The last few days have witnessed drama in Jubilee, the immediate former ruling party.
At a National Executive Committee meeting in Naivasha, secretary general Jeremiah Kioni, vice chairman David Murathe and national treasurer Kagwe Gichohi were suspended over what was termed as their conduct of the political outfit’s affairs.
On his part, Kioni, the former Ndaragwa MP,sent show cause letters to all the Jubilee MPs who visited State House, led by nominated MP Sabina Chege and EALA legislator Kanini Kega.
On Sunday, the NEC team, including Jimmy Angwenyi, Adan Keynan and Naomi Shabaan, attended the national prayers in Nakuru organised by the First Lady Rachel Ruto and wife of the Deputy President Dorcas Rigathi and the Church.
The President, his deputy, the Prime Cabinet Secretary, over 120 MPs, 16 governors, 20 senators, seven Css and 26 PSs and other leaders were present.
On its part, ODM purported to summon MPs Caroli Omondi, Paul Abuor, Gideon Ochanda, Senator Tom Ojienda and five others. The party wrote to them to show cause why they shouldn’t be disciplined for visiting State House without the permission of Raila Odinga.
This is very ironical since the whole of Nyanza leadership has met President Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on several occasions, including during the home coming of ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo in Gangu village, Rarieda, Siaya County.
As someone who was taken through this route before. I can say without a doubt that it’s an exercise in futility.
Murathe had in February 2021 together with chairman Nelson Dzuya sworn that I would serve as a lesson to Kenyans for being ‘disloyal’ to Jubilee. My only crime was to call out the party that it was dead since its constitution wasn’t being followed.
No organ of the party ever held meetings other than the disciplinary committee. To add salt to injury, when I joined my then Deputy President William Ruto in Msambweni on December 31, 2021, I was deemed to have defected to UDA. What a big irony?
Such cherry picking of people to victimize is a clear testament of the fact that to a large extent, it was nothing more than political witch hunt aimed at silencing anyone who stood firm behind Ruto’s bid. It’s now abundantly clear that President Uhuru Kenyatta wanted to succeed himself through Raila Odinga.
For a retired President to address crowds on a campaign truck after ex -CS George Magoha’s burial was a very low moment for him and an unsightly scene to behold. All in all, the public can now clearly see the reason as to why Raila doesn’t want his MPs to associate with the Kenya Kwanza administration, is the fact that he wants to cash in on some kind of handshake at the opportune moment.
His sense of invincibility has completely waned, especially after he lost the last general election, what with the backing of the President and the deep-state. The reality of the matter is that the Kenyatta and Odinga dynasties have exited the Kenyan political scene and Kenya can move on without them.
This is a confirmation of what I spoke about in Msambweni. Indeed it has come to pass. For Raila’s supporters, majority from his Nyanza backyard, now truly believe he spent his last bullet in the last presidential election and that he stands no chance of becoming President. It’s the first time he is facing a direct internal rebellion of fairly credible leaders from ODM.
It’s not business as usual. What with the fact that the people have come out to openly support their leaders against the so-called ODM onslaught! This is clearly unheard off. To add to this, CS Owalo and PS Raymond Omollo held a breakfast meeting with Nyanza professionals to chart a new way forward for the region. This is a clear departure from the past whereby people were timid to raise their heads against Raila.
Murathe and Kioni can now go to court to defend their positions as the bonafide officials of Jubilee after the Registrar of Political Parties confirmed they were properly removed. In fact, they await the NDC to ratify this decision to expel them. This is the same Murathe who at a show on KTN with Gachagua, Edwin Sifuna and myself announced that I was a candidate for expulsion.
I faced the kangaroo Jubilee disciplinary, seven court cases, a travel ban, DCI investigations, drones sent to my house and being on the radar of the SSU killer squad only for exercising my democratic right.
I thus couldn’t imagine that there would come a day that Murathe himself would be expelled from the same Jubilee Party.
As for Raphael Tuju, he was long dispensed with after he served his purpose. He only gets mentioned with regards to his attempt at arm-twisting the IEBC commissioners to subvert the will of the people.
Indeed power is transient and that what you do to people here on earth, it shall as well be done to you. Whatever goes around comes around. It’s only a matter of time.
