MATHARE BY-ELECTION LED TO PS MUTEA IRINGO'S DEMOTION

Sources within the corridors of power have now revealed that the immediate former Interior Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo’s demotion to the less colorful and less prestigious Defence ministry was as a result of TNA’s loss in the recent Mathare by-election.

Iringo who sources claim had allegedly misled President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto into campaigning for the TNA candidate George Wanbjohi telling them that the campaign team he had put in place during the campaigns was able to deliver the seat back to TNA.

We have since gathered that Iringo had been asked by top jubilee officials to set up a strong and influential team to spearhead the campaigns and preferred that TNA campaigns be led by Starehe MP Maina Kamanda and nominated MP beth Mugo.

At one time, there were total disagreements within TNA as majority of Nairobi TNA MPs and County Reps told State House that the Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko was best placed to spearhead the TNA campaigns in Nairobi since nhe understands well the Nairobi\s political terrain but sources say Iringo stood his ground and informed State house that Kamanda and Mugo were more influential and more appealing to voters than Sonko.

This forced Sonko to boycott the campaigns and left everything to Iringo-Kamnada-Mugo team who had to swallow their pride on the eve of President Uhuru’s to reach out to Sonko to tour Mathare to lobby for the youth and TNA supporters to come out in large numbers to welcome the President.

Sources say, Sonko was summoned from State House after reports indicated that CORD had planted youths to heckle the president and his team during the campaigns.

Sonko too had to swallow his pride and heed to the president’s call and pitched tent in Mathare for six hours lobbying the youth to turn out in large numbers to welcome the president and indeed Uhuru was shocked at the huge crowd that gave him a rousing welcome. Sonko is said to have lobbied the youths in a door to door campaign ahead of Uhuru’s visit but was conspicuously missing during the President’s tour.

After the loss, sources say TNA held a meeting and heaped the blame on iringo for embarrassing the president to campaign in Mathare yet the people he had guiven the mandate were not up to the task. It is against this background that Sonko is said to have reached out to Uhuru to take action against Iringo. It is not however known if his demotion was through Sonko’s influence or it had been planned even before the TNA’s devastating defeat in Mathare. But those who know Sonko well say he is a close buddy to Uhuru and he could have played a big role in Iringo’s demotion.