Kanini Kega: Take it from me, it’s over between Uhuru and Ruto

Sharp-tongued and blessed with matching wit, the Kieni MP is no stranger to controversy, and in this special interview he analyses the frosty relations between the President and his deputy, the possibility of the two ever mending fences, Raila’s chances in Mt Kenya, and why the OKA brigade might soon join the Azimio camp.

You are one of the leading luminaries in Azimio, what is the movement all about?

Azimio is a promise to bring Kenyans together and it started with the Handshake when the President extended his hand to Raila and said never again should we have bloodshed in this country, not even for political reasons.

Also, Mr Odinga in his countrywide tours was also unequivocal that he would only accept to vie for the presidency on one condition; that of bringing everyone together.

What is in Azimio for Jubilee?

People from Mt Kenya, who are the majority in Jubilee, are the worst hit whenever there is no peace in the country.

So, any person trying to bring us together will be our person, and that is the reason we are gravitating towards Raila because he is keen on uniting the country.

Are there any irreducible minimums for Jubilee in this arrangement?

We have not come to issues of irreducible minimums. We want to be part and parcel of the team that will unite the country and also benefit from the pie.

However, we are not dictating what piece we want.

What about talks of the running mate position going to Mt Kenya region?

Ours is not much about the position we get because we have had them (vice-president positions) before but we did not benefit as a community.

What we are looking at is creation of an enabling environment to do business. As farmers, we want an assurance that our produce will get good market.

However, if it comes with a position, then so be it.

You are now very close with Mr Odinga. How did this come to be?

It began after the Handshake where we struck a good working rapport. Through my interactions with him, I have come to realise he is an honest politician and person. This is unlike the lies we peddled against him, something I am guilty about.

It is my strong belief that he is the right person to lead the country after President Uhuru.

Did you see the Handshake coming?

We did not. We were caught by surprise just like everybody else. We were just from two vicious contests between Jubilee and ODM, so we never imagined a situation where the two would shake hands.

What caused the rift between the President and his deputy?

When we concluded the General Election in 2017, we had a parliamentary group meeting at State House on August 28, 2017 and I remember the President being categorical that the election season was over and focus should be on delivering the promises made to the people for the next four years.

He even singled out the DP, telling him that after we have done our work delivering to the people, he will be the one leading the troops in 2021 for the continuity of Jubilee.

But the DP did the opposite. Instead of supporting the President in his agenda, he continued with his countrywide political visitations, making political pronouncements and even launching projects.

That is where the rain started beating him. He focused on his election as president in 2022 and forgot that there was a president who had made commitments to the people.

Maybe there are other issues that I may not be privy to, but I think that is the main reason.

So it was betrayal by the DP?

It was not only by the DP, but by many of other members of Parliament who at some point totally disassociated themselves from the President.

Is the relationship between the two beyond repair?

Yes, it is. Anybody thinking that the President will change his mind to support Ruto is engaging in fertile imagination.

Was there an agreement that the President would lead the country for 10 years and then support the DP for his 10 years?

I cannot remember any agreement to that effect. Maybe there were pronouncements pegged on everything remaining constant.

The yangu kumi, yako kumi narrative was dependent on the DP supporting the President fully for 10 years but he did not fulfil that, so even if such pronouncement was there then it becomes null and void.

Ultimately, it is the people who will make the decision.

Even when Raila said ‘Kibaki Tosha’, it was the people who went to vote.

You were very close with the DP in the first term of the Jubilee government, what happened between you two?

We were very close and went to literally every corner of the country together.

In fact, he visited my constituency more than 10 times but the moment he started gravitating away from the President, I also had to naturally disengage. That is where we parted ways. He went his way and I remained on the side of the President.

It is said, though, that the President has lost a lot of support in his backyard to Ruto.

That is one of the assumptions the advisers of Ruto have made. They assumed he would be a lame-duck president but you can see that he is still the most sought after leader in the country and even beyond our borders.

Even those claiming that he has lost his popularity are behind the scenes seeking to reconcile him with the DP because they know he still commands Mt Kenya. Wait until he convenes Sagana III.

What about Sagana III?

We, the people of Mt Kenya, are very regimental and before we embark on any major decision we always retreat and discuss amongst ourselves the best route for us to follow.

We did Limuru I and II which gave birth to Uhuru Kenyatta as the president. We also did Sagana I and II during the referendum.

The Sagana III will give the community the direction to follow in matters 2022 presidential election.

We are still waiting for it but people can read the lips of a few of us to know the direction and what will happen in Sagana III.

We will meet as Mt Kenya and even those in diaspora and we will leave there speaking in one voice.

Back to Raila; is he a State project?

I find it hypocritical that when the President is supporting Raila the ODM leader is branded a State project, but when it was fit for the President to support Ruto the UDA leader was not a project.

Why the doublespeak? People try to spin things when support is not coming their way.

It has been alleged that Raila will serve for one term before handing back the baton. Is that true?

The Constitution provides that a president can run for two terms and I don’t think there is any agreement to that effect.

It is upon the candidate to decide whether he is going for two terms or one. It will be at his discretion.

If he decides to go for one term, so be it. If he goes for two terms, we will still be there to support him.

The Deputy President has made huge inroads into Mt Kenya though; how did this happen?

In 2012 President Kenyatta came to us and told us that he will team up with Ruto but we were very apprehensive.

However, he sat us down and after interventions by elders and several meetings we listened to him and embraced the DP.

I recall I was the first leader who hosted him on June 6, 2013 and we even had a ceremony to crown him as one of our own.

He would come with the name of the President and nobody had any reason to doubt him and that is how he built his support base.

Have you made any strides in selling Raila in Mt Kenya?

When we started the journey with Raila to climb the mountain, we were at five per cent acceptance rate and now we are about 40 or 45 per cent in some areas, with the lowest being 30 per cent.

I believe that in about two months’ time the scale will tilt and we will be about 70 or 75 per cent, and at that moment it will be a free fall for the DP.

But don’t Ruto’s wins in by-elections in the region warn you that he is not going to be a pushover?

Ruto’s lead in Central is temporary and I think he ran too fast, like a pacesetter. He has been dictating the pace but when the bell rings he will fall off.

We messed in nominations in some of the by-elections like in Rurii and that is why we came up with the Political Parties Amendments Bill to cure such messes. But any way, mini polls are not the best indicators of one’s popularity.

Is there anything cooking between OKA and Azimio?

If it walks and quacks like a duck, then it is probably a duck. We are friends with the OKA leaders and I will not be surprised that what they did was a pre-wedding waiting for the main wedding. But I don’t want to pre-empt as I am not party to any negotiations.

Was OKA a holding ground to make sure the leaders don’t join UDA?

No. I don’t think you can hold people not to join formations of their liking.

But has the move by Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula to join hands with DP Ruto sent Azimio back to the drawing board?

It is a blessing in disguise because they have joined UDA as individuals but their troops were left behind.

They disengaged the trailer and went with the head. Musalia, for instance, has been losing MPs left, right and centre.