Latent politicians from yesteryears get new life as coalitions take shape

As he praised the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) constituent parties during the Jubilee National Delegates Convention (NDC) last weekend, there was that hilarious moment when President Uhuru Kenyatta could not remember the name of Cyrus Jirongo’s party.

“Jirongo yako saa ingine si…Inaitwaje?” he asked as delegates and guests burst out in laughter.

With a party that even the president hardly remembers its name, Mr Jirongo, however, currently occupies the political high table, as he becomes the face of former powerful names making a return, and in some cases benefiting from the ongoing political re-alignments ahead of the 2022 elections.

Others include former strong men in President Daniel arap Moi’s administration who are now set to fight it out with a breed of ambitious, young politicians as they seek to regain their political clout.

Like Mr Jirongo who is now sitting on the same table with the president, ODM’s Raila Odinga, Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, Narc Kenya’s Martha Karua and others to negotiate an Azimio coalition deal, the realignments which have characterised President Uhuru Kenyatta’s succession have thrown a political lifeline to some leaders whose stars had faded and even forgotten.

Opportunities for politicians

“The Kenyan political space is witnessing many permutations and combinations and as result creating opportunities for politicians and personalities who on a normal day will have no national voice,” says political commentator Dismas Mokua.

He credits, among others, the recent amendments to the Political Parties Act that created coalition parties and the mushrooming of regional political outfits for giving “hitherto latent politicians kinetic energy”.

As the coalition-building gathers traction with only five months to the August General Election, the country is now witnessing comebacks of some politicians who had been rejected by electorates in the past polls.

Some of these leaders whom their opponents in previous elections thought to have sent into political oblivion are now the ones calling shots in their formations, a privilege some of their foes are not wielding currently.

Sits at negotiation table

Before disclosing his UDP party, Mr Jirongo was thought to be Baringo Senator Gideon Moi’s point man and at some point last year when OKA was on the campaign trail in Bungoma County, Ford-Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula, who was one of the principals, said they had mandated UDP boss to look for campaign funding.

Now, as Mr Odinga and President Kenyatta are engaging OKA for an alliance, Mr Jirongo sits at the negotiation table.

“With my brother Gideon, we have been working to ensure that we have Azimio-OKA which we will settle on one leader through due process to ensure that our country is united. That one leader, all of us will rally behind him up to the ballot,” he said last week during Jubilee Party’s National Delegates Conference (NDC)

After performing dismally in the 2013 presidential elections, Mr Peter Kenneth was almost spent and even an attempt at a comeback in 2017 as Nairobi governor was extinguished even before it started as former governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko got the Jubilee ticket and stormed to victory in the August 8, 2017 polls.

Steady comeback

But with the 2018 handshake and the rifts in Jubilee, Mr Kenneth has steadily made a comeback and is now among those rumoured as possible candidates for Mr Odinga’s running mate under the Azimio la Umoja coalition party.

The former Gatanga MP has remained active and he is present in most political meetings of the former Prime Minister. He has been the man helping the ODM chief to climb the mountain.

Then there is Dr Sally Kosgei who was very powerful in Mzee Moi’s administration and served as MP for Aldai in 2008-2013. She is back to active politics, pulling the strings behind the scenes. After staying away from active politics for some time, she led a delegation of Rift Valley leaders to meet Mr Odinga to discuss how to sell Azimio in a region that is perceived to be Kenya Kwanza’s stronghold.

Following the meeting, she was appointed to be a member of Mr Odinga’s campaign think-tank, which is chaired by Prof Makau Mutua. Along with the governor of Elgeyo Marakwet Alex Tolgos and Uasin Gishu Senator Prof Margaret Kamar, they have become the faces of Azimio in Rift Valley. For Mr Tolgos, he is using the current political realignments to position himself nationally as he is set to retire in August.

“We need to consolidate his votes in the region because they are already there. Initially; there was that fear that when you come out openly supporting Baba, there is intimidation. As leaders who support Baba, we must come out strongly and give confidence to those supporting him,” Governor Tolgos told Sunday Nation.

Guided by Moi, the self-styled ‘professor of politics’, the clique that formed the inner circle of the Head of State and wielded powers and sometimes determined who survived politically in the country and the regions where they came from is also making a comeback.

They have now rolled their sleeves to fight for their own political survival with both junior and seasoned politicians.

Some of the politicians include Kanu-era powerful Internal Security Principal Secretary Zakayo Cheruiyot, former Transport Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Chris Obure and ex- Industrialisation cabinet minister Henry Kosgey.

Mr Cheruiyot, who last served as Kuresoi MP, is already heating up politics in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA)-dominated Kuresoi South Constituency.

"I want to restore the lost glory of my constituency. During my tenure the constituency made huge milestones and soon we shall continue those projects," said Mr Cheruiyot during a meet the people tour.

In Nandi, former powerful cabinet minister Henry Kosgey's two sons are vying for two top seats, Senate and gubernatorial, in the county. The sons of Mr Kosgey, who served as cabinet minister for Transport and Communications, Co-operative Development and Culture and Social Services during the Moi era, have set tongues wagging after they declared interest for different seats on a UDA ticket. And behind their political influence is their father.

Although they have not said whether or not they are running for any seat in the forthcoming elections, veterans Noah Wekesa, Fred Gumo and former Speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende are back to active national politics. They have all thrown their weight behind Mr Odinga.

Additional reporting by Eric Matara.

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