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Jimi Wanjigi’s puzzling rise to national stage

Monday, March 28th, 2022 06:00 | By
Business tycoon Jimi Wanjigi. Photo/PD/file

Monday, March 22,  will be a special day in the life of Jimi Wanjigi for years to come. Wanjigi has had a dramatic political journey in the last decade. He is  on record crediting himself for brokering the political deal between Uhuru Kenyatta’s The National Alliance and William Ruto’s United Republican Party in the build up to the 2013 General Election.

He then fell out with the dynamic digital duo of “Uhuruto” and shifted his support to the Raila Odinga and Kalonzo  Musyoka ticket in 2017. He then fell out with Raila Odinga after the March 9, 2018 handshake between Raila and Uhur.

Fast forward to 2022, Wanjigi Junior set his eyes on the presidential seat and declared his intentions to contest the Orange Democratic Movement party’s ticket for the presidency. His run-ins with the party eventually saw him become a political squatter.

The endorsement by Paul Muite’s Safina Party as it’s presidential flag-bearer is a valid reason for Wanjigi’s ever present public smile. He finally found a home that gave him the attention he so badly wanted. So, what do we know about Safina Party’s presidential candidate’s journey in politics?

He joined politics at a young age in 1992 when he took part in late Kenneth Matiba’s campaigns.  Young Wanjigi would henceforth be a silent player in politics. Wanjigi, Maina Kamanda and a close confidant of the late Prof George Saitoti; Peter ole Sapalan were the main actors in Saitoti’s presidential campaign plans. Wanjigi was the chief resource mobiliser. After the untimely death of Saitoti, Wanjigi worked his way into the inner circle of Uhuru ’s election campaigns. He is on record disclosing that the deal between Uhuru and Ruto was brokered at his Muthaiga home. Wanjigi later fell out with Uhuru and Ruto and he shifted his political investment to Raila’s campaign.

The Nasa coalition received heavy financial backing by Wanjigi in the 2017 General Election. Campaign insiders intimate that Raila:  the team leader and presidential candidate once found himself in a very awkward position, torn between pleasing Wanjigi-his chief financier and David Ndii, his adviser.

The tiff was due to a manifesto that Wanjigi single-handedly presented to the Nasa supremo to adopt as the coalition’s manifesto.

This came along with Wanjigi’s demand to be recognised as a principal in the coalition, alongside Raila, Kalonzo, Mudavadi, Wetang’ula and Isaac Rutto. This was meant to give him decision-making influence in the coalition, allowing him to influence appointments to government and awarding of tenders.

After the disputed 2017 presidential poll and Raila’s mock swearing in at Uhuru Park, Wanjigi and Raila differed on the way to proceed. In an interview on KTN, Wanjigi revealed that the plan was to match to State House after the swearing in, where Raila was to take his place as “people’s president”. Raila however pulled a fast one and had the handshake with Uhuru, to the surprise of Wanjigi and many others.

Shortly afterwards, Wanjigi found himself in trouble with the police over illegal possession of firearms whose licenses he allegedly did not have. Wanjigi’s licenses were reportedly revoked. The DCI also explained that some of the weapons in Wanjigi’s possession are not authorised for civilians.

Failure to achieve the desired political influence underRaila’s captainship must have inspired Wanjigi to try and wrestle the leadership of the ODM party. After he failed, he bolted out and found a quiet, almost forgotten home in Safina, where he reconnected power and was allowed to hold the mantle.

But what many, including myself, keep wondering is why the son of a former Cabinet minister is so obsessed with guns and fortresses.

—The writer comments on topical issues

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