WAINAINA NDUNG’U
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has adopted an east to west infiltration of vote-rich Mt Kenya as his 2027 presidential bid recently got turbocharged by Mr Raila Odinga’s hint of an impending exit following his interest in becoming the next Chairperson of the African Union Commission
It is instructive that when Mr Odinga signalled his interest in the AU seat, Mr Musyoka was quick to point out at Azimio la Umoja, the minority coalition, would soldier on without him
Mr Musyoka has over the last six months been on a mission to lure the Mt Kenya East vote block comprising Meru, Tharaka Nithi, and Embu counties, which have in the past voted alongside their Mt Kenya West neighbours
In the last quarter of 2023, the Wiper leader and former Vice President held three meetings with Meru parliamentarians, opinion shapers, religious leaders, and some MCAs
He also met similar delegations from Embu and Tharaka Nithi, culminating in his recent one-week tour of the upper Eastern region that has in the past eschewed voting alongside their lower Eastern neighbours despite their long-running cultural and economic ties
He has appointed three coordinators in the three regions and is set to comb the area as he readies for his first stab at the presidency since he vied in 2007, finishing third
Mr Musyoka is expected to ride on the area voters’ disaffection with the Kenya Kwanza government, which has fallen short of the expectations of a region that was key to its victory in the 2022 presidential race
He has also long whispered to have some family roots in the Kiutine area of Igembe North in Meru county, a destination he has…
Read the full story in the March 2024 Nairobi Law Monthly issue, available here.
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