•Wanjigi's tour will be coming hot in the heels of an aggressive tour of the region by Raila's running mate Martha Karua.
•He will be touring Kiambu, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Laikipia, Embu, Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Nyandarua, Murang'a and Nakuru.
Image: TWITTER
Safina party presidential candidate Jimmy Wanjigi is plotting a major political battle to consolidate the 4.5 million Kikuyu votes, threatening to upset the country's main presidential hopefuls.
Wanjigi believes the Kikuyu nation and by extension, the Mt Kenya region has received a raw deal in the coalitions led by Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto.
The two leading presidential candidates have promised the region running mates, a move Wanjigi says is not commensurate with its numerical strength.
The Star has established the businessman is rolling out a dare-devil combat to position himself as the country's formidable third-horse in the presidential race.
In the next two weeks, Wanjigi will be touring the vote-rich Mt Kenya region in an elaborate campaign to propel his presidential ambition.
Wanjigi's tour will be coming hot in the heels of an aggressive tour of the region by Raila's running mate Martha Karua.
Wanjigi, a former ally of both Ruto and President Kenyatta and Raila, hails from Murang'a.
Ruto is traversing the region to undo Raila's gains after picking Karua amid fears the region had flipped into a battleground of a possible runoff.
Wanjigi will be touring Kiambu, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Laikipia, Embu, Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Nyandarua, Murang'a and Nakuru.
“We are going to spare no efforts to unify the Mt Kenya nation so that together as bloc we can fight for our interests,” Wanjigi told the Star on Sunday.
He also toured Raila's Siaya backyard in what was seen as the homecoming reception of his running mate Willis Otieno.
The presidential hopeful's think tanks hope the country's single largest vote bloc has been neglected by the camps of Raila and Ruto yet they have the numerical strength to produce the next president.
For the first time, the region appears to be drifting presidential candidates from outside including Raila and Ruto despite Wanjigi and Wairia campaigning for the president as well.
However, Wanjigi has promised Raila and Ruto a campaign like no other in Mt Kenya in the coming days, threatening to upset the two-horse race battle that is shaping in the region.
“Soon there will be nothing like a two-horse race, Mt Kenya must fight for their space in the political arena and the leadership of this country without being threatened,” Wanjigi said.
To cascade his presidential campaigns, Wanjigi has formed county based campaign teams in all the Mt Kenya counties with a coordination desk at his Kwacha House, Nairobi.
“Our teams are ready and we are promising the country and Mt Kenya region, victory in the August election,” he said promising to save the economy.
However Political Risk analyst Dismas Mokua said Wanjigi would need to go the extra mile to convince Mt Kenya that their numbers can secure the presidency given that Raila and Ruto have offered the region running mates.
“Wanjigi has to demonstrate to Kenyan voters, especially the undecided that he is a third horse and a national leader with Mt Kenya backing,” Mokua said.
Raila has named Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua his running mate while Ruto appointed Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua his deputy. Both hail from Mt Kenya region.
Analysts have said Karua and Gachagua present another 10 years of Uhuru-Ruto administration and therefore the region may want a break from the past.
With at least 35 per cent of the country's registered voters, analysts say Mt Kenya can still produce the country's fifth president if they vote as a bloc and galvanise behind one candidate.
Wanjigi wants to ride on his history being fearless having faced President Kenyatta and Raila head-on, to inspire the millions of voters in the region to trust him as the safe pair of hands.
Although he is seen as the power broker who brought President Kenyatta and Ruto together in 2013 and also engineered the Nasa coalition in 2017, Wanjigi has faced the wrath of the state in recent days.
Wanjigi accused Raila of betraying him after the famous handshake with President Kenyatta and leaving him at the mercy of the state that arrested and charged him over alleged possession of illegal guns.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris