The ongoing Kieleweke and Tangatanga political formations are more pronounced in the Mt. Kenya region and it’s diaspora in the Rift Valley. President Kenyatta’s erstwhile political influence in the region has plummeted to it’s lowest in recent times.
It is obvious the Kieleweke group who are vehemently opposed to DP Ruto’s 2022 bid is a grouping of bitter and sore 2017 losers, the regions political rejects assorted political deadwood and losers watarajiwa.
Let’s be honest. Who expects the Kieleweke loudmouths like Ngunjiri Wambugu, Gathoni wa Muchomba or Maina Kamanda to curry favour with voters in any main party’s primaries or even at the general elections should they be given direct nomination tickets? Voters can hardly wait to send them home. To expect the same characters to sway voters in any direction is to be unimaginative.
Among this coalition of losers are greedy and hungry political brokers angling for parastatal jobs and other state largesse. Their recent noise is informed by selfish interests. They know Uhuru Kenyatta will be without influence post-2022. Why not make hay when the sun shines?
One political fact about Mt. Kenya region is that they have already made up their minds about Uhuru Kenyatta. There is a subtle and often verbalised conclusion that “Uhuru nî gûtee” (slang for Uhuru is politically unuseful to the region).
The March 2018 Handshake and his coziness with former rival Raila Odinga has made things worse. His stronghold view him as someone under some unexplained spell. We may dismiss the trending letter by an alleged Nyamakima trader, but that letter captures the political mood in the region.
The real reason and intention for cancellation of a prayer meeting scheduled for Muranga today, whose chief guest was DP Dr. William Ruto, and was to be graced by over 130 MPs, 12 Governors, several Senators and other grassroots leaders was generally to save the President’s face. Obviously the ground has shifted with the DP commanding more political respect than the President.
When Uhuru Kenyatta made that tweet from Namibia that culminated shortly after in the shutting down of his social media accounts, allegedly because of “attempted hacking,” he probably had not anticipated the backlash. The kind of insults he received on the platforms for seemingly undermining his Deputy were out of this world.
I have stated before on this platform that there was no hacking of the social media accounts, the President and his handlers could not handle the insults especially from his own stronghold. It was going to escalate into something nasty. No wonder the President is still hiding from the public, two weeks after another embarrassment in Beijing.
Beyond all the political shenanigans going back and forth, the fact is Dr. William Ruto cannot be processed that easily out of the current political matrix.
The people can see through the political mudslinging against him. Every of the DP’s detractors’ “mwizi ni mwizi” mantra is somewhat being turned into “mwizi ni wewe.” Mt. Kenya region can hardly wait to get rid of Uhuru for his dismal performance.