Many allies of Kenya’s fourth president, Uhuru Kenyatta, were outraged when Kenya Kwanzaa leaders accused him of backing the recent Gen Z rebellion that appeared to undo President William Ruto’s government.
As the country recovers from bloody protests that left a trail of death and destruction, ODM leader Raila Odinga has sparked a backlash after saying Uhuru was the catalyst for the political deal with President Ruto.
Many leaders and political commentators said Odinga’s allegations were a convenient attempt to cover up his political misdeeds to stave off a wave of political backlash that arose from his decision to work with Ruto’s government.
Some Mount Kenya leaders said Odinga was trying to cling to Uhuru’s political influence to salvage his fading political fortunes after jumping ship in turbulent seas.
Political analysts further alleged that by dragging Uhuru’s name into his political activities, ODM is trying to appease one million voters in the region who supported his presidential bid and have now condemned political betrayal.
Analysts maintained that Uhuru would not insist on forming a vague political governance structure as is currently seen following the appointment of four ODM party leaders to the Kwanzaa Kenya government.
Other observers maintained that while they could not verify the veracity of Odinga’s allegations, they genuinely believed that Uhuru was a politician who would do whatever it took to ensure stability in the country.
They, however, warned that Uhuru will insist on well-structured talks and dialogue to resolve the underlying issues facing the country and ensure that key stakeholders are engaged to move the country forward.
“I am not speaking for Uhuru Kenyatta but it would be a great cause for concern if the country were to slide into anarchy. However, power-sharing without a commitment to long-term solutions to the issues posed by Gen Z would be suicidal,” Lee Kinyanjui, a former governor of Nakuru, said in a brief statement.
Andrew Nyavut, a political commentator based in Nakuru, said he could not fully vouch for Odinga’s claims but that Uhuru was well aware of events that threatened national stability and would not allow the country to fall apart.
“We all knew the country was under tension following the Gen Z protests that rocked major cities and commercial centres across 40 counties in the country. Former President Uhuru has the network to effectively communicate the situation in the country and spark the search for solutions to restore stability,” Nyabuto said.
Nyavut said while Raila’s allegations could not be verified, they “further placed Uhuru at the centre of the country’s power structure, playing a key role in stabilising the country”.
Nyabuto added that Uhuru remains a powerful political force in the country and that is why many leaders including DP’s Ligathi Gachagua, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and DAP K leader Eugene Wamalwa are aligned with Uhuru.
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“Raila also recognises that he needs Uhuru to further his political cause and also to rehabilitate his image,” Nyabulo added.
Other leaders maintained that Uhuru has grown into a dominant political force in Mount Kenya over the past few months and many political actors in the country undoubtedly have his backing.
“Raila is engaging in high level political shenanigans to charm the hearts and souls of Mount Kenya voters whom he betrayed. He is trying to use Uhuru’s name to make himself clean but unfortunately he is way off the mark with UDA and Azimio. No one will trust him with his duplicity,” said political commentator Kabwe Matenge.
Matenge said Uhuru, who now wields significant political influence in the Mt Kenya region despite leaving power about two years ago, would not be expected to reach out to Raila to make a political deal with Ruto without consulting leaders in the region.
“At a time when Kenyans are angry at his dysfunctional and incompetent administration, Raila is desperately trying to find his footing after stumbling following his unholy alliance with Ruto,” Matenge said.
“Raila is aware that Mount Kenya voters are angry at him for betraying their trust and like a drowning man clinging to a straw, the ODM leader wants to cling to Uhuru’s tail to escape Ruto’s trap.”
Matenge previously served as Rift Valley Regional Presidential Campaign Coordinator for former Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta in four elections.
Matenge said that by supporting the Ruto government at a time when Kenya was on the brink of a new political dawn driven by Gen Z protests, the ODM leader had aborted the revolution, stemmed the tide of change and incurred the anger of Kenyans who were yearning for meaningful social, economic and political gains.
“Raila shot himself in the foot with his lust for power which ultimately led to his downfall. By trying to drag Uhuru to his predicament, Raila is trying to recreate the scene from the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve, after being tricked by the serpent into eating the forbidden fruit, used a twig from the tree to hide their nakedness from God. They faced the consequences of their actions and were banished from the Garden of Eden,” Matenge said.
Kimani Ngunjiri, a former member of parliament for Bahati constituency, said Raila had brought up the former president’s name to gain the trust of Mount Kenya residents who he accused of betraying their cause.
Ngunjiri said Raila had repeatedly given conflicting accounts of what happened before he agreed to work with President Ruto, exposing him as an unreliable leader.
“He initially said the four ODM leaders who were given the rank of CS worked with the government on their own. He told us that President Ruto had pleaded with him to help stabilise the country following the challenges posed by the protesters, but that was just to concoct another new story,” Ngunjiri said.
Ngunjiri said both Uhuru and his deputy, Gachagua, were dominant political forces in Mount Kenya and that was why Raila decided to run for president, knowing he would need their support if he failed in his bid to become chairman of the African Union Commission.
Ngunjiri called on leaders and people of the Mt Kenya region to “reject any form of manipulation by political crooks and other actors seeking to divide our people,” adding: “The Mt Kenya region will never again fall prey to political malice.”
“We are pleased that differences between President Ruto and President Gachagua have now narrowed and political tensions have eased, but we will immediately start building structures that will cement unity in the Mt Kenya region so that we can take our dogs with us when we go out hunting in 2027,” Ngunjiri added.
Meanwhile, his lawyer, Hari Gakinya, said: “Raila has perfectly mastered the art of the Uhuruhip political conman. He continues to use Uhuru’s name to benefit from his dealings with Ruto while at the same time maintaining a presence on the national political stage. He cannot have his pie and eat it too.”
The lawyer added that Raila is trying to drag Uhuru into his mess to cleanse his image and ensure that he can exit the illegal political pact with Ruto at a convenient time and challenge for the presidency if he fails in his bid for the AUC chairmanship.
But Hari said the outgoing president is required by law to play an advisory and consultative role to the Kenyan government and people.
“The former president plays a key role in conflict resolution in other parts of Africa and we understand that he would be concerned if the country were to descend into anarchy. But he cannot take a conflict resolution role in Kenya lightly and recklessly that would entrench a government that does not have the confidence of the people,” the lawyer said.
Former Naivasha mayor Samson Nkata said Raila was benefiting from a cooperation agreement with President Ruto while also shoring up his own image to ensure he continued support from people in Mount Kenya.
“I have worked with Raila since the campaign to bring multi-party system to the country and he is a man who cannot be trusted,” Nkata said.
The former mayor said Mount Kenya has emerged as a major political force in the Central Kenya region and that is why Raila felt the need to continue engaging with Mount Kenya to further his political causes.
Political activist Njihere Muchiri said before President Ruto appointed ODM officials to his cabinet, Senator Oburu Odinga and Member of Parliament Peter Karuma had already announced to Kenyans that ODM would be in government.
“It is therefore nothing but cheap propaganda to tell us that Raila was instigated by Uhuru Kenyatta to make a political deal with President Ruto while his aides made the deal public for all Kenyans,” Muchiri said.
