Former vice president and Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka on Wednesday appeared before the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Nairobi where he was grilled over allegations of grabbing 200-acre piece of land in Yatta.
Kalonzo who accompanied by his lawyer James Orengo said he was summoned by the DCI to shed light on how he acquired the land in Yatta, Machakos county. The politician who had also been questioned by DCI land fraud team in January arrived at the DCI Headquarters along Kiambu Rd, Nairobi at 10.30 am said he was on a mission to clear his name after Deputy President Dr. William Ruto accused of grabbing the land belongs to the National Youth Service.
“….just arrived at the Director of Criminal Investigations accompanied by my legal team to honour the summons ……I own the land legally, the claim by the Deputy President is outrageous and I challenge him to substantiate his allegations,” Kalonzo said.
The Wiper leader who is eyeing presidency in the coming 2022 elections was blasted by DP Ruto who accused him of doing nothing to his people other than grabbing the prime plot in his rural home after decades of in government.
But in his defense, Kalonzo trashed DP’s allegations as wild and desperate propaganda, describing himself as a person of “high moral and ethical standards” without stains of corruption.
Kalonzo who worked with Ruto in Moi administration was the first to accuse the country’s second in command of corruption, citing a case where the DP was charged with grabbing land belonging to a businessman in his Rift Valley turf wher he lost the case and was ordered to return the land.
The Wiper leaders who was also accompanied by his political allies including Makueni senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr and Makueni Mp Dan Maanzo challenged the DP to follow suit and present himself before the DCI for thorough scrutiny.
“I have nothing to hide and I today challenge the authorities to open an investigation into this matter. I am today presenting myself for a thorough investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations as well as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.” Kalonzo said.
The rivalry between Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Makueni governor Prof. Kivutha Kibwana is set to move a notch higher following the death of Nguu/Masumba ward MCA Harris Ngui who perished last week after the car he was driving collided head-on with a lorry along Mombasa-Nairobi highway.
Ngui who died on the spot was elected on a Wiper ticket just like governor Kibwana who has fallen out with Kalonzo and is expected to back a candidate from a rival party in the coming by-election to replace the deceased MCA.
Makueni county police commander Joseph Ole Naipeyan in his report said that the lady died from serious injuries on her way to Machakos Level 5 Hospital.
“Salama Police Station is reporting a fatal injury road traffic accident which occurred today 15/06/2021 at about 1830hrs within ACK area along Mombasa Nairobi highway,” the report read in part.
Nguu/Masumba ward is in Kibwezi West, Makueni county which voted with Kalonzo in the 2017 elections but the by-election will present a proper platform for both Kalonzo and Kibwana to face off a head of 2022 polls where both of them have expressed quests for presidency.
The late Nguu/Masumba ward MCA, Harris Ngui [p/courtesy]Kalonzo who served as the country’s tenth vice president was quick to send condolences to the family of the late MCA saying that his Wiper party had lost a brilliant mind. Ngui was elected MCA in 2017 on the Wiper ticket after garnering 4,054 votes and beating Timothy Maneno, an independent candidate who came a distant second with some 1,169 votes.
The coming by-election will be a clear showcase of Kalonzo-Kibwana rivalry over Ukambani supremacy battles after cracks emerged in Kalonzo’s Wiper party ahead of the 2022 elections.
The split in the biggest political party in the region deepened after Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana accused Kalonzo Musyoka of hiding behind the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) to stoke political wars kill to dim his political star.
Prof Kibwana has over the time asked Makueni residents to rethink their support for Kalonzo whom he claims does not value the region.
President Uhuru Kenyatta chaired a meeting of BBI proponents on Thursday last week, two days after nearly forty counties voted in support of the Amendment Bill. The privately invited attendees included the Former VP Kalonzo Musyoka, former PM Raila Odinga, ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi, Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, Moses Wetangula and Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu.
But Kalonzo was not happy with the presence of governor Charity Ngilu during the meeting held at state house, Nairobi. The former VP believes he is still the undisputed leader of the Kamba people despite his position being under numerous attacks by budding politicians like Alfred Mutua and Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana.
Seasoned politicians like Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu has also locked horns with the former VP whom she describes a coward who can not lead the Kamba people.
The two leaders have been embroiled in supremacy wars for a long time but Kalonzo still believes he is the man to represent the interests of his Ukambani backyard without tagging Ngilu.
Baringo Senator addressing the nation after the state house meeting. [p/courtesy]The two leaders been faking a close working relationship while selling BBI in their region but Kalonzo still feels threatened even as pressure mounts on the ‘Super Seven’ to strike a balance and push the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) through then remain united and form the next government when Kenyatta retires in 2022.
Their biggest threat is the Deputy President William Ruto who is opposing the BBI document and has been running a lone race but raiding rival political blocs and making inroads as he prepares to capture presidency next year.
Other than Ngilu, Kalonzo is also bickering with the DP Ruto who accused him of grabbing the NYS land in Yatta and the ODM leader Raila Odinga who has played him over their 2017 deal in which Raila had promised to back him in 2022.
The relation between Kalonzo and Ngilu is deteriorating at the time when the president calling on the BBI proponents to slow down on intra-alliance wars in order to tackle the DP.
The Kamba political kingpin and Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has found an excuse to keep off the bitter war between Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzi Jnr and Philip Kaloki who are both his close allies.
In August Kalonzo assured the supporters of the two politician who are eyeing the Makueni gubernatorial seat through the Wiper ticket that he would see how the two can bargain and share power.
But the entry of one Prof. Emmanuel-Mutisya who is fast becoming an household name in Makueni has spared Kalonzo the headache of having to choose between Mutula and Kaloki.
Mutisya is a professor of Economics and Mathematics who has track record of development compared to the two seasoned politicians but Kaloki has also used his position as the chairman of Kenya Medical Training College where he looted and used the proceeds to keep his political dream alive.
Kaloki also used his position and influence at KMTC to ensure that medical colleges are started in interior corners of Ukambani including Nunguni.
He also announced that he will be breaking ground for construction of a KMTC campus in his home area of Makindu.
With Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior’s name off the development records, Mutisya is copying and pasting what Kaloki did when he ran for parliamentary seat.
Prof. Emmanuel Mutisya is also eyeing Makueni governorship on Wiper ticket [p/courtesy]He is hoping from one constituency to the next with international development partners including Toyota Kenya managing director Toyoki Kunoue.
But Mutula is a stranger in his village but he believes that he has been close to Kalonzo enough for Kambas to vote for him on top of the name his father built.
He is taking every opportunity to be seen by the side of Kalonzo as a strategy to market himself.
The two professors Mutisya and Kaloki are relying on their work on the ground but Kaloki is specifically being close Kalonzi to get the Wiper ticket where Mutula is a major threat.
In his Kazi Bila Ubaguzi slogan, Mutisya has also pitched camp in Kilome constituency where he has dug the Kwa Makaa dam in Mavivye. On top of training the youth of Makueni on agronomy and agri-mechanisation whereby youths are trained on how to operate tractors so that they can prepare the shambas of residents, Mutisya has also started the Prof Emmanuel Mutisya Makueni football league. But it is in education where Mutisya who is also the chairman of Kenya Diaspora Community has made the biggest mark constructing classroom blocks for schools and also issuing scholarships to students to join the university.
Not to be left behind, Kaloki has also been putting his position as KMTC chair into good use ensuring that as many students as possible from Makueni are admitted in KMTC and also settling the fees of some of those who can not afford it. In his Kibwezi backyard, Kaloki also runs scholarship schemes. If development was what determined who became governor in Makueni to take over from Kibwana who has taken Makueni to another level especially on matters health and water provision where he has ensured that UN standards that one must have a health facility within a five-kilometre radius are met, the seat would be Mutisya’s or Kaloki’s. As for water provision, Kivutha has seen dams constructed in every village where locals are willing to avail land for the purpose.
Photo|Courtesy. NASA Principal Rails Odinga posing with his Lawyers-turned-Politicians in Milimani law court
Lawyers are a higher breed of intellect, and so it’s their privilege to lie.
It’s said that Lawyers make the best legislators and so are Lawyers-turned- Politicians. In world stage, i cant disagree with this norm but this has greatly derailed Kenya as a 3rd world country still in the cleansing cycle to remove economic, political and social rusts. This makes me furthermore agree with Richard Laam that “All we know about the new economic world tells us that nations which train engineers will prevail over those which train lawyers. No nation has ever sued its way to greatness. ”
Lawyers are smart intellects but privileged liars provided that their bank accounts keeps on bloating with money.
In Kenya, mainstream media houses are paid to cleanse public coffers through their lawyers as political analysts to control public mind since power lies in the hands of the people and which also corrupts minds of the judges and magistrates.
Argument by lawyers should only be in the court rooms. But these Lawyers- turned- Politicians cover up in the name of Political analysts at a time when they’re representing high profile, elite class cases.
This is evident and in the public dormain when Chief Justice David Maraga pointed out controversial City lawyer Grand Muller Ahmednassir Abdulahi for disrespecting the Courts and profession arguing and discrediting court outside the court.
1. GovernorMike Sonko’s case
Photo| Courtesy. Governor Mike Sonko’s legal team of Lawyers-turned-Politicians
The team standing by the side of Governor Mike Sonko led by lawyer Cecil; Makueni County Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior, Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, Dan Maanzo-MP Makueni, George Kithi, Alphonse Mutinda, Osundwa Michael, Harrison Kinyanjui lawyer Nelson Havi and three othersSonko is facing money laundering, bribery and other corruption-related charges on a Sh357 million scandal to which he pleaded “not guilty” to when he was arraigned before anti-corruption court magistrate Douglas Ogoti, in a packed court that was secured by anti-riot police officers.
2.Deputy Chief Justice (DCJ) Philomena Mwilu
DCJ Philomena Mwilu standing on her left is former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka who was among her legal team
Senators James Orengo (Siaya), Mutula Kilonzo Junior (Makueni) and Nyamira’s Okong’o Omogeni. Three Members of Parliament who are advocates have also joined the legal team and they include Anthony Oluoch (Mathare), Millie Odhiambo (Suba North) and Homa Bay’s Peter Kaluma. Not forgetting former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka was also part of the legal.
This whole legal team was full of Lawyers turned Politicians from one political side. A case which was politically instigated over 2017 elections when Supreme court which DCJ Mwilu was among the 4 Judges who invalidated the 2017 General election Presidential results as null and void being hunted by the same people whose results were invalidated and who had promised to revenge the Judges, promised to revisit the Judicial system which they termed as ‘Wakora’ network – Conmen.
3. Senator, SC James Orengo in Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong’s case.
Here is a hullabaloo where the watchdog Senator who is suppose to oversee the performance of the County led by the Governor is protecting the thief in the name of being a lawyer. This is case of personal interest being that they both belong in the same political party at the ground hence his involvement was in the best interest of the party and personal gain over the common citizens, taxpayers whose money were stolen from.
I fail to understand the kind of Jurisprudence by which Kenyan lawyers-turned-politicians, who have been leading demonstrators to fight against corruption, can rationalize defending those accused of corruption
In Kenya, almost 60% of the Legislators are Lawyers-turned-Politicians. They make laws in parliament that will be easy for them to defend and win in the court when caught up. They make laws that suit their best interests tomorrow. Legislators duty is to make laws while Lawyers duty is to defend these Laws and simply you dont expect those who defend these laws to make tough legislations that will challenge them to defend. These individuals don’t represent interest of common mwananchi but the best interest of their future jobs.
Dishonest lawyers are product from dishonest clients and in Kenyan cases, the dishonest people implicated in graft cases are the same Lawyers-turned-politicians who get defended before the judge by fellow Lawyers-turned-politicians because they’ve a right to do so when this is morally absurd and mockery of Justice.
Personally i think it’s high time Lawyers-turned-politicians are exempted from participating in such cases if this Graft menace is to be won. A lawyer with briefcase steals 100 times what 100 gunmen can steal at the same time.
