• The power games have been cascaded down to the counties which have become the coliseum where the real battles are being fought out.
• DP Ruto has reiterated that he is not owed any debt by anyone come the 2022 polls.
Image: JACK OWUOR
The supremacy battle for control of the populous Central Kenya region has intensified as the 2022 succession begins to take shape.
Rivalries and infighting among the region’s top political kingpins are threatening to split the voters as the next general elections draw near.
The battle is not only focused on who will represent the region’s interests once President Uhuru Kenyatta completes his second and final term.
The power games have been cascaded down to the counties which have become the coliseum where the real battles are being fought out.
Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has blamed his recent woes with the anti-graft watchdog on politics.
Waititu had a day to forget on Thursday as his city homes were raided at dawn by EACC detectives.
He and his close families were later arrested in the same afternoon and freed in the evening after he was granted anticipatory bail by a Kiambu court after a drama-filled day.
Image: VICTOR IMBOTO
Soon after he walked to freedom, Waititu insisted he will not be cowed by his political detractors in his continued support for Deputy President William Ruto and his 2022 State House quest.
However, the embattled governor is facing serious opposition and a growing rebellion from his own backyard.
Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi during Waititu’s appearance at the Senate said things were "not good" in Kiambu.
He said there was an uproar among residents who wanted to know where their money was going.
Waititu has also had a frosty relationship with his deputy James Nyoro and the county's woman rep Gathoni wa Muchomba.
Wa Muchomba has already warned should the DPP and DCI not act on the Kiambu situation, the voters will turn up and protest until Waititu tells them where their money goes to.
Nyoro, on the other hand, said the governor has leaned on powerful leaders so as to seek protection.
The area former governor William Kabogo told off Waititu saying he should carry his own cross.
Image: JOHN KAMAU
"Shame on Waititu trying to shift blame. Ask your assembly for this information. I’m not surprised that you got no clue in what is where," Kabogo tweeted after the governor's Senate hearing.
However, DP Ruto has been the governor's staunchest defender and has always stood firmly by Waititu's side saying his detractors should let him do his work in Kiambu.
Ruto during an interview on the popular Kikuyu station Kameme FM last Thursday played down the notion that the Mt Kenya region should return the favour of supporting him once Uhuru's term ends.
Ruto reiterated that he is not owed any debt by anyone come the 2022 polls.
He castigated the "Kieleweke" team which is opposed to his presidency, for spreading propaganda that businesses especially those in Central Kenya will suffer under a different administration.
Last Wednesday, ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi made his latest foray into Central as he met the region's elders in Tigoni, Kiambu county.
The meeting was hosted by Mzee Nginyu Kariuki and centred on the economy, security and agriculture.
Mudavadi, who has made no secret of his desire to succeed Uhuru, said that if elected, he will work towards fixing the economy plus ensuring a conducive business environment.
The elders credited Mudavadi for his leadership abilities, citing his time at the Ministry of Finance.
In neighbouring Kirinyaga, the two most powerful women in the county, rarely see eye to eye.
In February, Woman Rep Purity Ngirici stormed a function where Governor Anne Waiguru was to preside over an Uwezo Funds issuance.
Ngirici asked Waiguru to keep off her business and concentrate on devolved functions, rather than national functions.
She said the disbursement of Uwezo funds is a prerogative of her office.
Waiguru, through her communication office, said it was regrettable that an elected leader could disrupt a function meant to benefit residents.
Ngirici on Friday asked Waiguru to resign claiming she has failed to fix problems at the county.
She blamed Waiguru for the mess at the Kerugoya Level Four Hospital, for which the governor had blamed the woman rep.
With three years left to the next polls, the battle for votes for the country's populous region will most likely intensify as political bigwigs fight to endear themselves to the hearts of Central Kenya residents.