Civil society activists and influencers are among the most sought-after groups as the country hurtles towards the 2022 general elections.
Deputy President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga are scrambling for the attention of the groupings in an effort to persuade them to back their sides.
On Thursday, Raila hosted ethics crusader John Githongo, human rights activists Maina Kiai, George Kegoro and Makau Mutua.
The board members of the Kenya Human Rights Commission – a body that has been at the forefront of championing better governance – were joined by KHRC director Davis Malombe.
Raila described the meeting as “a great get-together with friends from back in the day”.
“It’s been quite a journey,” the ODM leader told Kenyans in a tweet.
“I am also sure you know what they have stood for over the years; they assured me that they have not changed,” Raila, who has enjoyed the backing of the civil society groupings in the past four elections, said.
Raila was meeting the team for the second time in a week; meetings that started after Mutua penned a critique of the ODM leader’s 2022 strategy.
Kegoro said the meeting was “a useful discussion with Raila Odinga on Kenya’s public affairs”, largely touching on the BBI process.
“We made the point that the rule of law is important and must be respected and the Constitution protected at all times, including in relation to the much-awaited judgment of the Court of Appeal on the BBI,” the activist said.
The meeting came hot on the heels of the ODM leader’s day out with musicians at the home of Royal Media Services owner SK Macharia.
Although fashioned as a celebration of increased earnings for artists from Skiza Tune, politics took centre stage at the meeting.
Several Mt Kenya leaders in attendance endorsed the ODM leader for the presidency in the 2022 succession race.
His message was that the group “reaffirmed that Kenyans need practical solutions to challenges, not empty sloganeering.”
In an apparent swipe at Deputy President William Ruto, Raila said artists stand to gain more if a law granting them a larger share of the revenue is enacted.
A number of comedians have been hosted at Chungwa House lately in efforts by the party to bring the talented teams on board.
DP Ruto is equally surrounded by civil society players and influencers, some credited with the successful challenge of the BBI process in the High Court.
Church leaders, members of CSOs, politicians dissatisfied with the Building Bridges Initiative – whose future is before the Court of Appeal, have been beckoning the DP to lead a 'No' campaign.
Ruto has tapped into professionals namely ex-CBK governor Njuguna Ndungu, economist David Ndii, Prof Larry Gumbe, and former CS Davis Chirchir.
Some of the technocrats in DP’s camp have worked with Raila – like Eliud Owalo and Ndii, while Barack Muluka has worked with ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi.
In May, Ruto hosted a number of top artistes after Brian Ouko aka Kaligraph Jones reached out to his office.
In elements tied to the 2022 race, the deputy president said the group bid for a special government fund as a cushion against the adverse effects of Covid-19.
The discussions were broadly on how the government- current and incoming - can facilitate artistes to host online concerts.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has also hired former Nasa CEO Norman Magaya to steer the party’s management as executive director.
Mombasa-based political analyst Maimuna Mwidau said the arrangement works both ways for the engaging groups – civil society and political leaders.
She said she’d assume the talks are part of the campaign strategy to get to the grassroots level as “most civil societies have niches and areas of interest.”
Mwidau said the CSOs may be taking advantage of the fact that may be some of the issues they advocate for might get a void in the political class.
She said such conversations help the “civil society to engage and to be heard and to be able to input into the agenda of the political leader.”
Mwidau said that, for instance, the DP’s bottom-up approach may be sellable to some CSOs whom he can latch on to spread the message of his plans.
She added that Raila could also be taking a piece of the pie from the CSOs that believe in his agenda on governance and constitutional changes.
She however warns that engagements risk eating into the neutrality expected of civil society organizations.
“The civil society should be neutral. By association with politicians, what will happen is that a CSO will no longer be seen as neutral. The role they play requires them to be neutral,” she said.