Kindiki’s herculean task to woo restive larger Central Kenya region as Gachagua digs in

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki is a troubled man with expectations to prove his political worth to the ruling Kenya Kwanza administration despite having literally camped in the Mt Kenya region in what appears to be a herculean task to woo back eroded support in favour for President William Ruto.

The DP seems to be walking a tight rope in his bid to marshal the restive Mt Kenya support in favour of Ruto who is believed to have lost the huge backing he previously enjoyed from the locals.

Once a darling of residents of the vote-rich region in the run-up to the 2022 elections, Ruto has since seen the Mountain shift with the impeachment of his former Deputy Rigathi Gachagua late last year and his subsequent replacement with Kindiki.

Kindiki in recent weeks and months has intensified tours in Central counties and parts of the Eastern region in what is dubbed “economic empowerment” drives that have seen him raise millions of shillings in support of women and youth groups.

He is believed to be donating about Sh100million every week in the drives, which includes cash contributions from President Ruto, MPs allied to the Kenya Kwanza administration and business people, which has begged questions from opposition leaders.

These generous gestures have raised eyebrows with opposition leaders including Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua and Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka questioning the source of the funds being flashed around ostensibly to win public support.

Gachagua is DP Kindiki’s predecessor having been impeached last year after his unceremonious fallout with President Ruto.

In his charm offensive, the country’s second in command appears to be particularly wooing the GEMA populace to government side, from his speeches made during a series of public meetings in the former Central Province and Ukambani recently.

In Kiambu alone the DP has so far visited nine out of the 12 constituencies, but fruits of his efforts remain to be seen yet, with a section of political leaders in the area parting ways with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party and warming up to Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP).

Gachagua is in record telling the ‘Murima’, a corrupted version of the Mt Kenya nation to go for the cash being dished out, maintaining that an elephant is never buried with its tusks (according to Kikuyu folklore) and ditch the benefactors when it comes to voting.

However, dismissing the government critics as naysayers, Kindiki defends the economic empowerment saying it resonates with the KK administration’s Bottom-up Economic Transformational Agenda of uplifting those in lower income brackets.

“Our priority is building a better future for Kenyans, especially the youth through construction of markets, affordable housing projects, ICT hubs and labour migration, among other programs,

“This is part of our broader plan to ensure that young Kenyans have meaningful, income-generating activities and are not left behind in the country’s development journey,” stated Kindiki during an economic empowerment drive in Thika last week.

In his political onslaught targeting the Kikuyu voting bloc, Kindiki who is usually accompanied by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and a host of other UDA-allied MPs, seems to be out to undo Gachagua who has gained considerable following in the region.

Interestingly, wherever the DP goes, area members of Parliament are involved in mobilizing locals to turn out in large numbers and cheer him and his entourage, raising questions over the sincerity of the cheering crowds.

Kindiki’s – and the Kenya Kwanza administration at large – first “popularity litmus test” against his predecessor Gachagua, may be the imminent Mbeere North by-election whose parliamentary representative Geoffrey Ruku was appointed Public Service Cabinet Secretary to replace Justin Muturi.

Lately, Kindiki has spread his forays to the neighbouring Ukambani community where he has launched a series of empowerment initiatives in Mwala, Machakos Town, Yatta and Kibwezi West constituencies.

In his latest event at Makueni, the DP cautioned Kalonzo against being misled or getting dragged into “politics of tribalism, divisions and hatred” by Gachagua.

“The man of ‘laying traps at State House and government of shares’ is out to taint my senior brother Kalonzo who is a respectful leader. He is a good man but someone is leading him astray,” said Kindiki.

In a further barb at Gachagua, the DP quipped: “Kuna mtu anakosea ndugu yangu Kalonzo. Kati ya mimi na mtu wa mitego, nani anakaa rafiki ya Wakamba”? (There’s someone misleading my brother Kalonzo. Between me and the man of traps, who looks like a friend of the Kambas).