- MPs from the region who had ditched the Prime Cabinet Secretary for Raila in the run-up to elections have warmed up to Kenya Kwanza.
- Mudavadi has also been holding talks with all the governors from Western Kenya.
Image: Musalia Mudavadi/ Twitter
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said Opposition leader Raila Odinga no longer has the support and backing he enjoyed in the past in Western Kenya.
Mudavadi said it is evident that residents in the vote-rich region have moved on and are taking a different political direction.
“We must wake up to the reality that Kenyans are dynamic. They are changing and want to see things done differently,” the Prime Cabinet Secretary said.
Speaking during an interview with TV47 on Friday night, Mudavadi reiterated that the ground in Western Kenya has already shifted.
His remarks come hot on the heels of a raging debate as to whether the Prime Cabinet Secretary can now be considered as the Luhya kingpin.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary position makes Mudavadi the third most powerful person in the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Only President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua rank higher than the former vice president.
Western has for long been considered a stronghold of Raila judging from the number of votes it gets from the region in elections.
In 2007, 2013 and 2017 general elections, Odinga bagged the lion’s share of the region’s votes for his presidential bids, at the same time also bagging the highest number of Members of Parliament.
In the interview, Mudavadi said politicians must learn to respect the people who vote for them.
“If we have been voting for you, it is because we were convinced at that time to give you that support. Do not take that support for granted,” he explained.
He added that politicians should also not assume that the support is static and that it will always be there at their call.
“We must wake up to realities. Demographics change and economic interests have taken a very different direction in all parts of the country,” he stated.
“If you think that you go into politics in a traditional way of the same simple narrative, then you’re in trouble.”
After 10 years in the cold, Mudavadi made his 'earthquake' come back to the government as Number 3.
Mudavadi was heavily criticised for teaming up with President William Ruto’s UDA under the Kenya Kwanza Alliance.
His former allies, particularly in Western Kenya, rebuked him for choosing Ruto over Raila.
Some pundits have argued that Raila managed to seal the western’s votes in past elections due to Mudavadi’s support and forming alliances with other Western leaders.
Already, Mudavadi has met Members of Parliament from Western Kenya from across the political divide in what is his boldest move yet to consolidate Western Kenya.
MPs from the region who had ditched the Prime Cabinet Secretary for Raila in the run-up to elections have warmed up to Kenya Kwanza.
Mudavadi has also been holding talks with all the governors from Western Kenya.