- The fast-changing political dynamics in Kirinyaga could have forced Waiguru to explore options outside Jubilee.
- The governor has warned that they don't expect a miracle at the Supreme Court on BBI.
Image: TWITTER/ANNE WAIGURU
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has revealed that she cannot rule out working with Deputy President William Ruto in the 2022 elections.
Waiguru, however, said it's a bit too early for such a discussion on whether she could join UDA.
The governor opened up about her 2022 political plans saying that while she cannot clearly say whether or not she will join UDA, the people of Kirinyaga will have the ultimate decision.
The county chief has recently signalled to change her 2022 political course especially after the court setbacks that roiled the Building Bridges Initiative process to amend the constitution.
“I can't say I would join UDA or not. You know this is politics, but it is unlikely, it is a bit early. Let us see how the ground looks like,” she said Monday morning on Spice FM
Waiguru had on Saturday claimed that she was being targeted by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission after her remarks that Mt Kenya should go back to the drawing board after the fall of BBI.
The governor has alleged that immediately after she said there was a need for the region to have an introspection, she was allegedly summoned by the EACC.
Yesterday, the governor also said she will move to the ground to hold extensive consultations with her electorate about the way forward, insisting that BBI faces a bleak future.
Given that the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court judgement that declared BBI unconstitutional, she said it was unlikely that the apex court will overturn that.
“It is very unlikely that we will go very far at the Supreme Court, going by that it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will overturn the two decisions of the High court and Court of Appeal,” she said
The governor said it is on that background that she will be consulting her people about the best way forward even as she ponders on whether to defend her seat or jump into another bandwagon.
“I can not try to be ignorant and go against my people. I can't vote myself in, I am listening to what they want. Do they want me to run for governor a second term?” she posed.
The governor said that while she has been a key pillar of BBI and the handshake in the Mt Kenya region, it was important for leaders from the region to step back and craft the best formula forward.
“We need to sit back and ask, where did I go wrong, what is it that I can do, what is it that wanted to achieve, are there other avenues that we can use to achieve the same,” she said.
“I am consulting about this, then I will decide to either change course or maintain course and communicate.”
When asked if she was using the anti-graft war and the BBI fate to chart her new political path away from the ruling Jubilee party, Waiguru said the issue about political parties is key in the 2022 elections.
She said that while she may have performed very well in her first term as governor, she would have to be strategic lest she is consumed by the changing dynamics in the country's political landscape.
“You can be a fantastic performer and not be re-elected and anyone who thinks that they have performed and therefore should be reelected that is being naïve in politics,” she insisted.
“Sometimes politicians are elected on the wave of political parties so you can be swept away despite your good performance by the wave that comes your way.”
There are fears that the decision by a top civil servant to throw the heart in the ring for the Kirinyaga governor's seat coupled with the UDA wave could force Waiguru into reviewing his political game plan.
The governor has been one of the key critics of Ruto's hustler nation movement and has been seen as an influential Mt Kenya figure likely to shape President Uhuru Kenyatta's succession politics.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris