Ruto’s Headache: Mt Kenya UDA Politicians Rally Around Uhuru
In the Mt Kenya region, a new wave of political reorientation is emerging as some United Democratic Alliance (UDA) politicians shun the sustained attack on former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Murang’a Woman Rep. Betty Maina is the most recent local politician to demand respect for the former president.
“We cannot continue in this manner…He has a place in our culture and history. She stated in Kikuyu at Kimorori Grounds in Kenol town on May 9 during a bursary distribution ceremony, “We owe him respect for the good deeds he performed for us during his tenure.”
Ms. Maina stated that Mr. Kenyatta should be treated as a “respected and loved…We are foolish to fight one of our own while other regions band together behind their own.”
She lamented that they were “fighting a man who has so far maintained his silence, and it is not unreasonable to expect that we treat him with the respect he deserves.”
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In defiance of Mr. Kenyatta’s preferred succession plan of supporting the presidential candidate of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party, Raila Odinga, leaders in Mt. Kenya waged an all-out assault on him before the 9 August 2022 general election.
Campaigns against Mr. Odinga in the Mt. Kenya region were characterized by vitriol against Mr. Kenyatta, and many who won seats on UDA tickets rose to prominence by disparaging the then-president, the Jubilee Party, and Mr. Odinga.
Mr. Kenyatta added fuel to the fire by dismissing the UDA wave as “ignorant about the needs of the Mt Kenya region” as the competition raged.
Motivate wheelbarrows
He said, “You, from Mount Kenya, receive a scholarship of Sh2,000, while others receive Sh50,000 per student…Your children in Mt Kenya are told to push wheelbarrows, raise chickens, and sell eggs when their peers are given post-secondary employment. You are lost, but you will regain your senses one day.”
Political analyst Prof. Ngugi Njoroge believes that “we are beginning to sober up and the UDA euphoria is subsiding as people realize they voted to be served, not to live on insults, chest-thumping, and finger-pointing.”
When President William Ruto was sworn in on September 13, 2022, his deputy Rigathi Gachagua gave Mr. Kenyatta, who was in attendance, a parting rebuke, accusing him of cruelty, State capture, destroying the economy, and erecting obstacles to prevent their victory.
Since then, senior leaders of Mt Kenya, such as Mr. Gachagua, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa, and National Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Ndindi Nyoro, have continued to attack Mr. Kenyatta.
Mr. Ichung’wa’s perceived incitement of Mr. Kenyatta, his family, and his business interests escalated the attacks.
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Mr. Ichung’wa’s irate comments stemmed from allegations that Mr. Kenyatta was funding anti-government demonstrations led by Mr. Odinga.
“We will plunder even the land you own so that those without land can obtain a portion.” Do not deceive yourself into believing that ordinary people will suffer property loss during the ongoing antigovernment mass demonstrations. Mr. Ichung’wa warned, “You will pay the price if you continue to incite violence and bloodshed in this country.”
He added, “This is my message to Uhuru Kenyatta, the sponsor, sole sponsor, and sole financier of Azimio and Mr. Odinga, the mercenary.”
The following day, hundreds of thugs invaded Mr. Kenyatta’s Northlands estate in Ruiru, where they tore down trees, demarcated a portion of the land, and allegedly allotted themselves plots on which some erected temporary structures.
Others raided a portion of the land where pedigree sheep were kept, slaughtered some, and roasted the meat on the land, while others set up a roadside market where they sold some of the sheep for pennies on the dollar and set fire to a portion of the land.
Multiple platforms
The aggression, however, did not sit well with many residents of Mount Kenya, who took to various platforms to express their displeasure and warn politicians that they were taking the hatred to an unacceptable level.
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Anne wa Muratha, the woman representative of Kiambu, lamented on Kameme FM following the incident that “some of us are now engaging in too much negative energy in both deeds and words.”
Mr. Gachagua had stated while attending Kangoco Secondary School in Nyeri County, “I am a remnant of the Mau Mau heroes, and Mr. Kenyatta knows me very well…I am not easily frightened…He attempted when he was president…”He will not succeed now that he is out of trouble.”
Ms. Muratha advised her “fellow leaders, particularly those in positions of authority, to give people hope that we will turn this country around and reduce the cost of living.”
She added, “We must now cease dwelling excessively on the past and end hostilities against those we defeated in the elections.” We must come together as a family, as villages, as regions, and as a nation to face our challenges as a team.”
Ms. Muratha continued, “I urge Mr. Gachagua and the rest to play the role of unifiers and cease bitterness, forget the past, and forge ahead to realize the dream of the Hustlers nation.”
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A few weeks later, Mwangi Kiunjuri of Laikipia East dismissed the trend of degrading Mr. Kenyatta on Inooro TV.
Mr. Kiunjuri stated, “We cannot eat kingships and kings, and we must urgently devise a strategy for empowering the people whose votes put us in power.”
He went on to say, “What we need to do is revamp agriculture, and health, and create wealth for these people so that they can feel the warmth that we are experiencing now that they have put us in power.”
Ciombou Rigami, the leader of Kiama Kia Ma Murang’a, advised Mr. Gachagua to recognize that while Mount Kenya is disintegrating, other regions are uniting.
Mr. Ciombou stated, “The 47 percent share we have in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance government should reach out to the legion under Mr. Kenyatta so that we can go hunting as a team and put the elections behind us.”
Wachira Kiago, the head of the Kikuyu Council of Elders, warned that the more UDA politicians attack Mr. Kenyatta, the less popular they will become.
“In Mr. Kenyatta’s case, UDA is committing the same error that Mr. Kenyatta’s supporters made by bolstering Dr. Ruto’s popularity through public attacks. Mr. Kenyatta is playing the victim and maintaining his silence. Coupled with unfulfilled promises, it is only a matter of time before the Mt. Kenya region begins to desire alternative political leadership, which will be dangerous for those currently in power,” he stated.
Ruto’s Headache: Mt Kenya UDA Politicians Rally Around Uhuru
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