UHURU POWER CALCULUSTO WOO RECALCITRANTS AHEAD OF 2017

 A major political maneuver under way to seduce and trick back several strategic regional vote blocks and tribes in the country to the Jubilee political bandwagon ahead of the 2017 general elections.

The plot which is heavily bankrolled is the brainchild of the TNA side of the Jubilee coalition who fear a possible rebellion by their URP counterparts ahead of the next general elections which could cripple them badly and expose them to political ruin.

A powerful Mt Kenya region tribal clique renown for its great influence on President Uhuru Kenyatta is said to have come up with this multi-billion political project after serious consultations with top security intelligence officials and powerful individuals around former president’s Daniel Moi (Uhuru’s political father) and Mwai Kibaki (Uhuru’s predecessor).

Regions and tribes targeted are those traditionally believed to have been friendly or yielding to Kenya’s first three post-independence regimes of:- Mzee Jomo Kenyatta (1963 – 1978), Daniel Arap Moi (1978 – 2002) and Mwai Kibaki (2003 – 2013).

They include Ukambani, Maasailand, Gusiiland, Luhyaland and portions of Rift Valley. It has been noted that efforts to infiltrate, reclaim and control Coast province have backfired due to locals’ militant over historical grievances. Already the president was in Kakamega where he spent a night that left many political analysts concluding he was desperately out to win the region as the opposition gives him sleepless nights. Later, the president attended the burial of Captain Harrison Makaka Okang’a at Eshisiru in Lurambi constituency.

Grand efforts to retake Ukambani from the opposition are in top gear; just like is the case with Western and Rift Valley, but there are challenges due to disunity of local leaders and a good degree of resistance by key leaders.

Also high levels of poverty, glaring cases of unresolved historical injustices, a more informed and rebellious younger generation of citizens and perceived ethnic discrimination from the centre are said to be creating the biggest impediment to this political project despite the financial advantage.

This plot appears to have worked perfectly well in Maasailand with almost all the area leaders succumbing and a similar maneuver is being forcefully pushed down the throat of resisting Gusiiland.

This major political project is heavily relying on the carrot and stick tactics of the old which are helped by the revival of former regime’s right handmen in every region who have been politically resurrected and funded to anchor the project in their communities.

In Maasailand, the TNA clique got a ready ally in former cabinet minister, William Ole Ntimama and former military general Joseph Nkaissery. In Gusiiland, former cabinet minister Simeon Nyachae is the keyman while in Luhyaland, there are concerted efforts to use former YK92 boss Cyrus Jirongo, if former vice presidents Musalia Mudavadi and Moody Awori do not play ball. Already, Jirongo has recruited to his side former parliament speaker Kenneth Marende and former Housing minister Soita Shitanda. Jirongo is pushing for Luhya presidency in 2017 and whether he will agree to help outsiders is to be seen.

Moi has resolved to rally his former foot soldiers to return on board much of the Kamatusa tribes – Kalenjin, Maasai, Turkana and Samburu in Rift Valley but the clique is having serious trouble finding anchors at the Coast and efforts to use minister Kazungu Kambi or recruit the leadership of the Coast Parliamentary Group under Gideon Mung’aro has failed miserably due to hostilities by majority of the Coast residents.

Whereas a key target: Western is divided and unpredictable, the other key target region, Gusiiland, has been invaded heavily and most of its leaders have largely have accepted to troop to Jubilee. Only two MPs, one senator and one governor have rejected these TNA overtures and stuck to the opposition.

Even as Moi and Ntimama emerge to play this game of cushioning TNA from destruction and Jubilee from implosion, it is the resurrection of former head of Public Service, Simeon Nyachae, and his forceful partnership with his first born son Charles Nyachae who is the CIC- chairman to fight this TNA war that is surprising many.

In this Gusii invasion, the elected leaders not on board are known not to be easy to compromise while the others, the plotters believe, are easy to crash at elections come 2017 polls.

This latest, fear-driven TNA political campaign came as a blessing to Simeon Nyachae, because he believes he still can control and politically condition the entire Gusii community but now through his son Charles, the CIC boss.

Apart from helping his former economic benefactors who empowered and enriched him individually, he is also driven by revenge against Raila Odinga whom he hates for failing to declare “Nyachae tosha, in 2002 general elections, when the now Cord leader instead backed Mwai Kibaki.

Many are shocked that Nyachae junior has readily availed himself for use to revive tribal politics of divide and rule, domination and leadership that reduced the whole community into mere property of the ruling class and overexploited voting machines.

Already a section of alarmed opinion leaders in Gusiiland have started opposing Mzee Nyachae’s moves and want him to leave the community alone to continue enjoying democratic freedoms and living in harmony with other people.

Gusii leaders are opposed to current plans by the Nyachaes using their newfound spannerboy Omingo Magara  who is CMD chairman to carry out their campaigns disguised as CMD seminars in the region.

As is emerging in Gusiiland, the TNA survival maneuver will definitely boomerang on its authors since it is rebuilding the past “dynasty politics” and patronage politics where some communities were squeezed into submission and reduced to political slavery, ever subservient to the community in power while the rulers’ linkmen therein benefited alone with their families.