Deputy President Kithure Kindiki speaks at Mukuyuni Township in Makueni County on June 5, 2025.
A whirlwind tour of Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s Ukambani region by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki — every day for the last three days — and the show of might by the opposition coalition in the same region has brought fresh focus on the region boasting of 1.7 million votes.
On the one hand, the opposition group led by Mr Musyoka and former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua is offering the box—a promise to capture power by sending President William Ruto home and making him a one-term president.
They claim Ukambani region has been marginalised under President Ruto and that the entire country is reeling from his bad economic policies.
"We know Ruto has dispatched a few MPs with lots of money to come and bribe, we advise that you take the money because it’s your taxes being misused and reject them at the ballot," Mr Musyoka told rallies at various market centres along Nairobi-Mombasa highway before the team pitched tent at the Coast on Saturday.
On the other hand, the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition led by Prof Kindiki is offering government goodies including money in the name of youth and women empowerment.
Backed by youthful MPs from the region allied to President Ruto, Prof Kindiki has also fashioned himself as a son of Kitui County, where he was born before his family migrated to the neighbouring Tharaka Nithi County.
The Ruto-allied MPs — Vincent Musyoka Kawaya (Mwala), Mwengi Mutuse (Kibwezi West), Rachael Nyamai (Kitui South), Nimrod Mbai (Kitui East) and Caleb Mule (Machakos Town)— have been unleashed to counter the onslaught by the Wiper team.
In the meetings, especially on Saturday, Prof Kindiki rubbished Mr Gachagua’s one-term chants, calling them misplaced.
“If you are a leader, focus on serving Kenyans when you are holding that leadership position because no one but God knows about tomorrow. The yesteryear non-performers are now moving around the country asking for an opportunity to serve again while promising that they will perform. Don't threaten us with the number of terms you wish we serve in office. Terms don't matter much to us. What matters most to us is what we do for Kenyans in the time we are in office,” Prof Kindiki said in Machakos County.
The DP was accompanied by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, his Senate counterpart Aaron Cheruiyot, National Assembly Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro and 12 other MPs.
Opposition presidential candidate
The push and pull began when Mr Musyoka hosted leaders drawn from the opposition coalition led by former Mr Gachagua at his Tseikuru last week, where the group vowed to stick together and rally their communities against President Ruto's re-election bid.
Earlier, leaders from Mount Kenya region announced that they were not shopping for a presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
Former Cabinet Secretaries Justin Muturi, Mithika Linturi and Peter Munya let the cat out of the bag when they said the revamped Gikuyu, Embu, Meru and Akamba (Gema) communities will front a joint presidential candidate from Mount Kenya South, in reference to Mr Musyoka's Ukambani region.
The three said their communities were neighbours with Kamba and will therefore rally behind Mr Musyoka's State House bid.
Mr Muturi said there have intense grassroots consultations among leaders in Gikuyu, Embu and Meru communities to cast their lot with the Ukambani region, in a broad political alliance that will place Mr Musyoka at the helm of the country's leadership.
Opposition leaders Kalonzo Musyoka and Rigathi Gachagua address residents of Emali town on June 6, 2025.
"The Akamba will be part of the revamped Gema voting bloc where the four communities will front one presidential candidate to unseat President William Ruto in 2027" said Mr Muturi.
The former Attorney General explained that the mountain will most likely settle on Mr Musyoka because he has demonstrated, through deeds, that he means well for the region.
His remarks were echoed by Mr Gachagua who thanked the Wiper boss for rallying his troops to stand with him during the impeachment proceedings that saw him removed from office.
"When ODM party leader Raila Odinga ganged up with Ruto in 2007 to unseat the late President Mwai Kibaki, it is Kalonzo Musyoka who stood with Mount Kenya region and saved the Kibaki presidency" he said.
The ex-DP said this time round, when Mr Odinga teamed up with President Ruto to persecute leaders from the mountain, despite the overwhelming support he received from the region, and it is Mr Musyoka who has stood with them.
"It is these and many other reasons we feel that this country deserves a leader who can foster true national unity and reconciliation that we have teamed up with Mr Musyoka your son" Mr Gachagua said.
The Tseikuru meeting prompted a swift reaction from Kenya Kwanza, with Prof Kindiki embarking on a six-day tour of Ukambani to pacify the community ahead of a planned visit to the region by President Ruto.
Prof Kindiki descended on the region accompanied by UDA party MPs and Ruto allies, dishing out cash in a charm offensive to woo the Kamba community.
The DP presided over two women empowerment fundraisers in Kitui East, Kaiti, Mwingi west, Machakos Town, Masinga and Kangundo constituencies, where the president and his deputy contribute Sh3 million and Sh2 million, respectively, in each constituency.
At each event, Mr Kawaya, the Mwala MP who is also the UDA national Organising Secretary, said the youthful leaders were out to fix Ukambani politics by providing alternative leadership to Wiper party in a bid to bring the region to government.
Mr Mutuse, who moved the impeachment motion against Mr Gachagua, said for the last 15 years, bad politics had driven Ukambani into the ‘political wilderness’ of exclusion, and unnecessarily locked the region into opposition politics where development benefits are limited.’’
