The truth is that Rigathi Gachagua has run a successful smear campaign since his impeachment as Deputy President. The people of Mt Kenya, especially Mt Kenya West, have demonstrated they vote emotionally. They have shown that they are guided by emotions rather than issues. Even after having President Uhuru Kenyatta, when it came time for him to leave, they were emotional about it, just as they were against Daniel Moi. They have been captured by emotions, smear campaigns and community brainwashing.
When he started playing dirty politics, the people from Mt Kenya West who had been appointed to various government positions attempted to challenge him with clean politics. But before they knew it, the man had overrun them, as was demonstrated in Ol Kalou.
However, we are yet to see another battle, that is, with Uhuru coming back to stamp his authority in the region. As a result, some leaders have boycotted DCP meetings. I want to believe that the DCP and the wave around Gachagua are a ‘house of cards’. When the real king of the Kikuyu nation comes, we will start to see a shift.
When the reasonable people of Mt Kenya are faced with Uhuru, I can assert that a majority from Mt Kenya West will listen to him.
One thing, though, is clear: the mountain has split. It is no longer one, and Mt Kenya East is laying a claim. The West has been told that now, with DP Kithure Kindiki as the second in command, he is the automatic leader of the mountain. The East has decided to follow Kindiki, as have some from Mt Kenya West. The rest are likely to be forced to choose either Uhuru or Gachagua.
My crystal ball tells me that the weakest link in the opposition is Gachagua because he does not want to be second to anyone. Once the opposition declares Kalonzo Musyoka as flagbearer, and DCP does not have a presidential candidate, there will be another shift. The pieces are still moving, the variables are still too many, but I can bet the mountain will rally behind Kindiki, while the rest will split in many directions. Once that confusion sets in, there will be a lot of people seeking to be independent candidates.
The political analyst
spoke to the Star
