A political marriage between Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is quietly taking shape and their allies hint an anti-William Ruto deal is being plotted.
Despite taking a low profile since Gachagua’s removal, Kalonzo and Gachagua’s camps are reportedly meeting in secret to devise a formula to defeat Ruto in 2027.
For Gachagua, winning a duel with Ruto would be sweet revenge against the President, the man he greatly helped to clinch power in Mt Kenya, but whom he believes has engineered his downfall as DP.
Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, who is one of the two deputy secretary generals of the Wiper Party, said a pact between Kalonzo and Gachagua is possible very soon, before next year.
“We are working on the new coalition and looking for the new partners. The coalition should be in place by Christmas. We are first making sure we have as many like-minded parties as possible,” Maanzo told the Star.
“Mt Kenya is one of the regions we are going to work with,” he added.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta remains a close Kalonzo confidant and could easily back the Wiper leader, giving him a solid start, especially in the Mt Kenya region.
On Sunday, Kalonzo was in Eldoret en route to Nairobi, joined by Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni and former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu.
President Ruto, however, appears ready to deal with the adverse consequences of his falling out with Gachagua.
At a church service in Kakamega, Ruto said he has ended the politics of blackmail, a point also made by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
“All those things that were giving us trouble we have resolved [including economic challenges]. Now, this year until 2027, will be the period of work. The politics of blackmail has ended. Now we are all united as Kenyans from across the country,” President Ruto said.
Kalonzo’s game has been clear for months. He is the only top politician who publicly sided with Gachagua since his impeachment on October 17.
The former Vice President was also present at Karen Hospital where Gachagua was admitted after falling ill with chest pains during impeachment proceedings against him in the Senate.
In fact, Kalonzo rallied his Wiper allies in Parliament to rejecting Gachagua’s impeachment motion.
For those who defied his directive, the Wiper boss engineered ruthless disciplinary action against MPs who voted to kick out Gachagua.
Some of Kalonzo’s allies, such as Maanzo have recently been spotted in public accompanying the former deputy president, including during the High Court proceedings in Milimani.
As Gachagua is set to be kicked out of UDA, the Kalonzo deal could be hastened.
Political analyst Professor Gitile Naituli told the Star it is only a matter of time before Gachagua and Kalonzo join forces.
Naituli is a former commissioner of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission.
He is a professor of business management and leadership.
Naituli said political circumstances will force Gachagua’s Mt Kenya backyard to gravitate towards Kalonzo as they plot political revenge against President Ruto.
“They will come together because they have no choice, it is not Kalonzo and Gachagua coming together, it is the Mt Kenya region looking for an alternative to Ruto,” Naituli told the Star on the phone. Gachagua had styled himself as Mt Kenya’s kingpin and Ruto’s equal.
“As Mt Kenya is leaderless and desiring to remove Ruto for removing Gachagua, they will throw themselves at anybody they think has the capacity to defeat him.”
Kalonzo has increased his forays into the Central Kenya. Yesterday he was in Murang’a county, attending a gospel concert in Kimoroni Stadium, Kenol.
Kalonzo has also been working on bridging the historical gap between the Agikuyu and Akamba who treat each other as athonua (in-laws).
He has made crucial strides in uniting the two communities, a key bloc he is keen to woo to catapult his 2027 presidential bid for State House.
“I am quite aware there are talks and reaching out, with 2027 in focus. It is early to say something but there is a higher possibility of both being on one side in the next elections,” a close Kalonzo ally aware of the ongoing overtures told the Star.
Observers say supporting Gachagua in his hour of need would work for former Vice President Kalonzo, who is salivating at the prospect of winning vote-rich Central Kenya in his 2027 bid.
In the strategy worked on by their allies, Kalonzo and Gachagua will form a jumbo coalition that will field a joint candidate to ensure Ruto becomes a one-term President. No Kenyan President has served for one term since Independence.
In an interview with the Star, Machakos deputy governor Francis Mwangangi said the Wiper boss is courting partners from the epic battle with Ruto.
“What I know is that we want every Kenyan on our side to be part of that vehicle to transform the country,” Mwangangi said.
“We need everybody aboard the new ship, including the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. As Wiper, we are going for all like-minded Kenyans to join us in this transformative journey that will save the country.”
There has been optimism in Gachagua’s camp as well about the rumoured deal; his diehards are urging him to reach out to Kalonzo and other political players.
Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina has told the former DP to form a team with Kalonzo and other like like-minded politicians.
“I respectfully ask you to make friends with other leaders like Kalonzo, George Natembeya (Trans Nzoia Governor) and Fred Matiang’i [former powerful Cabinet ‘Super’ Minister],” Njeri said to Gachagua.
Gachagua’s lawyer Ndegwa Njiru also called for a formal working relationship with Kalonzo.
“We want to plan ourselves, we will also call upon Gachagua to look for his other friends so we form the next government,” Ndegwa said in Kirinyaga last week.
“There is a friend who stood with us called Kalonzo Musyoka; all his MPs voted ‘No’ (to the impeachment motion). Gachagua, go look for that man.”
The proposed Gachagua-Kalonzo truce, however, is not embraced by everyone, including those who don’t like President Ruto. Some leaders have cautioned against the move.
Former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, a one-time Kalonzo ally, argues the Wiper leader’s move is likely to be construed as being tribalist by concentrating on Mt Kenya.
The university don said Kalonzo’s advisers are misleading him, insisting national ideology will determine 2027 polls and not tribal politics.
Naituli also faults the Kalonzo team on how they are executing their campaigns, saying it is time for the former Vice President to dissociate from the team and chart his own path.
"The weakness I am seeing in the Kalonzo team is that they want to campaign as a team. I don’t think a group has ever taken leadership, leadership is taken by individuals,” Naituli said.
“For example, Ruto campaigned solo and became President. These people are stuck in a group. A president must lead the pack, must confront the problems facing Kenyans alone."
