By Peter Nabukwesi
My fellow community members someone is trying to capitalise on the grave political situation in Luhyaland to create an impression that there is a political vacuum and hence inherit the community political support. I say this authoritatively and confidently after the revelations from one of Ruto’s cronies – MP of a constituency in Kakamega county
I met this MP (name withheld for now) yesterday at a popular resort in Mumias town after he had just attended the Jubilee interdenominational service in Nambale that was attended by Ruto and Uhuru and a host of other MPs.
According to the MP (who is uncomfortable with his UDF party cutting links with Jubilee), Ruto is scheming to politically inherit the Luhya community support from Raila and Mudavadi by capitalising on the grave political situation to cultivate a false impression that the community is politically desperate and there exists political leadership vacuum.
I was informed that the series of various homecoming parties in Vihiga, kakamega and Bungoma of some MPs have been heavily and secretly financed by Ruto. He revealed to me that the homecoming parties of Malulu Injendi, Yusuf Chanzu, Emmanuel Wangwe, Ayub Savula, Benard shinali, Boniface Otsiula were heavily financed by Ruto.
In addition, Ruto has been paying MPs to attend his meetings in Western and that explains why the MPs have been attending Ruto’s functions without failure. Ruto’s strategy is to use newly elected and broke Luhya MPs to create political meetings in Luhyaland so that he can position himself politically to inherit Luhya community support.
His intention is to dis-organise both Mudavadi and Raila political networks and supporters so that he can easily ”topple” them and inherit the community support in 2017 and either use it to bargain for deputy president slot or go it alone.
The MP told me that the Busia interdenominational service was initially planned to be a church fund raising but Ruto secretly schemed to make it an interdenominational service to mark 1 year of jubilee in office. The key leaders in Luhyaland who had planned to attend the fundraising changed their mind and avoided the event when they heard that the event had been changed to a celebration to mark 1 year of jubilee govt in power. When asked about Ruto’s real strategies to inherit Luhya support, the MP was very generous with information and revealed the following.
1.) Target newly elected MPs and win them over using handouts, direct jubilee tickets in 2017. The MPs will be influenced to support Ruto’s political activities while maintaining cosmetic support for their parties. MPs in this bracket include Savula, Wangwe, Shinali, Malulu, otsiula, David Wafula, Reginalda, Nangabo Yusuf chanzu, Ben Washiali and Dan Wanyama.
2.) Establish secret relations with key opposition MPs using handouts. The targetted MPs include Ababu or otwoma, Naika, Otichillo, Gimose, Odanga.
3.) Isolate both Raila, Mudavadi from the MPs elected on their party tickets to show that the have lost ground. The same strategy will be done to Eugene Wamalwa and his NFK.
4.) Secret political coalition with Moses Wetangula of FK to be Ruto’s running mate in case Ruto decides to challenge Uhuru in 2017.
5.) Create political meetings in western to enhance Ruto’s image among the luhyas. After the homecoming parties, the like-minded MPs will be organising a series of political events and invite Ruto. The church event is just among the several events to come very soon.
Ruto’s intentions will have major negative political repercussions on the Luhya politics and all Luhyas must be ready to counter these dirty games by Ruto and his cronies.