Big war rocks Uhuru and Gachagua wings

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta, alongside ex-Interior CS Fred Matiang'i and other Jubilee delegates. HANDOUT

A bitter political row has fractured the unified opposition, triggered by the struggle to select a presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

The tension pits the camp of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is backing former Interior Minister Fred Matiang'i, against that of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

At the heart of the confrontation are competing ambitions to control the influential vote-rich Mt Kenya region, alongside personal vendettas.

The situation has escalated significantly following last week's Jubilee Party Special National Delegates Convention, which signalled the party's intent to re-establish itself as a political force.

The standoff has placed Matiang’i at the centre of the storm, with his potential candidacy widely seen as part of Uhuru Kenyatta's strategy for the 2027 elections.

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba publicly exposed the deep-running divisions, accusing Gachagua of forcing his Democracy for the Citizens Party on the people of Mt Kenya.

She launched a fierce defence of Uhuru while taking Gachagua head-on.

“Uhuru Kenyatta is the undisputed kingpin of the mountain, and he didn’t force it on us. At least in his 10-year rule with all its flaws, he was never impeached. He unified the country and is now at liberty to bless anybody to take over from him,” she said.

Her remarks followed Gachagua’s sharp criticism of Jubilee’s unveiling of Matiang’i.

In a telling snub during a unified opposition rally in Kitengela, Kajiado county, Gachagua named key opposition luminaries but conspicuously skipped any mention of the former CS. 

However, some analysts caution that an association with Jubilee also comes with "the indelible historical baggage of Uhuru Kenyatta".

Gachagua’s camp holds that the revamped Jubilee Party is President William Ruto’s covert project designed to sow confusion and not an independent opposition force.

Simon Sangale, DCP secretary general for Nakuru branch, asserted that Uhuru’s time was over and it was time he paved the way for Gachagua, whom he termed as the “door to Mt Kenya.”

“We know the red wheelbarrow is Ruto’s project. They are trying as much as possible to play reverse psychology on Kenyans. We thought they were coming to add steam to the unified opposition, only to end up bashing the former DP,” Sangale said.

The situation has been exacerbated by Jubilee secretary general Jeremiah Kioni, a close Uhuru ally, who has emerged as a vocal critic of Gachagua and a chief proponent of Matiang'i.

His declarations have provided a clear window into the divisions rocking the opposition.

Kioni has openly alleged that Gachagua is secretly collaborating with President Ruto, despite their public fallout.

He also argued that the opposition, following pressure from Gachagua, risked repeating the mistake of having a small circle of leaders handpick a candidate.

He further contended that picking a candidate from the Mt Kenya region would be politically disastrous.

“It will play into Ruto’s strategy of splitting the vote-rich bloc,” he said, suggesting that such a move would allow Ruto to consolidate votes elsewhere by portraying the election as a Mount Kenya affair.

The conflict has exposed the deep divisions within the Mount Kenya region, with supporters of both leaders struggling to find common ground.

While Gachagua has publicly extended an olive branch to Uhuru, stating he harbours "no hard feelings" and promising to "make proper amends in line with our culture and traditions," Kioni noted that forgiveness cannot be pursued only in public without private efforts.

Earlier, Murang'a Woman Representative Betty Maina revealed that Uhuru has privately vowed to have "nothing to do with Gachagua," whom he holds responsible for political attacks and the infamous Northlands farm raid.

Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru (Mejjadonk) dismissed the raging politics as a mere supremacy battle.

“It is a creation of leaders looking for cheap publicity by trying to ignite a war in Mt Kenya. They might be Kasongo’s (Ruto’s nickname) agents out to divide the mountain,” he told the Star in an interview.

He specifically targeted Wamuchomba, stating, “Gathoni was a diehard supporter of Gachagua, has declared Kalonzo as her candidate and also declared support for the Kenya Moja team. We know she is just trying to be a senior politician. She is a confused fellow out to seek cheap publicity.”

Since his fallout with President Ruto, Gachagua has not taken a back seat to watch the ensuing polity from a distance, despite the cloud of uncertainty over his political ambitions following his impeachment last year.

He has registered DCP and moved to position himself as the primary opposition figure and most popular leader in Mount Kenya.

Gachagua has repeatedly asserted that he is the opposition's best bet to deny Ruto a second term, putting him in direct competition with other aspirants like Matiang'i and Kalonzo.

However, his efforts to broker a truce with Uhuru have so far been futile, despite multiple public apologies for past insults hurled at the former president and his family. 

Prof Charles Nyambuga, a political commentator from Maseno University, says that from the raging politics he reads the making of a rerun in the ensuing machinations.

“It appears Jubilee will go on its own, and may team up with Raila Odinga. They may also get Natembeya on board. This would leave Gachagua, Kalonzo, Eugene and Muturi on one side, setting the stage for a rerun,” the communications don said.

The ongoing conflict between Uhuru and Gachagua has transformed what could have been a unified opposition front into a fragmented outfit.

Pundits hold that the conflict has created a stalemate that increasingly benefits the very administration the opposition seeks to challenge on the ballot in 2027. 

INSTANT ANALYSIS

The ongoing conflict has profound implications for Kenya's political landscape. It threatens to split the Mount Kenya vote, a bloc that carries about a quarter of the country's votes and is often crucial to winning the presidency. The deep divisions within the opposition, exemplified by this feud, risk handing President Ruto a strategic advantage, potentially smoothing his path to a second term in 2027 if the opposition fails to present a united front.