Kenya Insights

Tag: BBI Politics

  • CS Wamalwa meddling in Trans-Nzoia politics

    CS Wamalwa meddling in Trans-Nzoia politics

    The soft spoken Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa is the errand boy running Jubilee Party operations in Trans-Nzoia County. He recently led a countermove to DP William Ruto’s tour of the region when he hosted the Interior CS Dr. Fred Matiang’i who inspected small projects as they drummed up support for the BBI document.

    Also in the tour were Cherengany MP Joshua Kutuny and Trans Nzoia Assembly speaker Joshua Werunga who is eyeing the governor’s seat in 2022.

    Wamalwa’s tour was to send a signal to the Deputy President William Ruto who controls the vote rich rift region that he is a budding opponents. He called in Matiang’i who is seen as the man being used by the system to cut Ruto to size and Kuttuny who succeeded DP’s henchman and Soy MP Caleb Kositany who was recently sacked from the position of the deputy secretary-general of Jubilee party.

    CS Wamalwa emphasized that the projects they toured were financed by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration and not by the Deputy President who has been traversing the county and launching projects.

    He is accredited for luring the Trans Nzoia County Assembly with majority Jubilee MCAs to pass the Building Bridges Initiative Bill to massage his 2022 presidential dream. Wamalwa enjoys the support of less influential Kanu party officials like Pius Arap Kauka who has thrown salvos at Ruto’s allies for opposing the BBI drive. Kauka told off Endebess MP  Robert Pukose who accused Trans Nzoia MCAs of accepting the car grant bribe to vote in favor of the Bill.

    Pukose is the man leading Ruto’s campaign’s in the county alongside women representative Janet Nangabo, Kakai Bisau and Abraham Sing’oei who are both working at the DP’s office.

    Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa and his Interior counterpart Fred Matiang’i. [p/courtesy].
    As Wamalwa fumbles to tackle DP Ruto’s influence in the county, talks are also underway with a section of elders pushing Wamalwa to utilize his ministerial status and run for the gubernatorial seat in 2022 or vie for a parliamentary seats to allow him to ascend to the national politics if BBI Bill is adopted. BBI will allow the president to pick ministers from parliament but he still shies from making such plans public.

    “I will declare my political aspiration at the right time after getting views from residents of this county at the right time. I am currently focused on discharging duties bestowed upon me by the president,” Wamalwa told the Standard Newspaper in 2019.

    Many politicians from the county have lined up to occupy the seat currently by Patrick Khaemba including Kiminini Mp Chris Wamalwa of the Ford-K party, Dr Stanley Tarus, Dr Abraham Sing’oei, Kakai Bissau, Janet Nangabo, Moses Khaoya, and Philemn Samoei.

    Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chief executive officer Ezra Chiloba has been mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate or an aspirant in Kwanza constituency until the ICT CS Joe Mucheru has appointed him the Youth Enterprise and Development Fund board director.

    That’s a blessing to Wamalwa whose head of women caucus, Dorcas Njenga, has hinted that he is waiting for the BBI outcome to decide his next move which could be a county or national seat but he is aware that he lost touch with that the grassroots after he was made a cabinet secretary.

    Wamalwa is lying on the waning influence of Governor Khaemba after BBI and 2022 politics brought them together. Khaemba is serving his final and Eugene Wamalwa could be desperate for his endorsement.

     

     

     

     

  • Muthama’s estranged wife moves to dare him in the ballot

    Muthama’s estranged wife moves to dare him in the ballot

    The race to fill Machakos senatorial seat that fell vacant after the death of Boniface Kabaka is promising to be an interesting one. It’s a mix of family feud and BBI politics.

    The outspoken former Senator Johnston Muthama has indicated his intentions to reclaim the seat after being in the political cold since 2017 when he chose not to run.

    Muthama cited his bad relationship with Governor Alfred Mutua but now wants to make a comeback through a by-election where his opponents have psyched his estranged wife, Agnes Kavindu, to given him a run for his money when is also the sitting governor of Machakos.

    Kavindu’s candidature is a major challenge for the talkative DP man, now or in future. He has been sent back into the drawing board, he may choose not to run again to spare himself the embarrassment. The support Muthama enjoyed in 2017 when Wiper begged him with a ticket has diminished.

    He ditched Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka for DP William Ruto’s Tangtanga group, meaning he will face serious opposition from Kalonzo’s supporters and Governor Mutua’s supporters.

    The former senator is also not in good books with a number of MPs from the Kamba region who are backing DP Ruto. The fairly younger Mps have accused Muthama of pocketing their hand-outs and allowances from the Dp.

    Agnes Kavindu in Jubilee colors [p/courtesy]
    But the late Kabaka won the seat on a CCU ticket after beating Wiper’s Jackson Kala by some 5000 votes in the senate fight that continues to pose a major challenge to Kalonzo Musyoka to defend his kingpin position.

    Muthamas who is also still among top names in Kamba politics has not declared the party he will use to vie for the seat but Ruto followers prefer going Independent since the DP lost control over Jubilee Party.

    Reliable sources also reveal that the party Muthama will use is the one DP will use to run for presidency in 2022.

    Kavinda’s candidature however remains a mere drama as Ruto factor is what is expected to spice up the campaigns. Ruto will face off with Kalonzo who is a big critic of his wheelbarrow and cart projects.

    The DP will use the senatorial campaigns as opportunity to flex muscles with Kalonzo, another possible 2022 presidential candidate he beat Raila Odinga in Msambweni last week.

    But the former VP does not have a proper candidate to field against Muthama because he is supporting the BBI proposals that has nothing substantial for the Kamba people.

    President Uhuru Kenyatta’s home county of Kiambu got six more constituencies from the BBI report but Kitui which is 20 times the size of Kiambu got none.

    Muthama who is enjoying the support of Ruto will campaign against the BBI document that Kalonzo and Ngilu are struggling to sell in the region.

     

    Kalonzo’s camp that is also facing opposition from Raila Odinga is begging President Uhuru Kenyatta to finance Wiper party so that they can use the campaigns to force BBI on the throats of the Kamba people.