- Ruto held private talks with this teams from the region where he made major changes.
- There has been infighting among the bigwigs leading the DP's campaigns in the region that triggered a falling out among aspirants.
Image: ANGWENYI GICHANA
Deputy President William Ruto has aligned his team in Kisii, handing youthful politicians in Kenya Kwanza bigger roles to manage his regional campaign machine.
In his recent tour of Kisii and Nyamira counties, the United Democratic Alliance presidential candidate held private talks with the teams from the region where he made major changes.
There has been infighting among the bigwigs leading the DP's campaigns in the region that triggered a falling out among aspirants within Kenya Kwanza.
However, the DP's visit last week sealed leadership loopholes and harmonised campaign management in his team, making sweeping changes in a bid to build synergy ahead of the polls.
“The DP was clear during our meeting that as a team we need to consolidate our gains and step up our assault in the last sprint of the campaigns and to mobilise voters to turn out in large numbers,” said a politician who attended the private meeting.
Initially, there were tensions pitting UDA candidates on one hand and other affiliate parties including ANC and Ford Kenya, especially aspirants for various seats.
This forced Ruto to make far-reaching changes to the campaign teams, asking aspirants to retreat to the grassroots to hunt for votes as the region's secretariat coordinates Kenya Kwanza campaigns.
There have been turf wars between senatorial candidate for UDA Joash Maangi and South Mugirago MP Sylvanus Osoro over the overal leadership of the Ruto campaigns in the regions.
Osoro, who is defending his seat, was initially the overall leader of the UDA campaigns in the region,something that did not sit well with Maangi.
During the meeting, Ruto affirmed that Nairobi-based lawyer and businessman Okeng’o Nyambane is the overall leader of his presidential campaigns in Kisii and South Nyanza.
Nyambane, a key ally of Ruto, was asked to step down as the UDA senatorial candidate to boost victory chances for party gubernatorial candidate Ezekiel Machogu.
Both Machogu and Nyambane hail from the populous Nyaribari clan that has also fielded Senator Sam Ongeri who is running for governor on a DAP-K party ticket.
At the same time, the DP promised to appoint those who have made concessions and stepped down for other candidates that he will appoint them into senior positions if he forms the next government.
Nyambane,being a youthful politician from the region and with the DP having insisted for giving young people a bigger stake in his cabinet, is tipped to be named a Cabinet Secretary should Ruto win the presidency.
The DP is said to have made the revelations during a private meeting with his Kisii campaign team at a hotel in Kisii town, hinting at a possible shuffling of his initial favorites.
Former chairman of the Constitution Implementation Commission Charles Nyaachae had been touted among Ruto's possible Cabinet appointees from the region.
He is said to have told the meeting that he is ready to be considered for another role.
“We are determined to deliver resounding victory for both our party leader William Ruto and the Kisii people by winning by a landslide the Kisii governor's seat,” declared Machogu.
The former provincial administrator's resurgence in the campaigns has seen him attract huge crowds across the constituencies, signaling the making of a two-horse race in the battle for the county's top seat.
Recent opinion polls have placed Dagorreti North MP Simba Arati of ODM ahead in the governor's race, but Machagu has asked his supporters not to be intimidated by what he has termed as 'doctored' surveys.
“From our own assessment, we are slightly ahead of our opponents because of the hard work our team has put in the campaigns in the recent few weeks,” Machogu said.
The UDA candidate has been hosting well attended rallies in his Nyaribari clan and Bomachoge where the the party's senatorial candidate Joash Maangi comes from.
It has been the same trend in parts of Kitutu where his running mate Migosi Ogamba hails from and in Bonchari where the woman representative candidate Teresia Bitutu comes from.
Ruto is expected to tour Kisii and Nyamira counties one more time in the remaining days of the presidential campaigns before Kenyans head to the polls on August 9.
Edited by Henry Makori