Mt Kenya politicians draw Uhuru succession strategy
Former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth addresses journalists after attending prayers at at Mt Kenya Agikuyu shrine in Nyeri on September 25, 2020.
What you need to know:
- The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) politics has aggravated the confusion.
- The main political formations oscillate around ODM leader Raila Odinga and DP Ruto.
- Former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth is fronted as Mr Odinga’s running mate in 2022.
Mt Kenya leaders are racing against time to craft a President Kenyatta succession plan ahead of the 2022 General Election.
Uncertainty in Jubilee has pushed some into forming parties, hoping to use them as political vehicles in 2022.
The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) politics has aggravated the confusion.
While the Jubilee Kieleweke faction that is allied to the President has embraced BBI, the Tangatanga wing associated with Deputy President William Ruto is still on the fence.
The main political formations oscillate around ODM leader Raila Odinga and DP Ruto.
Former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth is fronted as Mr Odinga’s running mate in 2022.
It is not lost to many that this faction is being sold by politicians loyal to the President or those not directly elected.
The fear in this camp is that, should it be defeated by a wing that has no strategically placed Mt Kenya pointman, the region will fade to political oblivion.
Running mate
The other touted ticket for president and running mate is that of Ruto-Mwangi Kiunjuri or Ruto-Mwangi wa Iria — former Agriculture CS, and current Murang’a Governor, respectively.
Add to this the undefined surprise voice of the President, which he has been promising the regio: “Come 2022 and I will also have a voice. My choice will surprise you,” Mr Kenyatta has said on several occasions.
The Kieleweke camp is represented by some whose only strength is loyalty to the DP.
They include Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika, Kirinyaga Woman Representative Purity Ngirici and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah.
They have blended with seasoned politicians like MPs Alice Wahome (Kandara), Jane Kihara (Naivasha) and Mathira’s Rigathi Gachagua.
Trusted lieutenants
Voices that could break the ice and determine the direction the region will take include Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua, former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo, Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi, Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki and Agriculture CS Peter Munya.
Senate Chief Whip Irungu Kang’ata says he fears the region might end up wasting its potential to influence the 2022 vote “if we continue pulling in different directions”.
Going by the situation on the ground where his trusted lieutenants like Nominated MP Maina Kamanda and Jubilee Vice-Chairman David Murathe have been campaigning for an Odinga presidency, Mr Kenyatta’s trump card might be the Kenneth-Raila formation.
“May be not. The President has of late been behaving erratically. He appears to be consulting his deputy more and letting him get closer to him,” political analyst Ngugi Njoroge says.
