic Advisors.
Former Gender CS nominee Aisha Jumwa.
Former Sports CS Ababu Namwamba also recently secured a role as the Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi.
Prior to her move, former West Mugirango MP Vincent Kemosi had also declined his nomination as Kenya's High Commissioner to Ghana, citing personal reasons, while ex-Machakos Town MP Victor Munyaka also refused to up his appointment as the chairperson of the Kenya Animal Genetic Resource Centre board of management.
Dr Munyaka had slammed President Ruto for "side-lining" the Kamba community in terms of appointments and development.
"You all know I was dubbed the Kamotho of Ukambani in terms of loyalty to Ruto. I introduced Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka, Mr Muthama and Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai and through our efforts, the Kamba region gave President Ruto 250,000 votes.”
“These are the votes which enabled him to win the presidency. I am asking my friend, President Ruto, to stop sidelining Kambas for the sake of Munyaka, Kawaya, Mbai and Muthama who worked tirelessly and delivered your victory. We have seen a trend where Kambas holding plum government positions have started losing them," he said during the burial of his sister Rose Mueni at Muthwani Village in Machakos County.
Former Machakos Town MP Victor Munyaka.
Dr Munyaka cited former Kenya National Trading Corporation boss Pamela Mutua, former Kenya Cereals and Produce Board boss Joseph Kimote, former KICC board chairperson Adelina Mwau, former acting Kenya Medical Supplies Agency CEO Andrew Mulwa and former acting National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse CEO John Muteti as among Ukambani residents who have lost their jobs recently.
In Mr Odinga’s camp, Mr Bosire had been touted as a possible nominee to the broad-based Cabinet, but his name did not feature in the list named by President Ruto, instead former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s allies were included.
He is the only veteran ODM party official now left in the cold after his colleagues found themselves in the Cabinet in July.
Former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju, who served as the ODM leader’s Executive Director in his 2022 Azimio presidential campaign secretariat, has also not secured any opportunity but has instead continued to battle a legal case touching on his property.
Mr Tuju stood out as one of the senior campaign officials who went out of his way during the presidential tallying at the Bomas of Kenya, to try to safeguard Mr Odinga’s victory.
Jubilee Party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju during an interview in Nairobi on September 10, 2021.
In the end, he was accused by former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati among those who attempted to “interfere” with the tallying process.
Reached for a comment, Mr Tuju on Sunday said that he was not seeking any job.
"As far as I'm concerned, I've not lobbied for any job and I'm not looking for a job. Before I joined politics I was in the private sector and I’m back in the private sector. I'm very comfortable where I am."
Former Kitui Governor and Narc party leader Charity Ngilu, who chose not to defend her seat in 2022 and instead joined Mr Odinga’s national presidential campaigns, is also among those confidants of the former premier still in the political cold.
“I will offer my sister Charity Ngilu a position in government and I need her in the national campaigns to help me seek votes,” Mr Odinga said in Kitui in the run-up to the 2022 elections.
Former Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu.
Mr Kanchory had, however, fallen out with Mr Odinga’s team after he termed as “dysfunctional” the ODM leader’s 2022 campaign command centre in his book titled: Why Baba Is Not The 5th.
“…as much as funds were available, the centre lacked situational awareness, it was disunited and the national candidates did not take particular interest in activities,” he said.
Former National Liberal Party (NLP) leader Stephen Tarus went against the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) tide in the Rift Valley and stark his neck out for Mr Odinga, but his whereabouts are currently unknown in the political circles.
“I don’t hold any post but I have not requested for a position. When I had a discussion with Raila my suggestion was that he ought to have joined the broad-based government as Azimio, but I think the intrigues in Azimio made Baba go as ODM,” Mr Tarus told Nation.
He said he will continue to reorganise the NLP which he insisted he remains the bonafide party leader despite ongoing legal issues.
Mr Abdulahi Diriye and Ms Syntei Nchoe were swept aside from Mr Odinga’s circles after they fell victims of the disbandment of the ODM party’s National Elections Board early this year.
Even though former NEB chairperson Catherine Mumma was also ousted, she had already benefited from a nomination slot to the Senate.
Only Emily Awita and Richard Tairo, who served in the defunct NEB, were retained and appointed to the new National Elections Coordinating Committee, which Ms Awita now chairs.
Ruto team:
Cleophas Malala
Aisha Jumwa
Mithika Linturi
Florence Bore
Vincent Kemosi
Victor Munyaka
Raila team:
Timothy Bosire
Raphael Tuju
Charity Ngilu
Elizabeth Meyo
Saitabao Ole Kanchory
Stephen Tarus
Abdulahi Diriye
Syntei Nchoe
