Kieni MP Kanini Kega, the Budget committee chairman, has emerged as Raila Odinga's lead campaigner in Central region under Azimio la Umoja.
In this exclusive interview, he speaks to Eliud Kibii about his third-term bid, the Jubilee Party falling out, the economy, fragmented Oka's looming cooperation with Azimio and Raila's bid to scale the mountain.
What motivated you to vie for Kieni MP?
I have always been a leader. At high school at Chinga Boys I was the dormitory captain. I was a student leader at the university and a close friend of MP Munene Kairu (deceased), who was the only member who at least did something for the people of Kieni. He did a lot in water connectivity.
So I borrowed a lot from him and I built my profile by following in his footsteps. Wherever he is, I know he is proud the MP who took over from him after sometime was able to do most of the things he projected to do.
So, politics and interacting with people to me comes naturally. I studied social work at the university.
How did Kanini Kega come about?
The people gave me the name. It means young and good. My mother named me Mathenge.
There were three other Mathenges and when I vied in 2007, my voters were confused. So I decided to adopt that name. The second reason is that at that time, the incumbent MP was big and I was small. So they interpreted it that I was facing a big opponent.
You are the only MP who secured a second term in Nyeri county. How would you rate your two terms?
It is not just in Nyeri but also Kirinyaga and Laikipia and I don’t take it for granted.
First, I found a constituency that was neglected. There was no single kilometre of tarmac apart from the one that cuts across from Nyeri to Nyahururu and the one from Nanyuki to Karatina. But in eight to nine years, we have done at least 350km of roads. I have also murrammed roads and lobbied for electricity connectivity.
When I was elected, we were around 16 per cent and now we are about 66 per cent in connectivity to the national grid. By the end of my second term, we will connect between 70 per cent and 75 per cent.
And with Season 3 [third term], which I know is unstoppable, my projection is to connect everybody to power, do 500km of roads and make sure those who don’t have access to tarmac have murram roads.
I knew my work was clearly cut and thus focused on deliverables, hardware — roads, electricity, connectivity to water for irrigation. Those are the things that endeared me to the people and they gave me a second term.
I have built on that and getting the third term will be easier because my track record speaks for itself.
Even my adversaries appreciate that. Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua noted the other day I have done 400km of tarmac roads when he claimed that if I don’t go to UDA I will not be re-elected.
Don’t you think the UDA wave will deny you reelection?
No. My people are smart. This time round, my election with be 70 per cent going to 80 percent, go to the ground.
The UDA wave is slowly dying because it was a storm in a teacup. They have always been claiming they have the numbers but look even on the floor of the House. The same will play out when we go to the ground.
I am a ground person, I interact with my people regularly and I know what is in their heart. I am sure once Azimio crystalises, it will be the party to beat in the mountain [Mt Kenya].
We have also explained to our people that we are moving to Azimio with our vehicle — Jubilee — and we respect other parties, unlike in UDA, which has no respect for our party.
It is completely hypocritical to tell us to fold our parties and Musalia [Mudavadi] comes with his [ANC] party that has two members of Parliament and [Ford Kenya leader Moses] Wetang’ula as the only senator — and they are accommodated as principals.
That tells you Raila is looking for partners but Ruto is looking for followers.
TSP leader Mwangi Kiunjuri from neighbouring Laikipia recently said Azimio is not an option for him. What does this say about regional voting patterns?
Laikipia and Nyeri politics are the same because we are the same people. Whatever is going to happen in Nyeri will cascade to Laikipia and further to the larger Mt Kenya region. When we launch Azimio properly and relaunch our Jubilee, it will be the party to beat in Central. We have MCAs and gubernatorial aspirants who want to vie on Jubilee.
What’s your relationship with Rigathi Gachagua?
I personally have no issues with him. He is a colleague, and in fact, when he joined Parliament, I was the one who did his orientation.
I took him to CS Charles Keter [then holding Energy docket] together with the Mt Kenya leaders and we were working very closely in the first two months or so after we were elected.
But I think it could be a question of sibling rivalry as he found me doing my second term. I am younger than he and elected as a chairman of a committee, as opposed to any hatred.
I personally don’t abuse him, but he calls me names all the time. I know he is calling me names because he knows I am a force to reckon with and my strength is on the ground. I don’t have any personal issues with him, only that we are not friends politically.
What happened to the Jubilee behemoth of 2017?
One, it is the Deputy President who jumped the gun.
I remember when we were elected for the second term, there was a meeting at State House convened by the President on August 28.
The President was very categorical that the campaigns are over and we should work and do 2022 politics when that time comes. He said he has a strict timeline and he needs to deliver what he has promised Kenyans.
Unfortunately, the DP decided not to honour what the President had requested and engaged in early campaigns. I think that’s when the rain started beating him.
I have actually not seen him go to the office at Harambee Annex. For the last three years, I don’t think he has operated from Annex and the only operation is at Karen residence, where he is hosting delegations.
Being the chairman of Budget, I have been appropriating money to him through my committee and we have not deducted the allocation despite the fact that he does not work.
He says his functions or work were taken away and given to Interior CS Fred Matiang’i.
No functions were taken from him. He is the Deputy President and he reminds Kenyans of that. Whenever he goes to whichever part of the country and he finds a road under construction, he says we are doing it. How can he say he is not working and wants to take credit of the projects? You can’t have your cake and eat it.
DP Ruto, who has been and is still my good friend, decided not to follow what the President requested and decided to chart his own path. To come and engage, especially the mountain, directly unlike in the past.
When Uhuru went to the Rift Valley, he didn’t go directly. He went through him [Ruto].
I don’t know who misled him that by the time Uhuru will be leaving power he would not have any influence as a lame duck president. He got it wrong.
Uhuru is even stronger now than he was in 2017. All the aspirants are seeking his endorsement. They are now seeking to brand Raila as a project. If the President was supporting Ruto, would he be Uhuru’s project? Let them not be selfish.
Ruto shot himself in the foot and he has to carry that burden. Maybe in the future he will be elected President, which I have no problem with, but not in 2022. He is not getting to State House.
When you say he jumped the gun, there is talk there was already a plan to shortchange him after or even before the 2017 elections. How true are those claims?
I am not privy to any such plans. They have been talking about so many plans, La Mada ... all manner of things. It's basically crying wolf and seeking sympathy. Nobody is conspiring against the DP. He is the one who has created all those undoings himself. He has himself to blame.
The debt problem has been an issue even in the election campaigns. What is your position on this as Budget chairman?
Debts are not bad. Japan has a debt of 110 per cent of its GDP. Ours is about 65 per cent. And the debts we are getting are not to pay salaries but to create proper infrastructure — road network, the railway and power connectivity.
They are going to spur development, encourage more investors to come and thus create more jobs. It will be exponential. The Expressway will lead to exponential growth of the capital and this will cascade to the rural areas.
I am not worried about the debts and the only challenge would be if we borrow to pay salaries, for recurrent expenditure.
KRA is also collecting more money because the more we collect, the less we are going to borrow.
But the cost of living has gone up and there are questions about value for money with claims the projects are overpriced?
We are very prudent. The challenge now is to the National Assembly through departmental committees to make sure the allocations are used properly. Same with the counties as we have also seen a lot of public resources wasted.
We can’t deny there is no misuse of resources. We have seen some excesses with some governors and ministries and some duplication. These are some of the things the next government needs to look at: To reduce on the wastage and the duplication and make sure public resources are properly utilised.
The impact of these loans might not be felt now but we will start seeing and feeling the benefits in the next five years.
The cost of living is high, and not just in Kenya. The pandemic disrupted budgeting as we have to allocate funds to buy vaccines, funds that would have been used for infrastructure and healthcare, for example.
These challenges are temporary and we will soon be able to spur the economy to cushion mwananchi. The government has also been able to cushion the vulnerable through the social protection.
There is talk Azimio is courting Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Oka. Are those talks underway?
That is beyond my pay grade. Mine is to negotiate with fellow MPs and voters and for sure, they have heard the message.
But we share a lot and it is a question of time. I believe Kalonzo will fit very well on our side as you have already seen. Those with questionable past are on one side. They were there during Goldenberg, in Arror and Kimwarer, NYS, the Tokyo scandal, the cemetery scandal. They are all together. It gives Kenyans an opportunity to edge them out all together.
Raila, on the Azimio side, has true clear record fighting for this country.
Kalonzo, a fine gentleman, will see it wise and proper to come and join forces with us because anyone thinking they can a third force should know that's a recipe for chaos.
Remember in 2007, if Kalonzo chose either side — Raila or Kibaki's — with his 900,000 votes, the win would have been so decisive that there would not have been post-election violence. That should remind him that although someone would want to push for a runoff, it might trigger violence.
I don’t have doubt that given a choice between Azimio and going to the other side, he will definitely come to our side. It is a question of time.
A clip making the rounds shows you nodding in agreement as President Kenyatta criticises Raila on his economic credentials soon after the election. You were also initially aligning with Tangatanga. Why and when did you shift?
That was during the 2017 political campaigns and it was a cutthroat competition. And in politics, you create all manner of lies, innuendos, call each other names and create propaganda. That was part of the propaganda and narrative we had created to make sure we won. But we have confessed and said that was not true and sought forgiveness from Baba because we heaped a lot of lies on him.
And there is no time you can say I was in Tangatanga because when we started in 2013, I was introduced to William Ruto by Uhuru. I have always been on the President’s side. When Ruto failed to follow what the President requested, I had no option. I went back to the default setting.
You have been among those leading Raila's campaigners in Central. How much support do you think he will get in August?
There is no doubt that Baba [Raila] is climbing the mountain. That he can now do a meeting in Karatina, where in 2013 he was thrown out of a hotel he had gone for lunch tells you things have changed.
In the next two months, we will have serious and intense town hall meetings to explain to our people why Raila is the safest pair of hands. And our people are listening.
In 2012, when Uhuru told us he wants to work with Ruto, we were totally hesitant, remembering what had happened in 2007-08. But when Uhuru explained it to us, we accepted. The same will happen with Raila.
What next for Uhuru?
He is not going anywhere. He is still very young. Where is he going? He remains our party leader. Of course, he cannot vie but he will still be around to offer guidance and advice.
Parting shot?
What has happened to Kenya Kwanza showed their true colours. They have been telling us we are partners but they are now talking about three principals — Ruto, Mudavadi and Wetang’ula. Where is the mountain?.
Secondly, we have seen internal sibling rivalry in Nairobi between the governor designate on that side, Johnson Sakaja, and Bishop [Margaret] Wanjiru, who has always stood with UDA and was assured of being the governor candidate.
On the Azimio side, we will have negotiations on the governorship, senate and MPs and those who lose, we will accommodate them as the government is big. There will be no fighting.
Editors note: Mudavadi and Wetang'ula were cleared in the Goldenberg, cemetery scandal and Tokyo embassy scandal]
(Edited by V. Graham)
