President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy
William Ruto were in Kakamega the capital of Western province where key Luhya
politicians skipped the state functions apart from Uhuru meeting them at a
funeral service of the late Captain Harrison Makaka Okang’a, who perished in an
aircraft crash in Nairobi’s Embakasi area on July 2.
Uhuru attended the funeral as the
Mourner-in-Chief, courtesy of the late Harrison’s brother, Major-General (Rtd),
Jeff Okang’a, who is Kenya’s High Commissioner to Kampala, Uganda. The envoy
holds a plum slot and a strategic place both politically and economically.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni backed Uhuru and Jubilee against Raila Odinga
and when Uhuru was in Kampala, the High Commissioner was at hand to welcome
him.
Insiders say during the constitution of
Jubilee cabinet, the High Commissioner was considered for the position of
Defence, currently held by Rachael Omamo. However, due to political
balancing between URP and TNA, not
forgetting the tribal aspect, not to annoy Ruto’s Kalenjin fiefdom, he was not
to land the slot. He is regarded as a disciplined soldier and the best
jet-fighter in East and Central Africa.
Fear was that if a prominent Luhya was to be
named to the Defence secretary and the community having voted for Cord, it
could have raised eyebrows in the government then.
Back to the Uhuru’s visit and for the first
time, he spent a night at Kakamega State Lodge in what insiders say was
symbolic. Ever since he took the reins of power, the president has been at
Sagana State Lodge and Mombasa State House.
At Nairobi State House, Uhuru according to
sources, only works from there and prefers to walk across to his own house
across the fence to sleep. The house is located on Dennis Pritt Road and was
donated to the late founding President Jomo Kenyatta, Uhuru’s father, by Aga
Khan at independence.
In Kakamega, Uhuru’s first engagement was to
host Muslim leaders for a dinner. He then commissioned already existing roads
in Vihiga, Kakamega, Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties. He also held meeting
with members of the county assembly.
Apart from Ruto, those with Uhuru were Adan
Duale and Mike Sonko among others. Uhuru to endear himself to Luhyas claimed
Amina Mohammed, the Foreign ministry secretary was born in Kakamega’s Kambi
Somali Estate. From the look of things, Amina who happens to be a Muslim
brokered the Kakamega visit with some State House operatives.
Among those who skipped the funeral were
Musalia Mudavadi, Kenneth Marende, Soita Shitanda, Andrew Ligale, Moody
Awori and Wycliffe Oparanya. Firebrand
and vocal trade unionist Francis Atwoli was not available. Despite his own
bereavement having lost his mother, Cyrus Jirongo attended as did Bonny
Khalwale attended. Those also present happened to be first time MPs mostly
allied to UDF of Mudavadi; Benjamin Washiali (Mumias East), Emmanuel Wangwe
(Navakholo), Bernard Shinali (Ikolomani) and Yusuf Chanzu (Vihiga) and ODM’s
Shinyalu MP Anami Lisamula.
No senator or governor graced the visit
further complicating issues except Khalwale attending the burial. Word has it
that majority of prominent Luhyas were not invited due to Ruto who is out to
create a new power base in Luhya politics by sidelining those he sees as likely
rivals in his presidential dream.
Political analysts say that Uhuru’s plan to
use development projects to win the community by sidelining its prominent sons
is a big political gamble.
They give an example where during presidential
campaigns involving then Daniel Arap Moi and Mwai Kibaki, goodies including
roads, revival of Pan Paper Mills and even appointment of Luhya as
vice-president were done but the region still voted for opposition.
The argument is that to bring on board the
community, one has to work with political heavyweights to split the community
in his favour as it happened during the Moi and Kibaki regimes.
Moi perfected the act by bringing Maragoli and
other small tribes together and then isolating the Bukusu who Maragoli of Mudavadi, are the most populous among
the Luhya nation.
On the other side, Kibaki brought Bukusu on
his side, subduing Maragoli who were allied to Raila Odinga. For Uhuru to
effectively penetrate the region, he has to forge an alliance with Mudavadi
since as things stand now, the Bukusu happens to be comfortable with Moses
Wetang’ula position in Cord.
And at the burial of Jirongo’s mother, Mama
Selina Ikonanga Jirongo “Musuba” in Lumakanda, Kakamega county, on Saturday,
Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli took a swipe at Ruto for being the force
behind the tribulations and sidelining of prominent Luhyia sons and daughters
from government. Ruto who arrived later after Atwoli had spoken steered off
regional politics. Atwoli said his problems at NSSF were being engineered by
Ruto and not Labour secretary Kambi Kazungu, whom he described as a
junior.
The combative Cotu boss made it categorical
that the woes bedeviling the Luhya community were being fuelled by the DP who
even having been with Jirongo in YK92, he had blocked him alongside Mudavadi,
Eugene Wamalwa and other leaders from government. Ruto in his speech avoided
Atwoli’s onslaught and instead chided Raila saying when the former PM was in
government, he supported those who were for the new constitution and wondered
why Raila had somersaulted yet he himself was stood with the “No team” that
wanted the constitution bisected before being promulgated.
Mudavadi said calls for a referendum was a
waste of time and that there was no
money for such an exercise following the current economic crunch facing Kenyans
and asked Cord to give Jubilee government time to manage the affairs of the
state as there was time for everything. His sentiments were echoed by Wamalwa
who said calls for a referendum were uncalled for and premature. Others were former
speaker Kenneth Marende, MPs Ben Shinali, Alfred Agoi, Ayub Savula, Malulu
Injendi (Malava), and nominated MP Wangamati, AFC secretary general George
Alwada while Kakamega senator Bonny Khalwale and his Bungoma counterpart Moses
Wetang’ula conspicuously missed the burial.
Back on the national political chessboard, it
is said whereas Uhuru is comfortable with Mudavadi, it is Ruto who is giving
him a headache on how to accommodate his former associate and co-deputy prime
minister.
Unconfirmed reports have
it that Uhuru aware of the complications ahead of his second term bid to State
House, is forcefully pushing for appointment of Mudavadi and Eugene Wamalwa to
plum government slots. Wamalwa was present during the president’s tour. Wamalwa
is likely to be named an ambassador stationed in a strategic Western capital.
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