Kalonzo accuses allies of letting Ruto gain ground in Ukambani

By  Pius Maundu

Correspondent

Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

• Mr Musyoka accused his foot soldiers of threatening his standing in the united opposition.
• His remarks came barely a week after President Ruto pitched camp in Ukambani region.  

As he steps up efforts to bag the opposition presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 General Election, Wiper Patriotic (WPF) leader Kalonzo Musyoka has endured a fresh headache; a threat on his grip of his Ukambani traditional political bedrock.

The WPF leader has accused his foot soldiers of failing to push back against President William Ruto’s sustained efforts to make political inroads in Kitui, Machakos and Makueni counties.

“We have a team of five people who move around as they campaign across this region,” Mr Musyoka said, referring to a team of President Ruto’s allies in Machakos County led by Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka.

“Instead of countering them because you have the people behind you, everyone is campaigning alone. Wake up and move as a team so that you set me free to move to the rest of the country,” he said.

Mr Musyoka’s frustration cast a long shadow during a thanksgiving and homecoming ceremony for Machakos Senator Agnes Kavindu at Mua Hills on Saturday.

The ceremony graced by a handful of his allies turned out to be an opportunity for a dressing down.

Mr Musyoka accused his foot soldiers of threatening his standing in the united opposition by failing to show up in large numbers during the recent launch of Linda Mwananchi Movement secretariat in Nairobi.

It is not the first time Mr Musyoka had expressed his frustration. Mr Musyoka's disappointment is fueled by growing infighting among his allies.

Ms Kavindu, for instance, does not see eye-to-eye with Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti. Their relationship has grown frosty in recent years after Ms Ndeti accused Ms Kavindu of working closely with her political rivals.

It got worse after Machakos Lands Executive Nathaniel Nganga, who is a close ally of Ms Ndeti, joined the race for the WPF ticket to challenge Ms Kavindu. The ticket has also attracted former Machakos Health Executive Daniel Yumbya and prominent lawyer Musyoka Kala. 

The entry of former Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua in the Machakos Senator race has also unsettled Mr Musyoka.

According to political analysts, the infighting has tested WPF’s ability to withstand internal competition and made Ukambani a political battleground ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Mr Kalonzo's remarks came barely a week after President Ruto pitched camp in Ukambani region.  

When he graced Ms Kavindu’s thanksgiving ceremony, Mr Musyoka accused his allies of inadvertently playing into the hands of President Ruto’s allies in frustrating his State House dream.

He said the lack of vibrancy among his foot soldiers had played into the hands of a section of the community which did not believe he has what it takes to challenge President Ruto in 2027.

“We have doubting Thomases in our community whom we need to bring on board,” Mr Musyoka said.

Kilome MP Thaddeus Nzambia said Machakos County was particularly affected by President Ruto’s sustained efforts to make inroads in the Ukambani region.

Out of the eight MPs in Machakos County, five are allied to President Ruto. Only Kathiani MP Robert Mbui and his Matungulu counterpart Stephen Mule are allied to

Mr Musyoka. Mavoko MP Patrick Makau has since ditched Mr Musyoka and identified with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna's Linda Mwananchi Movement.

“You need to learn a lesson from Makueni County where only one MP is allied to President Ruto,” Mr Nzambia said.

Mr Musyoka has severally sought to assure his allies that WPF was committed to free and fair nominations. This has not eased the infighting, especially in Kitui County where Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua, Kitui Woman Representative Irene Kasalu and Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu are jostling for the WPF ticket to succeed Kitui Governor Julius Malombe.

The entry of former Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu in the race has complicated things for Mr Musyoka's allies. 

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