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EXPOSED: High-Ranking Politician Leaking Uhuru’s Meeting With Raila, OKA To Itumbi Unmasked

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Ever since president Uhuru Kenyatta started meeting ODM leader Raila Odinga and Okoa Kenya Alliance (OKA) co-principals for a possible coalition ahead of 2022, the details of his meeting has been leaking.

Former State House employee Dennis Itumbi who currently works as Deputy President William Ruto’s aide has been leaking the meeting’s details through his official social media accounts.

When President Kenyatta met Raila alongside ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula, Kanu’s Gideon Moi and Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya in Mombasa last week, Itumbi who runs Hustler Nation Intelligence Bureau leaked the details of the meeting to the public, through his Facebook account.

It has now emerged that there has been a mole among the politicians who have been meeting President Kenyatta. The mole, who is among the OKA co-principals, leaks the information to DP Ruto’s camp immediately after the meeting.

Details now indicate that the High-Ranking Politician was last weekend given a dressing-down by a senior senator who accused him of being a mole.

He was accused of leaking the contents of high-level and sensitive meetings to an operative of the opposing camp.

The senator complained that when President Kenyatta  and ODM boss met alone early this month, there was no leakage.

But when the leader was privy to the deliberations of the delegation that met the President in Mombasa, all the details and speculation spilt out.

The senator told the leader to his face that he was holding brief for their opponents and that the time had come to blow his cover.

Whom do you think is the mole among the leaders who met Uhuru in Mombasa last week?

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ODM Formally Exits NASA, Reveals Raila’s Next Move

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has formally exited the National Super Alliance (NASA).

The move comes just days after Kalonzo Musyoka-led Wiper Movement formerly exited the coalition that was used by ODM leader Raila Odinga to contest for presidency during the 2017 general elections.

ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna in a statement disclosed that the Orange party held a meeting on Thursday, July 29, and made the resolution to quit the NASA relationship.

ODM held a National Executive Committee meeting to deliberate on, among other things, the party’s 2022 presidential candidate.

According to Sifuna, ODM intends to embark on a programme to build new partnerships. The party will also extend the ongoing talks with its potential partners to the grassroots.

Sifuna added that the party deliberated on the future and its need to build new partnerships.

“To this end regional meetings and engagements have been planned with like-minded parties,” he concluded.

The coalition agreement between the partners indicates that NASA would cease to exist if at least three constituent parties formally exit. 

NASA coalition has faced challenges since 2018 due to mistrust among the parties and competing interests among; Wiper Democratic Movement, ODM, ANC and Ford Kenya parties.

Early this week, the former Prime Minister agreed to share political parties’ funds after four years of a standoff.

Despite all this, Kalonzo has ruled out playing second fiddle to anyone in the next year’s polls despite ODM unveiling the cash. 

At a press conference Monday, Kalonzo revealed that Raila had written a letter informing them of the decision to share the party’s millions.

Raila and Kalonzo have had an on-and-off relationship over the years since 2002.

They teamed up when the late President Daniel Moi endorsed Uhuru Kenyatta for the top seat and left Kanu to support retired President Mwai Kibaki under the Liberal Democratic Party, then an affiliate of Narc—the coalition that decisively defeated Kanu.

As the 2007 general election approached, the two went separate ways, with Raila seeking the presidency on the ODM ticket as Kalonzo flew the ODM Kenya’s flag. ODM Kenya rebranded into Wiper Democratic Party.

Election results were disputed leading to the formation of the Grand Coalition government, with Raila serving as Prime Minister and Kalonzo as Vice President.

The two did not see eye to eye for the better part of the coalition government.

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Norman Magaya and Kalonzo
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Kalonzo Hires Raila’s 2017 Key Political Strategist

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

ODM leader Raila Odinga’s key strategist in the 2017 general election Norman Magaya has joined Wiper movement as Kalonzo Musyoka’s 2022 strategist.

The move comes just days after the wiper leader announced that his party had officially exited the National Super Alliance (NASA), in which Magaya acted as the CEO during the last elections.

According to reports from reliable sources, the Nasa CEO will be Kalonzo’s political adviser and will be tasked with writing press releases as well as being in charge of the party leader’s political strategies.

He will also be crucial in advising Kalonzo on coalition building and management ahead of the 2022 general election.

The Nasa CEO was unveiled on the day Wiper unanimously resolved to leave the opposition coalition for One Kenya Alliance.

Kalonzo who has maintained that he will not act as anyone’s number 2 in the race to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta also named Justine Kyambi as the new Wiper executive director.

Kyambi takes over from university don Dr Jared Maaka Siso.

Siso is venturing into politics and will be contesting the Borabu parliamentary seat on a Wiper ticket during next year’s polls.

The current Borabu MP Ben Momanyi who was also elected on Wiper ticket has announced he will be contesting the Nyamira governor seat.

The Nasa CEO was unveiled on the day Wiper unanimously resolved to leave the opposition coalition for One Kenya Alliance.

Magaya, an advocate of the High Court, served as the national returning officer for Nasa in the August 2017 election at the Bomas of Kenya.

He collapsed at the Bomas of Kenya in August 2017 during the tabulation of presidential votes in the 2017 general election and was admitted to Nairobi Hospital before being flown to India for specialised medical treatment after a heart attack.

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Ruto Will Win 2022 Presidential Race By 10am, Kalonzo’s Right-hand Man Admits

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Wiper Democratic Movement deputy party leader Farah Maalim has claimed that Deputy President William Ruto will clinch the 2022 presidential polls.

Speaking on Monday July 26, 2021 during a morning talk show on TV 47, the former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly expressed his dislike against DP Ruto, but maintained that he will win the race should he run against ODM leader Raila Odinga.

According to Farah Maalim, an exposition that has supposedly been the saving grace for former Prime Minister would not be at play in the 2022 General Election.

“If it’s going to be a race between Ruto and Raila, I don’t like Ruto and I will never vote for him but he will win at 10am in the morning,” he said.

He further argued that the support currently enjoyed by Raila stemmed from the disillusionment of other tribes that have had to endure a seemingly unending leadership by pundits from Central Kenya.

He justified this claim by adding that in the event that Raila faced a presidential candidate from a region besides Mt. Kenya, his messianic aura would deplete in a flash.

Maalim also emphasized that Ruto ignited a class war, banking on support by impoverished and disenfranchised groups in his tours across Central Kenya.

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Uhuru-Raila 2022 Coalition In Limbo As Jubilee-ODM Merger Deal Is Suspended

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

The Jubilee-ODM merger deal that could lead to an Uhuru-Raila 2022 coalition will have to wait longer after the ruling party suspended any coalitions talks with the Orange party.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee had kicked off coalition talks with Raila Odinga’s ODM to take on Deputy President William Ruto in the next general election.

However, the ruling party which has suffered losses in the recent by-elections in the country has decided to halt the merger plan to focus on revamping ahead of 2022.

According to reports, a crisis meeting of the Jubilee secretariat and MPs on Monday July 19 agreed to suspend the proposed deal with Raila over systemic challenges that could hurt the process.

Jubilee Party deputy secretary-general Joshua Kutuny who spoke to a local daily said that while the decision does not mean a total halt to the coalition plans, it will usher in fresh timeliness.

It has now emerged that the agenda dominated the meeting that was attended by at least 16 MPs, despite not being mentioned at a joint presser made on Monday.

It was resolved that it would be unhealthy for Jubilee to proceed with coalition talks with ODM at a time when it is battling internal revolt.

According to Jubilee joint secretary for the parliamentary group Adan Keynan, the party will instead focus on reorganising, restructuring and revamping its structures before entering into a coalition agreement.

The MP said given that DP Ruto’s camp had left for UDA, the loyal members whom he said are the majority will stabilise Jubilee.

Raila’s ODM had said it was focused on its coalition plans with Jubilee despite the ruling party’s loss in last week’s Kiambaa parliamentary by-election that was won by UDA.

United Democratic Alliance candidate Njuguna Wanjiku got 21, 773 votes to capture the seat, beating Jubilee’s Karuri Njama who garnered 21,263 votes.

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Raila Speaks Out Following Rising Cases Of Defilement, Murder Against Women

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has spoken out following an increase in the number of defilement and murder cases against women and children in Kenya.

In a press statement issued out on Monday, July 19, the former Prime Minister condemned the incidences, calling on the National Police to protect women and children from predators who are out to take away their lives.

He also called on the Judiciary to assure Kenyans that justice will come swiftly and fairly where lives have been senselessly lost.

“Justice is taking too long to come if it ever does for the victims…Kenyans must speak out loudly against the slaughter of children and gender-based violence. These murders cannot be treated as personal or family matters. These are Kenyan matters and must be treated as such,” reads Raila’s statement in part.

The African Union envoy noted that the perpetrators of the incidences must be stopped and be brought to book.

His statement comes just days after a serial killer, Evans Juma Wanjala who lured, assaulted, defiled and murdered five girls was arrested.

In yet another similar event, Masten Milimu Wanjala, a 20-year-old man admitted to the kidnappings, execution of two minors in cold blood in Kabete.

The children were identified as Charles Opindo Bala, 13 who went missing on June 30, 2021, and Mutuku Musyoka, 12 who went missing on July 8. They were found in a thicket in Kabete, Kiambu County.

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Nimerudi Bedroom! Suleiman Shahbal Officially Ditches Uhuru Party For Raila

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Business mogul-cum politician Suleiman Shahbal has officially ditched President Uhuru Kenyatta-led Jubilee party for Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

Through a statement dated July 6, 2021, the former Mombasa County gubernatorial aspirant said that he had officially resigned as a member of the ruling party following his announcement to join the Orange party.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank the Jubilee Party leadership for the support offered to me throughout my membership,” Shahbal said.

He further noted that he was going to put his efforts in ensuring the merger between Jubilee and ODM parties is realised.

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His move comes less than a decade since he quit the party, after losing the ODM nominations to Governor Hassan Joho in 2013.

Shahbal shocked his supporters when he defected to UDF from ODM, and then to Wiper Party, all in a matter of weeks.

He moved to Wiper on January 19, 2013, after three of his agents were allegedly roughed up by ODM supporters at the height of the contest for the orange party’s nomination.

Last month, Shahbal, who was addressing the Mombasa Luo Focus Group, expressed his interest in succeeding Governor Joho whose second term is ending in the next 13 months.

He rallied his support behind ODM leader Raila Odinga urging his audience at the forum to consider Raila’s presidential bid in 2022.

The businessman also pushed for unity between Raila and Kalonzo, adding that he would be happy if he saw the duo at the helm of the country’s leadership.

Raila on Saturday resisted pressure from party supporters to endorse Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir for the Mombasa governorship.

Both Nassir and Shahbal have declared interest in suceeding Joho. They are both angling for Raila’s blessings as they seek to run on the ODM party ticket.

Nassir is banking on his loyalty to the party to receive Raila’s blessings while Shahbal is hoping his friendship with the former Prime Minister and his financial muscle will endear him to the ODM leadership.

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Raila Mourns His Closest Childhood Friend Awori

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga has mourned former Vice President Moody Awori’s brother Aggrey Awori.

Aggrey, a former ICT minister in Uganda, passed away on Monday at around 2pm while receiving treatment at a private hospital in Naalya, Kampala.

In a statement issued through his secretariat on Tuesday July 6, 2021, Raila said that his family was saddened by the passing on of Aggrey, whom he termed as a long-standing family friend. He has mourned him as a true manifestation of the spirit of East Africa integration and Pan-Africanism.

“Mama Ida and I have been deeply saddened by the passing of our long-standing family friend Hon Aggrey Awori. Aggrey was a true manifestation of the spirit of East Africa integration and Pan-Africanism,” the statement reads in part.

He further gave thanks for Aggrey’s remarkable service for Kenya and Uganda, noting that the two families had a long history of friendship which was started by their fathers, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Jeremiah Musungu Awori.

Raila also remarked how Awori represented Uganda in the 110 metres hurdles during the 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics.

He noted that their friendship dates back when Aggrey’s father, the pioneer African Canon for the Anglican Church used to come at their home to offer prayers whenever Jaramogi Oginga Odinga had any function.

Raila also remarked having worked with Aggrey Awori at the University of Nairobi.

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Awori had a Master of Arts in economics from Syracuse University in the US.

In 1967, Awori was appointed the first local director of Uganda Television (UTV).

In 1971 he was incarcerated for two months for failing to broadcast a speech delivered to him during Idi Amin’s first coup attempt.

He went sought asylum in Kenya where he taught political journalism at the University of Nairobi until 1976 when he left Kenya to travel to other parts of Africa.

Awori served as Minister for Information and Communications Technology from February 16, 2009 to May 27, 2011.

He was born on February 23, 1939 to Canon Jeremiah Musungu Awori, an Anglican preacher and Mariamu Odongo Awori, a nurse and community teacher.

Aggrey was the 10th of the 17 children. His siblings include; Kenya’s ninth Vice President Moody Awori and Mary Okelo, the founder of Kenya’s women only bank; the Kenya Women Finance Trust.

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Mudavadi, Kalonzo, Wetang’ula To Take ODM To Court Over Funds

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

The National Super Alliance (NASA) Co-principals Musalia Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula are planning to sue the Raila Odinga-led Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party over political parties’ funding.

The trio is also planning to officially withdraw from NASA after a fallout with the Orange party.

According to Mudavadi, the three coalition partners, Amani National Congress (ANC), Wiper and Ford Kenya are already formulating paperwork that will see the end to NASA coalition. The coalition agreement stipulates that NASA can only cease to exist if three partners decide to pull out.

The trio want to sue Raila Odinga’s party over political parties’ funds that have been disbursed to ODM since 2017.

Bungoma Senator and the Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetang’ula said public resources have been channeled to one of the coalition’s partners who has completely refused to account, which he says may lead to legal challenges.

As NASA affiliates, Wetang’ula says they shall seek remedies legally starting with arbitration, tribunal and “maybe eventually the High Court”.

Wetang’ula further noted that Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka was mandated to address the issue with the ODM party leader but Odinga and ODM are said to have snubbed any negotiations with Kalonzo for the last six months.

A meeting that was meant to happen on May 7 failed to happen, after ODM deputy party leader Wycliffe Oparanya failed to show up, further complicating the matter.

ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna has however rubbished the matter, claiming that ODM does not owe anything to the three parties.

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Jitters In ODM As Powerful Agency Director Resigns To Join Bonchari MP Race

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

The resignation of an agency director to run for the vacant Bonchari Constituency parliamentary seat has triggered jitters in Raila Odinga’s ODM camp.

Embattled Energy and Petroleum Regulatory and Authority (EPRA) boss Pavel Oimeke resigned and announced his intentions to vie for the Bonchari MP seat in the upcoming by-election.

Although he has not mentioned the political party he will be vying on, there are reports that Oimeke might settle to run on Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.

Oimeke told a local daily that he has kicked off consultations that will aid him to choose on the right party to vie on.

Pavel Oimeke. Photo/Courtesy

The seat became vacant after the death of John Oyoo Oyioka on Monday, February 15, after a long illness.

Media reports indicated that Oimeke had written to the Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter over his resignation. 

“I Pavel Robert Oimeke, would like to announce my resignation from the position of director-general at the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory and Authority,” he stated.

Oimeke is embroiled in a graft case in which he is accused of demanding a Ksh200,000 bribe. It is alleged that Oimeke demanded the bribe in order to reopen a petrol station in Oyugis, Homa Bay county.

The petrol station had been shut down over tax violations. Oimeke denied the graft allegations even as the case continues to drag in court.

The former energy boss was appointed EPRA boss in August 2017 for a three-year renewable contract. However, this was contested over allegations of abuse of office and fraud.

This led to Justice Hellen Wasilwa of the Employment and Labour Relations Court stopping the renewal of Oimeke’s contract to allow investigations to continue.

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Uhuru, Raila, Ruto
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Revealed: DP Ruto’s New Strategy To Split Uhuru, Raila Before 2022

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Will the working relationship between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga last until 2022?

Well, from the look of things, the handshake partners may be divided by the time Kenyans head to the ballot for the next general elections.

DP Ruto seems to be changing his strategy to drive a wedge between Uhuru and his handshake partner.

In an apparent effort to set the two handshake partners on a warpath, the DP appears to have devised a new plan to gain favour with the President and portray Raila as the enemy within.

Ruto, who has set his eyes on succeeding President Uhuru, has not been at ease since the two erstwhile political rivals closed ranks and shook hands on March 9, 2018. Ruto and the Nasa trio were excluded.

The DP and his troops have perceived the handshake as a political arrangement aimed at stifling his ambitions of becoming the country’s fifth President in favour of Raila.

Ruto has suddenly made an about-turn in his criticism of the Jubilee administration’s performance as his ally- former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko make sensational allegations on the government on the 2017 election chaos that have the potential of dividing the ‘two brothers’.

At a church service in Dagoretti South last Sunday, Ruto strongly supported the President and his administration’s development record and went ahead to list projects he and the President have completed since 2013.

The apparent change of heart – or strategy – came a day after he admitted Jubilee administration’s failure to realise its development agenda but blamed it on Raila for “infiltrating and diverting” the government priorities.

Ruto scathingly attacked the former Prime Minister, accusing him of despising, humiliating and embarrassing the head of state with his constant attacks attack on Jubilee’s output.

Raila and his allies have lately criticised the government’s development record in their BBI and 2022 election campaigns.

The ODM brigade has painted Ruto as the face of Jubilee’s failures and accused him of trying to run away from his own government’s failures.

They cited the laptop project, stadiums and creation of at least one million jobs for the youth every year as among the pledges Jubilee has failed to deliver.

Political analysts Elias Mutuma and Mark Bichachi observe Ruto as a man out to exploit every opportunity that may create a rift between Uhuru and Raila.

“The friendship between Uhuru and Raila is costing the DP…so he would ensure that the two go their separate ways so that he can have a better chance of succeeding his boss,” Mutuma said in an interview with a local daily.

He added that Ruto is wounded and feels his space was taken over by Raila and thus will be keen to take advantage of any scenario that would see them apart.

“If he gets an opportunity to edge Raila out, he would not hesitate. He is taking advantage of the fact that there has been a bit of some discomfort within ODM circles [over the handshake],” he said.

“Ruto understands everyone loves anyone who opposes the sitting government. That is why is roping in Raila so that he can increase his chances,” Bichachi said.

And in what appears part of the wider plan to split Uhuru and Raila, former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, a close ally of the DP, sensationally claimed  Interior CS Karanja Kibicho and other influential people in the Jubilee administration planned the 2017 election chaos, which was then blamed on ODM.

Making the claims in the presence of the DP, Sonko alleged that he and influential people in the Jubilee administration, otherwise known as ‘the deep state’, printed ODM branded T-shirts.

Kibicho has denied Sonko’s claims and has already recorded a statement with the DCI. He has threatened to sue the ex-city county chief.

Sonko’s assertions, however, triggered anger in Raila’s ODM and threatened to sever the cordial relationship the outfit and the President’s Jubilee Party enjoy.

“ODM demands a full inquiry into the matter to establish the motives and extent of these mafia-like covert criminal acts as well as all persons and institutions involved,” secretary general Edwin Sifuna demanded.

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“Forget Raila’s Support in 2022,” ODM Tells Mudavadi, Kalonzo And Wetang’ula

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has told the NASA co-principals to forget Raila Odinga’s support in 2022.

The Orange party’s secretary-general Edwin Sifuna on Tuesday, January 26 challenged Amani National Congress party leader Musalia Mudavadi, Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula and Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka to stop dreaming of being endorsed by Raila in 2022.

Instead, Sifuna has asked the leaders to take advantage of ODM’s public notice and apply to be the party flagbearer for 2022 State House bid.

A fortnight ago, politicians across the divide used the funeral service of Mudavadi’s mother to drum up support for his candidature for the top seat ahead of next year’s polls. 

“If you know you cannot win without Baba’s support this is your chance. Come into his house, pick forms, apply, sit and wait. Or forever hold your peace,” Sifuna added.

In an advert placed in local dailies on Sunday, ODM elections board, chaired by Dr Catherine Mumma, asked members to send applications to National Elections Board  if they want to be the party’s presidential candidate for 2022 General Election.

Mumma said interested candidates must pay Sh1 million non-refundable fee to the ODM account held at Kenya Commercial bank, Lavington branch.

Further, each applicant will be required to present the evidence of the payment to the party’s headquarters.

Yesterday, Mudavadi sustained his attacks on Raila, accusing him of breaching a promise he made in 2017 not to again contest the presidency.

Mudavadi said he had stood with Raila in his presidential bids over the years and it was time the ODM leader reciprocated.

Reports earlier indicated that Nasa was considering fielding one candidate to run against Ruto.

Nasa imploded following the March 9, 2018, handshake between Raila and President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Mudavadi said he won’t support any other person and criticised Raila for reneging on his 2017 promise to run for the last time.

“He said in 2017 that he had one bullet. He has now abandoned his gun because it has no bullets, and now he has taken another person’s gun because he wants to load bullets,” he said.

Mudavadi spoke on Sunday in Matungu when he campaigned for his ANC candidate Peter Nabulindo. He addressed supporters at Mukhweya, Namulungu and Mirere centres. 

Mudavadi also accused Deputy President William Ruto of dishonesty, deceit and disrespect to Kenyans and President Kenyatta.

He termed the DP’s support of the recently launched UDA party as a mockery of the tenets of democracy and party loyalty.

The ANC boss said the DP cannot distance himself from the undertakings of the Jubilee party and the government he formed together with Uhuru.

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Internet Set Ablaze As Sonko Reveals How ‘Deep State’ Used Him To Finish Raila In 2017

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Ousted Nairobi County Governor Mike Sonko has stirred mixed reactions on the internet after he publicly confessed to what he did to Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) supporters in 2017, with the help of ‘the deep state’.

Sonko who since his impeachment has launched an assail on President Uhuru Kenyatta and his ‘Kieleweke’ allied Jubilee party members has taken his tirades a notch higher.

Not even warnings by Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria not to have him speak at public gatherings, especially at events attended by Deputy President William Ruto have been taken to consideration.

Speaking at a function in Dagorreti on Sunday, January 24, attended by Deputy President William Ruto, Sonko opened up on the atrocities he, alongside some senior government officials, did to ensure that Raila Odinga’s side is blamed.

According to Sonko, they went and bought T-shirts, printed them with ODM colors, bought some second hand vehicles and set them on fire, so that the ODM supporters can be blamed for being destructive.

‘I, Interior PS Karanja Kibicho and some members of the deep state printed T-shirts written ODM, bought second-hand vehicles, burned them along the highway so that it be pegged on ODM supporters, thus deeming them as violent and destructive,” he revealed.

Sonko was referring to the recent unrests that have been witnessed in the Rift Valley region, where some vehicles have been burned in what has been blamed on the war of class that is allegedly being fuelled by DP Ruto’s hustler vs dynasty narrative.

According to Sonko, it is ‘the system’ that is burning the vehicles, so that it can be blamed on DP Ruto’s hustler nation movement.

Sonko’s rant stirred mixed reactions, with some netizens arguing that his confessions will son reveal the killers of IEBC ICT manager Chris Musando.

Some claimed that the embattled politician is currently digging his own political grave since the Tanga Tanga faction that he is appeasing at the moment will also lose trust in him.

Some argued that Sonko should just be picked up and returned to Shimo La Tewa prison to complete his jail term.

A picture made rounds on early this month of cows in a truck that were burnt in alleged dynasty, hustler wars.

The hustler movement is associated with DP Ruto who has on several occasions stated that his agenda is about Wanjiku (the ordinary Kenyan) and not about tribal politics.

The post which was circulated by various individuals on social media with the claim that innocent lives were at risk as political temperatures in the country continued to rise. 

“The bodabodas burned this lorry plus the cows inside it in the name of hustlers vs dynasties for the simple reason that one of their colleagues was injured by the lorry,” embattled Thirdway Alliance party leader Ekuru Aukot noted. 

However, it later emerged that the incident had happened in Nigeria, and not Kenya as it had been widely reported.

Instances of boda boda riders causing destruction to other motorists after a major accident have, however, been reported in Kenya. 

On January, 14, boda boda riders blocked a section of Outer ring road in Nairobi after one of their own was knocked down by a lorry on the road.

Watch Sonko’s video below.

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Take It Or Leave It! Raila In Dilemma As Uhuru Slaps Him With This Demand

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has been left in a big dilemma after President Uhuru Kenyatta issued him with a new demand regarding their March 2018 handshake.

According to reports, Raila is stuck between accepting the demand or rejecting it and fold out of the handshake deal that has seen him work closely with President Kenyatta.

Details have already emerged that President Kenyatta wants Raila and his Orange party to sign a formal deal that will seal their agreement. 

The two decided to work together to calm the political tension emanating from the controversial August 2017 General election.

Insiders who spoke to a leading local daily said that the head of state wants Odinga to enjoy the fruits of the handshake, which birthed the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) and has also seen several projects unveiled under Kenyatta’s regime. 

Jubilee is also pushing ODM to enter into a formal agreement after the latter reportedly asked to be awarded the position of Nairobi County Deputy Governor. 

ODM reportedly claimed to have played a role in impeaching former Governor Mike Sonko. New Deputy Governor Anne Kananu is poised to take over as governor. 

Odinga’s party may opt to present a candidate who is aligned to the party and not necessarily a party member as a Deputy Governor nominee. 

In June 2020, ODM declined to enter into an agreement with Jubilee after former Vice President, Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Democratic Movement and Isaac Ruto’s Chama Cha Maendeleo signed a deal with the ruling party. ODM, however, insisted that it would continue to partner with Jubilee and did not need to sign any formal deal.

Odinga held a crisis meeting with his key allies on Monday, January 19, to discuss the demand issued by Jubilee. 

“We don’t need to have a formal agreement with Jubilee. All we need is to trust each other,” ODM Chairman John Mbadi said, later on.

However, trust issues are key to the new deal being sought by Kenyatta as Odinga has on numerous occasions asked his critics to distance him from Jubilee failures. 

His allies such as Siaya Senator James Orengo have also openly criticised Jubilee for unemployment and Kenya’s high debt level.

Deputy President William Ruto hinted that Odinga and Kenyatta may be at loggerheads over the handshake deal, arguing that ODM wanted to pull out of the agreement after allegedly sabotaging the government. 

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Politics

New Details Reveal The Real Masterminds Behind Kang’ata’s BBI Letter To Uhuru

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Fresh details have emerged, revealing how the letter addressed to President Uhuru Kenyatta by Senate Majority leader Irungu Kang’ata on the alleged unpopularity of BBI in Mt. Kenya, was carefully drafted.

According to the details, the Murang’a Senator had held a series of consultations that culminated in a secretive night meeting held at his Grogan home in Murang’a on New Year’s eve. 

Reports indicate that the meetings had been prompted by Jubilee Party and Governor Mwangi Waria’s Civic Renewal Party (CRP) losses in a by-election held in Gaturi ward, Murang’a on December 15, 2020.

Kang’ata is said to have held a meeting on the night of December 31st in which he carefully vetted attendees. A source revealed that 24 people were present, 3 from each of the sub-counties. 

Strategists who have guided the Senator in his political career were also present. 

The meeting was dominated by a popularity analysis of the Tanga Tanga and Kieleweke factions, after which Kang’ata was asked to chart a new political journey, starting with a candid report to President Kenyatta.

“He (Kang’ata) was told to tell the president that people were complaining of being forced into unpalatable political formations, was reeling under policy-driven business hardships and that generally, the president had become a stranger to them hence rebellion against him and his administration was at their peak,” the source was quoted by a local daily as saying.

In the course of the meeting, the delegates are said to have questioned Kang’ata’s alliance with the Kieleweke faction. 

Joshua Kimani, who spoke to the local daily revealed that the senator was informed of Tanga Tanga’s popularity in the region.

“The senator urged us to be as truthful as possible with him because he wanted to ensure his 2022 contest for Murang’a governor would be premised on the political pulse of the county. We were all unanimous that, first, he was in the wrong wing of politics. We told him point-blank that how he was used by Kieleweke to de-whip Tanga Tanga loyalists had eroded his standing in Murang’a, and that, unless he remedied the situation, he was walking into his political gallows,” Kimani was quoted as saying.

The Senate Chief Whip was advised that there was little chance that he would be elected Murang’a Governor in 2022, so long as he continued to associate himself with the Kieleweke faction aligned to President Kenyatta, ODM Leader Raila Odinga, and former presidential candidate Peter Kenneth.

Kang’ata prides himself in not having lost any election since joining politics in 2002, at a tender age of 21 years. 

“We made our case very well and backed it with actual evidence that is in the public domain. We told Kang’ata that if the Kieleweke 2022 ticket was the one being sold by the Handshake team with Raila Odinga as President and Peter Kenneth as his running mate, then he had better kiss his Murang’a gubernatorial ambitions goodbye,” Kimani added.

“As a Jubilee die-hard loyal to President Kenyatta, I saw it wise to collect that intelligence and compile it and bring it to the attention of the party and its leader,” Kang’ata is quoted as saying when he revealed that the meeting at his home was heated.

The letter by Kang’ata to President Kenyatta was dated December 30, however, it has been established that it had been authored on December 31, 2020, before hitting the headlines on January 3, 2021.

Kang’ata informed the President of the political landscape in the Mount Kenya region with regard to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), and his findings rubbed off pro-BBI champions the wrong way.

In the letter, Kang’ata urged that the BBI consider adopting two pet lines – a consensus-oriented process that would see the referendum bear multiple questions- something that has through the course of the report been championed b Deputy President William Ruto.

Critics of the letter have since accused Kang’ata of playing sideshows and that he was rejoining Tanga Tanga.

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Politics

Raila Tears Into DP Ruto Shortly After Receiving BBI Signatures

by Jacinta Mbithi
written by Jacinta Mbithi

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has torn into critics of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

Taking to his official twitter account on Friday December 4, shortly after receiving the BBI signatures from 13 regions across the country, the former Prime Minister slammed those claiming to be speaking for the people.

Deputy President Dr William Ruto and his allies have been opposing the constitutional changes, with the DP claiming to be speaking for millions of Kenyans.

However, Raila said that those claiming to be speaking for the people should leave them to speak for themselves.

Raila noted that the people have already spoken by appending their signatures in support of the BBI, which is aimed at amending the 2010 constitution, through a referendum that has been proposed to happen in 2021.

He further revealed that over 5 million Kenyans had appended their signatures in support of BBI.

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He said that the journey towards referendum now continues, with the collected signatures expected to be presented to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for verification.

“I appeal to the naysayers out there who claim to be speaking for the people to realize that the people have spoken and let the people continue speaking for themselves. Over 5 million Kenyans have thus far appended their signatures endorsing the BBI process. The journey continues!”Raila tweeted.

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