Raila deputy race: Go-getter, Peter Munya can unite Mt Kenya East and West
Agriculture CS Peter Munya (left) and Azimio-OKA Coalition party presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
What you need to know:
- Mr Munya, who is one of those being touted to deputise Azimio hopeful Odinga, comes out as a man on a mission to achieve his goals.
- In his 20-year political career, Mr Munya has been MP, assistant minister, governor and Cabinet Secretary.
Abrasive, combative, go-getter and no nonsense. These are the some of the words and phrases that come to mind when describing Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya.
Mr Munya, who is one of those being touted to deputise Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party presidential hopeful Raila Odinga, comes out as a man on a mission to achieve his goals.
And the CS does not mind stepping on toes or heads on his way up.
Others being considered for the position are Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Narc Kenya chief Martha Karua and former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth.
The panel named to crack the puzzle that is threatening to scuttle unity in the alliance will need a proper dig into the capabilities of every personality.
In his 20-year political career, Mr Munya has been MP, assistant minister, governor and Cabinet Secretary.
So what does Mr Munya bring on Mr Odinga’s table should he be named his running mate?
Political analyst Herman Manyora says the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary would inject into Mr Odinga’s ticket excitement and youthfulness.
Prof Manyora says Mr Munya would also play a role in unifying Mt Kenya East and West.
“Mt Kenya East leaders and residents have over the years complained of being marginalised by the West. Choosing a running mate from the East would bring the effect of the West accepting to support their partners in the East who helped them have three presidents,” Prof Manyora said.
Leaders in the East say with Jomo Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta having been presidents, it is their turn to be in power.
“The feeling by Murang’a politicians that they deserve the presidency after Kiambu (Jomo and Uhuru) and Nyeri (Kibaki) is misplaced. They should let go of this thinking. Should Mr Munya be named the running mate and succeed in uniting the region, it will be game short for Mr Odinga,” he said.
The analyst added that Mr Munya would most likely bring more than a million votes for Mr Odinga.
“We are talking of counties with nearly 1.5 million voters where Munya can get support. There are also voters in Mt Kenya West who feel they owe their Mt Kenya East siblings a debt,” he said.
Mr Haron Abuana, who was Mr Munya’s political adviser, says the CS “executes assignments with clinical precision”, perhaps explaining the reason he has dismantled coffee and tea cartels behind decades of suffering by farmers.
Since Mr Munya took over the Agriculture docket from Mr Mwangi Kiunjuri, he has fought coffee and tea cartels through reforms.
He kicked out the entire Kenya Tea Development Agency Board, attracting President Kenyatta’s praises.
“He will deliver on a job despite the odds. Once Munya says he wants to achieve something, he will,” Mr Abuana said, adding that Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi’s support for the CS in his quest to be deputy president is “unconditional”.
He says should Mr Munya be named running mate, it might turn tables against Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in Meru, where the party enjoys near fanatical following.
Of the 11 Meru county MPs, eight are defending their seats on the party ticket.
The CS is also touted as DP Ruto’s match in the region.
Mr Munya never minces words when criticising the Deputy President.
