Inside Atwoli’s big home where political deals are struck

When photos of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Central Kenya politician Peter Kenneth, Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary General Francis Atwoli and Jubilee Party vice-chairman and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s fixer David Murathe emerged on Sunday evening, Kenyans were left guessing the reason for the latest rendezvous. And for very good reasons.

One, it was the first time Raila was being seen in public more than two weeks since his return from Dubai where he underwent a minor surgery.

But more importantly, the meeting was coming only two days to today’s decisive vote on the revenue sharing bill, which has split the Senate down the middle, shaking the very foundations of the Handshake between Uhuru and Raila and threatening its brainchild, the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

It was instructive that the meeting at Atwoli’s Ildamat home in Kajiado County, was also attended by Raila’s right hand man James Orengo and the National Assembly deputy Majority Whip Maoka Maore.

Orengo and Maore’s presence at the meeting appeared to let the cat out of the bag; that it had everything to do with today’s vote on the revenue sharing formula.

A source privy to the meeting’s deliberations, but who cannot be named because they do not speak on behalf of the leaders, confirmed that the need to whip senators into supporting the third basis revenue formula, dominated the meeting.

“Raila’s personal intervention, directly or through Jim (Orengo) was required to sway the vote, especially among Coast, Kisii and Western senators, while Murathe assured that he would use Jubilee structures to whip the Mountain senators,” said the source.

It was not the first time Atwoli’s Ildamat home was hosting a high-profile meeting to shape the nation’s political discourse, especially touching on the Handshake, the BBI and the 2022 General Election.

Set on an expansive 50-acre ranch approximately 60 kilometres from Nairobi on the main Nairobi-Namanga highway – a taxi ride from Kajiado town would set you back a tidy Sh3,000 – Atwoli’s Ildamat home is fast transforming itself into Kenya’s new Ichaweri, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s Gatundu residence where political careers were made or annihilated, or more recently, Kabarak, the late Mzee Moi’s residence in Nakuru where many a politician’s loyalty was measured and those found wanting sent to oblivion.

The imposing four-bedroomed double storey residence is set out on roughly three acres surrounded by a perimetre wall.

To access the residence, one has to drive past two huge wooden gates guarded round the clock by mean looking police officers.

One has to make a phone call to Atwoli to be cleared to enter the compound.

There are two parking areas. The main one, located right in front of the main house, is reserved for VIPs and the second one, set between the two entrances, for the lesser mortals and taxi drivers.

Besides the main house, the home boasts of a fully stocked restaurant where the Cotu chief entertains his visitors with food and drinks.

The home also boasts several two and three bedroomed staff quarters which mainly house his security guards and drivers.

Congolese band

A Congolese band is always at hand to entertain the veteran trade unionist and his guests, especially on special occasions such as birthdays and Labour Day evening parties.

Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria once described the mansion estimated to have cost the veteran trade unionist between Sh70 million to Sh100 million, as therapeutic, with its manicured lawns, perfectly trimmed hedges, as well as its pristine location.

Lugari MP Ayub Savula, a frequent visitor to the residence, told People Daily yesterday; “It is no longer a simple residence.

It is fast becoming the venue of choice for serious meetings to determine the country’s course of politics. Only two weeks ago, Gideon (Moi) led a delegation to the home and donated 60 goats.

Mzee has also invited Musalia to visit him because he has no problem with him. He wants Musalia to go there so that they can chart the way forward so it is a place where the country’s major political decisions are being made.

Musalia Mudavadi, a former vice president, is the opposition Amani National Congress (ANC) party leader

Political brokers

But former leader of Majority in the Senate Kipchumba Murkomen dismissed the residence as the “meeting ground for political brokers and wheeler dealers”.

He said: “The residence is just a den for deal-making. Those who meet there are clueless brokers who have nothing to offer the country.

Individuals who meet there pretend to be discussing national issues while they only congregate to cut deals and push government tenders which they use to intimidate people to join the bandwagon.

They also pretend to be close to the powers that be. This group is the cause of the problems facing the country.” 

It was not lost to many that it is at Ildamat that Raila, Murathe and Atwoli held a meeting on April 13, setting the stage for the purge on allies of Deputy President William Ruto in the Jubilee Party’s highest decision making organ, the National Management Council, the National Assembly and the Senate.

It was reported that Ruto’s 2022 presidential bid took the centre stage of discussions, with majority of those present “resolving to ensure that his desired rise to the country’s top seat is nipped in the bud”.

The meeting is also said to have explored possibilities of forming a formidable alliance to bring together politically like-minded individuals.

Those present at the meeting pointed to an emerging alliance to lead the onslaught against Ruto’s 2022 State House bid. 

Others in the April meeting included Orengo, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi and ODM executive officer Oduor Ong’wen.

It is instructive that before leaving for Kajiado, Raila had met Senator Moi at the Karen residence of former Funyula MP Paul Otuoma. The three held a two-hour closed-door meeting that was said to have dwelt on Ruto’s presidential bid.

Atwoli would later confirm that the meeting had indeed tackled various issues including possible political realignments ahead of 2022.

“Though the meeting ended up with some strategies, it was meant to be a get-together to celebrate Easter.

“After all, Raila has always been paying me visits because he is my brother-in-law while Murathe usually comes due to the friendship I had with his late father,” Atwoli said. 

The trade unionist confessed that the 2022 succession politics, in particular Ruto’s political strategy, was discussed at length.

“What I can tell Ruto is that at the moment nobody is going to kick him out of Jubilee. He will leave Jubilee by himself because of his own political goofs.”

 Commenting on possible political alliances, Atwoli said all avenues were being explored to ensure “Ruto does not become the next president of Kenya”.

“In the coming days you are going to see a lot happening on the political scene,” he concluded.

Murathe said though the caucus was specifically not meant to discuss Ruto’s presidential bid, it had “digressed into the subject”.

“Atwoli, who is my good friend, had invited us for lunch to celebrate Easter. But there is no way we could have avoided a topic that is apparently on everyone’s lips; Uhuru’s 2022 succession,” he said.

Hardly a month later, on May 29, and Ildamat once again came alive, this time bringing together at least 50 leaders from Western Kenya, led by Devolution CS Wamalwa, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka.

Conspicuously missing were ANC’s Mudavadi and his Ford Kenya counterpart Moses Wetang’ula.

Government position

“They were not part of this meeting, they did not attend, but... they are with us,” said Atwoli when asked to explain their absence.

It was during this meeting that Atwoli declared Oparanya and Wamalwa the Luhya community spokesmen in matters to do with sharing of government positions and the BBI agenda.

“These leaders will be negotiating with the national government for development and other communities, in forming a new and transformative Kenya that is all-inclusive,” said Tongaren MP Eseli Simiyu.

It was also during the meeting that Kakamega Senator Cleopas Malala and Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe were picked to spearhead the community’s interests in parliamentary re-alignments following the purge on Ruto’s allies. 

It was again not lost on observers that it did not take a week before the coup in Ford Kenya took place, with Wetang’ula being replaced by Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi.

A similar attempt was made on Mudavadi, with Nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi, a Raila ally, demanding that he (Mudavadi) immediately calls party elections which, he said, were long overdue. He did not, however, make any headway.

Come June 13 and Raila was back at

 Ildamat, this time to consolidate his troops in western Kenya ahead of anticipated BBI campaigns.

The meeting brought together some 40 legislators from the region, including Wamalwa and Oparanya who were tasked with spearheading efforts to consolidate the Luhya vote ahead of the next general elections.

Away from the high stakes politics, Ildamat also plays host to various delegations, ranging from trade unionists to the local Maasai who flock the home to pay homage to the Cotu leader.

It is not uncommon to run into Maasai morans delivering a goat to the Cotu boss, who is famed for his generosity to the local community, including offering bright but needy children education bursaries.

Addressing a BBI rally at Narok stadium in February, local senator Ledama ole Kina heaped praises on Atwoli who was present, saying; “This Atwoli who is my good friend has been living in the Maasai region for a long time but he has restricted himself to the rules and policies of the Maasai community.

If he is looking for a leadership position, he goes to the Mulembe nation to look for it. He is even the one who has been telling me to tell the people that whenever he is interested in politics, he runs to Western region.”

Despite his well publicised contempt for Ruto, Atwoli is an equal opportunity host.

It is not uncommon to bump into some of the fiercely pro-Ruto politicians among them MPs Didmus Barasa, Nelson Koech, Dan Wanyama and Bernard Shinali passing by Ildamat on a weekend to pay homage.

MPs, especially those sitting in the National Assembly Labour committee, are also frequent visitors.

At the height of a push by then Labour Cabinet Secretary Kambi Kazungu to push amendments to the law to kick Atwoli and Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) Executive Director Jacqueline Mugo from the NSSF board, several committee members trooped to Ildamat one Sunday afternoon.

Asked about their mission, the delegation leader, an outspoken MP from Kisumu County, bluntly responded; “Our work as MPs is to oversight, and just like you journalists, we have to get the other side of the story, that is why we are here.” Atwoli’s side of the story carried the day.