Former nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has hinted that her troubles in the Fred Matiang’i presidential campaign camp may have stemmed from a clash with a senior official.
The claims emerge following events of last week, where the outspoken politician became the subject of online bashing by supporters of the Jubilee presidential aspirant, when she appeared to downplay Matiang’i’s presidential prospects.
Reacting to the High Court judgment that upheld the impeachment of ex-Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Orwoba said the decision has turned Gachagua into a ‘suicide bomber’ whose support will catapult anyone to power and send President William Ruto home.
“At this point, whoever Rigathi Gachagua endorses, you better believe that the engines behind the truthful man will drive that person straight into State House,” she stated.
“4 Million votes strong. 1. Kalonzo Musyoka 2. Edwin Sifuna 3. Natembeya. Yaani even Babu Owino should think bigger than Nairobi.”
These remarks, ignoring Matiang’i, whom she has been campaigning for, appear to have rattled the Jubilee camp, leading to the online backlash.
A new adviser who joined Matiang’i’s campaign from the US recently now appears to have overshadowed Orwoba, though she has dismissed the newcomer.
She claims the new official has no experience in running any campaigns, mobilising support or grassroots network to boost her candidate’s chances of clinching the coveted seat.
“Bloggers who are being paid, being sent by advisers from USA who have never run any campaign, never run even an MCA campaign but now they are advising in a presidential campaign, I want to tell them, sit down,” she said.
“If we continue playing, Sifuna is just lying next door. Sifuna is just fighting. This is about gathering them all.”
While insisting that Matiang’i is the most preferred presidential candidate, she sought to clarify that her fight is against what she termed opportunists intending to ruin the former Interior Affairs CS’s bid.
“As Matiang’i followers, let’s stay focused. I am the one who has taken the biggest sacrifice in that team. No one is as loyal as I am,” she said.
“I have taken the ultimate sacrifice and I cannot watch the ship go down because of a fake adviser from the USA.”
A Jubilee official said the campaign will not be drawn into what they called small sideshows.
“Our candidate is busy traversing the country to campaign; surely you expect him to issue a statement on a non-issue? Gloria is our sister and we will handle her quietly without any drama,” the official, who sought anonymity, said.
Others, however, feel that the ex-nominated senator may be looking for a way out to decamp to Gachagua’s DCP, where she has higher prospects of getting a nominated slot in the Senate as opposed to the Matiang’i camp.
The dynamics in Kisii, where she is eyeing the woman representative position, may not favour her given the re-entry of ex-Woman Representative Janet Ong’era, who just like Orwoba hails from Bobasi and also served in the Senate for one term as a nominated ODM legislator.
Orwoba will have to compete for the ticket against Ong’era and many others who identify with Jubilee.
Political risk analyst Dismas Mokua argues that the 2027 General Election is a complicated simultaneous equation with many unknowns.
Most parliamentary candidates will align with presidential candidates and political parties that best serve their selfish interests, he says.
“Parliamentary candidates’ selfish interests are to secure electoral victory or nomination to Parliament,” Mokua says.
“For most parliamentary candidates, it matters not the political party or the presidential candidate, provided they secure an electoral victory or nomination to Parliament.”
Regarding the questions around Orwoba’s loyalty, Mokua says presidential candidates and political parties should prepare for mass defections as parliamentary candidates align and re-align pre and post party primaries.
Orwoba is not new to controversy, having lost her seat after the ruling UDA recalled her membership on claims of being disloyal to the party. She has since obtained court orders to reinstate her, which are yet to be implemented.
In the Matiang’i camp, she was known to be the ‘crazy one’ who can go to any length to fight for what she believes in. During the funeral of Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka’s mother, Mama Teresia Omoke, the leaders revealed how she had planned to cause drama when reports emerged of the planned arrest of Matiang’i.
“The plan was simple, Gloria and I could have sneaked to JKIA to cause drama, where she was willing to undress in protest,” Onyonka told mourners at his Utawala residence.
Born on May 25, 1986, in Kisii county, Orwoba captured national attention through her ‘Uji Ya Glo’ nutrition programme, which provided porridge and bread to primary school pupils in Bobasi constituency.
She studied at State House Primary and St George’s Girls in Kilimani, later pursuing architecture and social work at the University of Nairobi.
She lived in Sweden from 2015, managing Facebook’s data centre in Denmark, and returned to Kenya in 2019 to enter politics.
After losing the 2022 UDA primaries for the Bobasi parliamentary seat, she was nominated to the Senate by the party to represent women.
