Two camps have emerged at State House with one pushing Uhuru Kenyatta to back ODM leader Raila Odinga for the presidency in 2022 while the other is fronting Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi.
What is making the battle interesting is the fact that the two camps have the ear of the president as they comprise his most trusted lieutenants.
The camp pushing for Raila to be the 2022 torchbearer consists of Uhuru’s younger brother, Muhoho Kenyatta, uncle, George Muhoho, sister, Kristina Pratt, nominated senator Beth Mugo and former Kiambu woman representative Anne Nyokabi. The camp is said to be wooing Mama Ngina Kenyatta to join them.
Mudavadi and Uhuru
The camp pushing for Uhuru to back Mudavadi consists of former presidential adviser Nancy Gitau, former Jubilee party vice chairman, David Murathe, State House Comptroller, Kinuthia Mbugua and deputy chief of staff, Njee Muturi. national assembly speaker Justin Muturi is said to be in this camp.
Also, former president Mwai Kibaki, through his son, Jimmy, is said to be backing this camp.
Interestingly, another camp is pushing for William Ruto. This camp consists of Uhuru’s private secretary, Jomo Gecaga and senate speaker Ken Lusaka. However, the president is said to have told them he will not back his number two for the highest seat in the land.
Insiders add that the Muhoho-George-Pratt-Mugo-Nyokabi camp is convinced Raila is the best bet to safeguard the Kenyatta family interests in the post-2022 government.
As a result, the camp has been cementing the historical ties between the Kenyatta and Odinga families since the March 9 2018 handshake between Uhuru and Raila.
Early last year, Uhuru’s brother, Muhoho visited Raila at the family’s Bondo home where he was accompanied by cabinet secretary Raphael Tuju and Homa Bay businessman Sam Wakiaga.
They gathered at Kango Kajaramogi to commemorate the life and times of Raila’s father, former vice-president Jaramogi Odinga Oginga. Odinga died on January 20 1994.
During the ceremony, Raila and Muhoho laid a wreath at Oginga mausoleum, in an event that affirmed the close ties between the Odinga and Kenyatta families.
In his address, Muhoho said because of the handshake, he took an initiative to visit Bondo and participate in the anniversary and church development.
There are reports Raila might appoint Muhoho the prime minister if he wins the presidency.
Raila and Muhoho
Prior to Muhoho’s visit, Uhuru had visited Bondo where he dined with the Odingas before attending a graduation ceremony at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University.
In another interesting twist, last year Uhuru’s uncle, Muhoho joined Raila for a tour at Ringa Boys Secondary School in Kasipul constituency in Homa Bay county where he urged Kenyans to support the handshake saying it had brought peace in the country.
The duo were accompanied by area MP Eve Obara, Homa Bay senator Moses Kajwang’, area woman rep Gladys Wanga and MPs Peter Masara (Suna West) and Mishi Mboko (Likoni).
All the leaders called for a political pact between the Luo and Kikuyu communities in the runup to the 2022 general election.
Eyebrows were also raised when the ODM leader hosted Uhuru’s elder sister, Kristina Pratt at his Capitol Hill office in Nairobi.
“I was pleased to receive Madam Kristina Pratt Kenyatta at my office this morning,” Raila posted on his social media accounts, accompanied by pictures of the two.
Although Pratt has for a long time remained apolitical, at least publicly, the meeting had political connotations, considering the political camaraderie being exhibited by Uhuru and Raila following their March 2018 handshake.
The ODM leader was also joined by former Kiambu Woman Representative, Ann Nyokabi when he presided over a luncheon-cum-fundraiser for PCEA Kangoya Child Development Centre in Kiambu.
Nyokabi, daughter of Paul Gatheca, is Uhuru’s cousin.
Murathe
But insiders add that the Nancy-Murathe-Kinuthia-Njee camp fears that a Raila candidature will not resonate well with the populous Kikuyu community.
The Nancy-Murathe-Kinuthia-Njee camp believes Mudavadi is the most suitable political bride who will safeguard the interests of the Kikuyu elite. To them, it is only Mudavadi who can counter deputy president William Ruto in Mount Kenya if well repackaged. Uhuru’s recent gesture to give Mudavadi a ride on the presidential chopper to Garissa county, a day after Jamhuri Day and which got tongues wagging, was organised by this camp.
The camp also cites the fact that Uhuru and Mudavadi, who were both born in 1961, only 40 days apart, have come a long way and are loyal political students of retired president Daniel arap Moi, having been personally dragged into politics by Moi.
Moi appointed them as cabinet ministers and anointed them as his preferred successors in 2002 — Uhuru as presidential candidate and Mudavadi as designate VP.
The camp is also citing the fact that even after facing defeat at the ballot in 2002, the two remained fairly close, with Uhuru inviting his friend to vie for presidency in a coalition he had cobbled together with William Ruto in 2013.
Then, Uhuru and Ruto were facing charges at the International Criminal Court for allegedly fuelling the 2007 post-election violence, and had settled on Mudavadi as a compromise candidate.
The plot however backfired after the Uhuru-Ruto duo changed their mind, with Uhuru famously claiming he had been misled by demons.
In the just-published autobiography, Soaring Above the Storms of Passion, Mudavadi writes that even though he knew that the winds of change would sweep Kanu out of power, he supported Uhuru Kenyatta, Moi’s choice for successor, because of family pressure.
It is this camp that has advised Mudavadi to heighten his political activities by crisscrossing the country and assailing Raila to distance himself from the ODM leader and the Nasa coalition and to rebrand himself as his own man as he eyes the presidency.
Mudavadi is now struggling to remove the Raila-man label and ring-fence his Western vote bloc in readiness for a mega political pact.
It was this camp that advised Mudavadi to brand Raila as a violent man who cannot be trusted to safeguard the interests of Kenyans.
Mudavadi delivered this message during campaigns for the by-election in Kibra when he accused Raila and his ODM brigade of orchestrating violence to intimidate rivals.
The game-plan is to cast the ODM leader as unreliable and violent man, particularly in the eyes of the Kikuyu who have invested in nearly all the 47 counties. The pro-Mudavadi camp are also enging Baringo senator Gideon Moi to work on an alliance.Initially, Gideon was being groomed for presidency but the team has discovered,the senator candidature cannot be sold in Mount Kenya region.
Nancy Gitau was among those surrounding retired president Mwai Kibaki that wanted Mudavadi his successor and even formed United Democratic Movement to propel him to power.
