Ruto steps in to forestall fallout among Kisii allies
Deputy President William Ruto has been forced to intervene to avert a looming fallout in his camp in Kisii and Nyamira counties as he prepares to make another campaign visit to the region.
Latest infighting among his allies has been linked to the arrival of Nyaribari Masaba MP Ezekiel Machogu to Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) which has stirred unease. Machogu wants to be Kisii governor.
The uproar was triggered by Anthony Kibagendi, an employee in Ruto’s office, who dismissed Machogu’s entry as inconsequential.
Writing on a WhatsApp group of the Kisii Hustler Team recently, Kibagendi complained that Machogu had been in the forefront in dismissing Ruto and his bottom up economic model and wondered what he was bringing to the party.
But Ruto reprimanded the employee and told him to focus on strengthening the team in the region.
“Kibagendi stop this nonsense. We have the weakest team in Kisii because of infighting. This must stop,” Ruto wrote.
Big gain but...
Kibagendi is expected to resign next week in accordance with the law to vie for the Kitutu Chache South parliamentary seat.
But South Mugirango MP Sylvanus Osoro defended Machogu’s entry in the spirit of “gather all, scatter none” policy.
“Even Musalia Mudavadi used to criticise our economic model but now he is with us,” Osoro wrote.
The DP is facing a fresh headache in Kisii with reports of a fallout among his key supporters and threats of defections.
Although it could ordinarily be a big gain, reports of bigwigs joining UDA have jolted some of his allies who are now rethinking their commitment to the party.
The DP is expected in Kisii this month to welcome Machogu who has ditched Azimio La Umoja. Others expected to join Ruto’s party include ex-MPs Stephen Manoti (Bobasi) and Zebedeo Opore (Bonchari).
There are also reports that the UDA team is wooing Kitutu Chache North MP Jimmy Angwenyi who is yet to show commitment.
Machogu’s entry is said to have jolted UDA national Treasurer Omingo Magara who is eyeing the Kisii Governor seat after it emerged that those who invited him to the party had assured him of a direct ticket.
Magara has, however, vowed to fight for his place in the party.
UDA insiders are toying with the idea of asking Magara to run for senator and Machogu for governor in the hope that ODM will not give Senator Sam Ongeri the governor ticket.
Sufficient resources
Machogu and Ongeri come from the same clan and UDA strategists believe the Nyaribari clan will stage a protest vote should Ongeri miss ODM’s backing.
“I am not scared at all. I dare him (Machogu) to come and face me in a free and fair nominations,” Magara said.
The former ODM Treasurer said that in 2013 and 2017, he ran for senator and governor respectively and on both occasions, he got almost 120,000 votes and insisted that this time he is headed for victory.
Last Sunday, Machogu accused the local Azimio leadership of sidelining him.
“If all it takes is a move to UDA, so be it,” he said.
Nyaribari Chache seat aspirant Zaheer Jlanda and Osoro are said to have convinced Ruto that Machogu had sufficient resources to mount a gubernatorial contest.
On the other hand, Ruto’s lieutenants Cliff Ombeta – who is eyeing the Bonchari seat – and Bosco Gichana have threatened to quit the party should their rivals be brought on board.
Ombeta, who offered UDA a building in Suneka to establish a Bonchari constituency office, has told his supporters that he would leave the party if Opore joins it.
Gichana, who launched his campaigns for the Kitutu Chache seat last week, hinted at a possibility of returning to his former party ODM when he told supporters that he is still friends with Raila Odinga.
Yesterday, Gichana termed the reports of Angwenyi joining UDA as rumours.
“It still remains a rumor and thus I can’t comment,” he said.
Voting patterns
Zaheer insisted that their agenda was to build a strong team that will take Azimio head on in the region.
“We are not pushing anyone out but we want to strengthen our team taking into consideration demographics and voting patterns,” he said.
Already, Ruto has lost Kisii Deputy Governor Joash Maangi who reunited with Governor James Ongwae to sell the ODM and Azimio agenda in Kisii.
In neighbouring Nyamira, North Mugirango MP Joash Nyamoko has gone cold with reports that he is headed to Azimio while the DP’s erstwhile ally Patrick Osero is headed to Raila’s outfit to seek the Borabu parliamentary seat.
