Ruto’s dilemma as Mt Kenya affiliate parties dig in

Deputy President William Ruto is in a fix with his Mt Kenya allies, who are playing hardball as they push for a coalition with his United Democratic Party.

In the clearest signal that the going could be getting tough in the mountain for the former Eldoret North MP, some of his allies from the region are openly digging in against his UDA party.

For the first time, Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria and ex-Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri on Thursday declared the formation of a bi-partisan caucus of Mt Kenya leaders.

Tellingly, the duo which was joined by Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua, a key political figure from the region, unveiled a forum they said will push for the interests of  Mt Kenya.

A major regional conference dubbed Limuru 3 will be convened in the next 90 days, where they will set the region’s irreducible minimums for negotiations with any presidential candidate, including Ruto.

“We also commit to reaching out to other like-minded leaders to broaden the forum and deepen our unity of purpose,” they said in a statement read by Karua.

Kuria and Kiunjuri are a key cog of Ruto’s hustler nation movement and their move is seen as part of an elaborate scheme to raise stakes and force DP Ruto into the negotiating table.

Although they are seen to be battling for Ruto’s attention in the race for the 2022 running-mate slot,they denied any move to corner the into an alliance with their parties.

“This is a forum not to define tomorrows’ coalition – it could end up being that, but one for unity and purpose on issues affecting our region and the nation,” Karua added.

Kuria, who was previously associated with the People’s Empowerment party, is now linked to the Chama Cha Kazi, while Kiunjuri is the leader of The Service Party.

Kuria and Kiunjuri are said to be unhappy with Ruto’s decision to block any coalition with affiliate parties from Mt Kenya.

Kiunjuri on Thursday lifted the lid on the simmering tensions declaring that TSP’s support for the DP was not a guaranteed in 2022.

“On whether we will support Ruto, it is very clear it is a mutual understanding…whether we are going to support him in UDA or not, depends on our membership,” he said.

He went on, “The parties were formed by the association of our followers…if someone feels they don’t need a coalition, it will depend on other parties.”

Exposing the suspicions in the Ruto camp amid claims of a push to have then dissolve their parties and join UDA, Kuria said they are “building political parties as institutions of prosperity.”

“…you know the shelf life of Kenyan political parties…some people have a history of killing parties….we want to make a difference to ensure our party survives. Our primary vision is to look at the interest of our region.”

Ruto’s recent remarks that he does not need a coalition with anyone to win the presidency appears to have rubbed his Mt Kenya allies the wrong way. He understands that.

“Our coalition (UDA) is for all Kenyans. So we do not need any alliance, we do not need any coalition because our outfit is already a coalition for all the people of Kenya,” said Ruto in an interview with Inooro TV on August 4.

This could have jolted Kiunjuri and Kuria, who are angling to deputise Ruto.

The DP, who is planning a David and Goliath battle against the country’s political linchpins in 2022, is perceived to be banking on Mt Kenya’s rock-solid support to propel him to State House.

Without an overwhelming vote from Mt Kenya, critics say, Ruto’s presidential ambitions will go up in smoke.

But some of his stalwarts in the vote-rich region insist the DP has built a rock-solid base and does not need to rely on an alliance with any party to storm the House on the Hill.

However, politics being the game of numbers, UDA’s hardline stance against a unity deal with affiliate parties could upset Ruto’s hopes for a clean sweep of the mountain next year.

Cracks have rocked the DP’s Tangatanga camp from Mt Kenya over whether the UDA should enter into pre-election pacts with the affiliates from the region.

Although, leaders of the small parties supporting Ruto have declared their unequivocal support for him, some are pushing for them to put pen to paper to secure their own interests.

Kuria and Kiunjuri have said they must be allowed to field aspirants on their own parties’ tickets.

Kuria has been positioning himself as a possible running mate for the DP. He has said given the millions of voters in the region, Mt Kenya cannot afford to support ‘foreign’ parties in 2022.

“Nobody should tell us not to have our own parties. As the largest voting bloc in this country, we must have our homegrown parties  pushing for our interests,” Kuria told the Star.

The MP has been marketing his CCK party across the region.

“As a region, we will use our own parties to negotiate with whoever is coming to look for our votes,” the politician said.

 

In what appeared to be a warning to Ruto, Kiunjuri on Monday said no party would win the 2022 election without relying on regional parties.

In fact, Kiunjuri claimed that no party can boast of being a national outfit.

“They are all regional parties first trying to become national parties,” Kiunjuri said. His remarks appeared to set the tempo for yesterday’s meeting.

So far, Ruto enjoys support in the Mt Kenya counties of Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Nyandarua, Kiambu, Nyeri, Laikipia and the Nakuru diaspora.

According to projections based on the 2019 census, Mt Kenya counties would have 5.9 million voters, excluding the diaspora. Nakuru will have 1.3 million votes.

Whoever gets a substantial part of the region’s support will have a massive head-start.

Analysts argue DP Ruto needs more than 90 per cent of Mt Kenya votes to occupy State House next year. Anything less, they say, would mean a re-run.

With barely 12 months to the general election, Ruto’s confidants from the mountain are digging in against joining the UDA.

They say while they will back Ruto’s presidential bid, they will not sacrifice their affiliate parties at the altar of UDA, a fledgling outfit set to be Ruto’s political vehicle.

But leaders allied to UDA say that demands for a coalition with the DP are premature, and the leaders should instead disband their outfits and join the re-branded UDA. 

Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata, a key Ruto ally, warned against the agitation by some leaders to prop up regional parties.

“Some of us strongly believe forming a regional party purportedly to negotiate with DP Ruto is irrational; it does not make sense. We, as UDA, cannot talk of coalitions now. For me, coalitions should be post-election,” he said.

He went on, “But that does not mean we are not amenable to talks now. What we know is that we are not seeking a coalition or a regional party, we are building UDA,” Kang’ata said on Sunday.

The lawmaker, who was removed as the Senate Majority Whip, said regional parties were a bad idea.

“I am aware some Mt Kenya leaders are saying they want a regional party. We want a unified party that brings everyone together to bring up all the people at the bottom of the pyramid, and that party is UDA,” said Kang’ata.

Analysts argue the DP faces a major dilemma on how to craft a working formula with Mt Kenya region without antagonising his relationship with his key stalwarts leading affiliate parties.

Political analyst Martin Andati warned that Ruto will not defeat ODM boss Raila Odinga in 2022 unless he changes tack.

“He wants to run on a party, which cannot win an election. It has to be in a coalition,” Andati said.

“And for a coalition, one invites partners, but Ruto wants subjects who ultimately cannot deliver the vote.”   BY THE STAR