PRESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta’s strategists have identified Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua as their Ukambani point man to wrest the region from Cord co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka.
The think-tanks’ game plan gained momentum after the suspension of Lands minister Charity Ngilu and Kalonzo’s flat rejection of Jubilee overtures to join government.
At the end of the week, it became clear that Ngilu is gravitating towards Cord after Kalonzo, in a show of solidarity, accompanied her to court, with hundreds of their supporters chanting anti-Jubilee slogans.
“She has been a target of [a witch-hunt] since the day she threatened to name the real land grabbers,” Kalonzo said yesterday, apparently targeting top Jubilee leaders.
Uhuru’s strategy is to back Governor Mutua’s development agenda to dwarf Kalonzo’s two-decade-long achievements as the de facto Kamba leader.
Sources within the Wiper Party told the Star that the relationship between Kalonzo and Mutua has deteriorated, amid claims that the Governor is undermining the former Vice President with his “maendeleo chap chap” strategy.
“Mutua is like an unfaithful woman who has conceived with another man. You know how the real husband would feel,” Matungulu MP Stephen Mutinda Mule told the Star.
That Jubilee is wooing Mutua to slice off some of the region’s 1.5 million votes is evidenced by the frequent high-profile visits to Machakos by Jubilee honchos.
Three weeks ago, Uhuru, Deputy President William Ruto and a host of other senior state officers visited Machakos for the launch of the refurbished Machakos Level 5 Hospital – thanks to an equipment deal that most other Governors had initially rejected.
During the visit, Uhuru gave a vote of confidence to Mutua, calling him “a visionary and progressive leader”.
“Mutua is serving his people well and that is all we want. We do not want leaders who engage in the politics of hate and have nothing to show for their positions on what they have done for the people,” said the President.
Uhuru also launched the Last Mile Connectivity Project in Tala, Machakos county, where communities will benefit from subsidised power connections.
On Tuesday, Uhuru sent Ruto to represent him at Machakos Girls’ High School centenary celebrations, where the DP reiterated Jubilee’s confidence in Mutua’s leadership.
Uhuru has visited Machakos five times in the past two-and-a-half years.
Today, Ruto will visit Charles Lwanga Secondary School in Kitui as part of Jubilee’s charm offensive in the region.
– the-star.co.ke
