Political Friendship Rekindled: Kalonzo and Muthama Team Up as Ruto Storms Ukambani

Opposition leader, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka and former Machakos County Senator Johnstone Muthama have reportedly closed ranks ahead of President William Ruto’s campaign push in Ukambani, in a move the Weekend Star says has sparked intrigue in the region’s politics.

The newspaper, in its Saturday edition, described the development as a rekindling of a political friendship.

The two leaders were once close allies in the Ukambani political scene before their paths diverged, and their renewed closeness is being read as a calculated response to the President’s growing presence in the region.

The timing is significant. Ruto is currently on a three-day development tour of Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties, where UDA leaders have welcomed him with promises of roads, water, electricity and economic empowerment. For the government side, the tour is a chance to make inroads into a region that has long been seen as Kalonzo’s political backyard.

Kalonzo is not sitting back. A media advisory from the Wiper Patriotic Front shows he has a busy weekend lined up, starting with the official opening of a party office at Kyuso in Mwingi North on Saturday.

The programme is widely seen as an effort to strengthen the party’s grassroots structures while the President is touring the region.

For Muthama, the reunion could carry its own weight. His standing in Machakos politics means any return to Kalonzo’s side could affect how voters in the county read the contest between the government and the opposition.

Political observers will be asking whether the renewed friendship is a genuine reconciliation or a tactical alliance driven by the 2027 General Election.

Ukambani’s vote is highly prized, and both the government and the opposition are working to secure it. Mending old fences is a common move at this stage of the political cycle, as leaders try to avoid a split in their backyard that rivals could exploit.

The coming weeks should show whether the closing of ranks translates into joint appearances and a united message on the ground, and how the President’s tour answers it.

Updatesdaily feedback-opera-news-app@opera.com