The political life of former Kiambu governor William Kabogo can be summed up in two adjectives: dramatic and flamboyant.
For a man whose political career had been written off by many after failing to clinch the Kiambu gubernatorial seat in 2022, the 63-year-old’s impending comeback after being nominated by President William Ruto for the Information, Communications and Technology Cabinet seat tells the story of a man with nine political lives.
He won the Kiambu governor seat in 2013, was kicked out by Mr Ferdinand Waititu in 2017 and his attempt to make a comeback in 2022 was thwarted by Mr Kimani Wamatangi.
To counter what many say is his considerable war chest, Mr Kabogo's opponents have often used dirty tricks.
And because critics believe his perceive arrogance does not allow him to effectively defend himself against propaganda, the rivals’ tactics usually work—but not without a vicious fightback.
Mr Kabogo, a self-proclaimed billionaire, has previously boasted about how he mostly drops from the skies "like Jesus and rain" owing to his reputation of using helicopters.
Sometimes considered to have an acerbic tongue, he has previously faced allegations of hate speech and making inappropriate statements that opponents harp on.
Born in 1961, his name Kabogo in the Gikuyu language is the diminutive version of Mbogo which means a buffalo.
His buffalo-like politics of head-butting was ably displayed in the run-up to the 2022 General Election when he pitched his ambition for the Kiambu governor's seat in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance that had Dr Ruto as the presidential flag bearer.
Coming into the alliance with his Tujibebe Wakenya Party, by the strength of the pre-election pact he had made with Dr Ruto, he enjoyed the status of a principal – he had dropped his ambition of vying for the presidency to support Dr Ruto.
Thanks to his penchant for being a tough talker who does not mince his words when he feels he has to say it like it is, it did not take long before he upset the harmony in Kenya Kwanza by taking on Dr Ruto's running mate, Mr Rigathi Gachagua.
In the minds of political pundits, Mr Kabogo could not believe how the one-term Mathira MP could rise quickly and overtake him.
"Kabogo had been an MP in Juja, a governor in Kiambu (2013-2017), an owner of a political party, wealthy and flamboyant...It was only normal for him to feel the temptation to wonder how Gachagua could be headed for the Mt Kenya kingpin's post and second most powerful man in the republic," said Mt Kenya political analyst Prof Ngugi Njoroge in his commentary on August 2, 2022.
"Many are saying that Mr Uhuru Kenyatta is the king of Mt Kenya politics. I can as well be the one. I am also a kingpin," Mr Kabogo said in 2012, at a time when Mt Kenya was searching for a new kingpin as then president Mwai Kibaki was heading to retirement.
Mr Kabogo is also remembered for his December 2007 fight with then Internal Security minister John Michuki. The no-nonsense minister had linked Mr Kabogo and some Mt Kenya politicians to organised crime using the Mungiki sect and had ordered for their arrest.
Mr Kabogo reportedly went underground, despite his insistence that he did not fear Mr Michuki and if others could survive jail he too could.
In one occasion, he called a media conference in Juja, where he made a show of landing in a helicopter and, after declaring that he was not in hiding, said, "Look at me and look at Michuki and tell me who resembles Mungiki".
He then hurriedly left the area and a week later, unknown assailants shot at his motorcade as it was parked outside a bar on the Thika Superhighway. He was not in any of the vehicles at the time.
Before the 2022 campaigns, when he threw his lot in with Dr Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, Mr Kabogo had been something of a political chameleon since 2017: at some points supporting the handshake between then President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga – including the ill-fated Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) – before eventually jumping ship.
But June 15, 2022 was the day Kabogo had chosen to make sure his weight was felt. Mr Gachagua, who was Dr Ruto's running mate, was leading a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) caravan through Kiambu County.
The UDA had its gubernatorial candidate Mr Wamatangi, and Mr Gachagua was calling for a 'six-piece' vote: President, Governor, Senator, Woman Representative, Member of Parliament and County Assembly member only from the UDA party.
This did not sit well with Mr Kabogo, who saw himself as Dr Ruto's equal because he was a leader in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance.
"In his mind, Gachagua and whoever else down the line were his (Mr Kabogo’s) juniors who were supposed to shut up when he was speaking," Prof Njoroge had quipped in his analysis of the ensuing fiasco.
Mr Kabogo created a public scene when he unleashed his powerful public address system to counter Mr Gachagua's.
From that meeting, Mr Kabogo and another gubernatorial aspirant, Mr Moses Kuria, agreed to jointly write a letter of complaint to the Kenya Kwanza Alliance secretariat demanding an explanation of their status in the Kiambu campaigns.
Mr Kuria did not press for a response but continued to work with Dr Ruto, leaving Mr Kabogo alone and frustrated.
Citing the Kenya Kwanza Alliance's refusal to respond to his letter, Mr Kabogo struck out on his own, promising fire and brimstone against Mr Gachagua, Mr Wamatangi and Dr Ruto's presidential bid.
He escalated his war to TV stations, declaring on a TV programme that he was challenging Dr Ruto to explain how he chose Mr Gachagua as his running mate.
“The KKA has turned into a marriage that is one sided. We are all in it but our joint presidential candidate is campaigning for his UDA candidates in the same meetings that we have attended. I decided to call it a day but make the necessary noise,” he said.
In what appeared to be a direct attack on Dr Ruto, Mr Kabogo told off those involved in “political conmanship”.
Dr Ruto could not take it anymore and publicly defended his choice of Mr Gachagua, saying "those fighting him are just jealous".
Mr Justin Muturi, who had also abandoned his presidential ambitions on a Democratic Party ticket to support Dr Ruto's bid, joined the fray, dismissing Mr Kabogo as a crybaby.
A Mt Kenya political ground heavily tilted towards Dr Ruto and UDA took the cue and started demonising Mr Kabogo on social media, call-in FM stations and public rallies. Mr Kabogo faded from being anywhere near a favourite to reclaim the Kiambu governor's seat.
When the votes were counted, Mr Wamatangi had 348,371 votes to Mr Kabogo's 106,980. Patrick Wainaina had 273,361 votes.
This has reduced Mr Kabogo to silence, only occasionally speaking out here and there – particularly on social media – while maintaining a tough stance against Mr Gachagua. His appointment is now seen as a bulwark against the former deputy president in the restive Mt Kenya region.
"It is no wonder that after President Ruto sponsored the impeachment of Mr Gachagua in October and replaced him with Prof Kithure Kindiki, Mr Kabogo has now been picked to try and quell the raging anger and rebellion in the Mountain. Mr Kabogo has been appointed into cabinet to come and attempt to finish the work he had started of trying to finish Gachagua," says Embakasi North MP Mr James Gakuya.
