Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

top
Martha Karua (L) and Rigathi Gachagua (R).

Fifth Estate

What Karua and Gachagua mean to Raila and Ruto’s chances of winning

The 2022 elections present a very critical moment in Kenya’s democracy. The absence of a Kikuyu presidential candidate in the two leading coalitions seems to be putting our democracy in some fairly good stead. The vote-rich Mt Kenya region has running mates in the two major coalitions and a host of other principal leaders highly placed in both Kenya Kwanza and Azimio la Umoja. Martha Karua and Rigathi Gachagua have settled the grey areas and there is a high likelihood that the number of undecided voters will reduce considerably. Azimio la Umoja could not have made a better decision and it is clear that Martha Karua was by far the first among equals, a fete that is vividly heightened by the manner in which the other running mate contenders have taken the choice of Martha with self-confidence and hit the ground campaigning for the Azimio presidential ticket.

Kenya Kwanza appears to have been caught on the flatfoot, though their choice of a running mate is as solid as it can get. Looking at Kenya Kwanza it is obvious that they have gone with a formidable candidate with a track record of shrewd mobilisation skills and a bank balance to boot. Corruption allegations aside, there is definitely not even one better candidate the Deputy President would have gone with if at all the coalition is looking for votes. The closest they would have gone is Hon Ndindi Nyoro, but in a sense his young age would have excited a chunk of the youthful population, destabilised Azimio, but certainly influential older generation in Mt Kenya would have been lost. And by the way who can bank on the youth to vote as a block in an election, when majority of the youths today are millennials and Gen Zs who have grown up with choices. In fact, those questioning or applauding the choice of both Rigathi Gachagua and Martha Karua should situate these choices within the context of the coalitions. They are both solid, only that they speak of the coalitions generally differently. The choice of Martha Karua speaks of a coalition with a solid, formidable team that Martha has made much much solid. While the choice of Rigathi speaks of a solid coalition that would have been much worse without Rigathi as a running mate.

You see, for Kenya Kwanza, we can certainly say that Rigathi is the best and rather than question his track record as a first-term MP, we need to find out who he trounced. This line of interrogation raises a lot of questions about the leadership in the coalition. If Rigathi is the chosen one, then what does that say about the caliber of the other luminaries in Kenya Kwanza and the overall leadership infrastructure in the coalition. If Rigathi was nominated ahead of Musalia Mudavadi, Senator Kithure Kindiki, Senator Moses Wetangula and the rest, then what exactly does the entire picture say about Kenya Kwanza’s agenda in the fight against corruption, economic development, international relations and cooperation, and generally national progress.

Fact is, Kenyans need to wake up to the stark reality that there is mobilization to win an election and then there is assumption of office after winning. Kenya Kwanza has gone with the former and they seem less bothered about the aftermath of winning. Granted, political formations cannot make a difference in the lives of the people unless they win power and Kenya Kwanza has essentially gone with a candidate with the potential of galvanizing numbers and winning an election. However, we now need to evaluate these choices based on what they have in terms of leadership infrastructure that can address the pressing challenges in contemporary Kenya.

Interestingly, Martha Karua’s nomination has electrified Mt Kenya and galvanized women from all corners of this country. Her grand return to Mt Kenya after her nominations sorts of puts the choice of Rigathi Gachagua in perspective, because it does appear that the mountain that the choice of Rigathi was supposed to galvanise is sliding away from Kenya Kwanza and in emphatic fashion.

Nevertheless, the onus is now on these coalitions to sell their agenda and manifestoes to the Mt Kenya voters outside the remits of the ethnic nationalism and majoritarian mobilization that has characterised our political campaigns.

Azimio cannot dangle the running mate slot because Kenya Kwanza has also given that, and neither can the voters just tumble on voting for either of the coalitions. The voters will have to be discriminate in their choices and the political leaders in these two coalitions will have to be substantive in the articulation of the Mt Kenya issues. This then means that the three central issues that have emerged to define this election – the economy, the constitution and corruption – are likely to push the two major political formations to focus on issue-based campaigns.

Simply put, to win, these coalitions will have to unleash the best of their political campaign strategies and invest in some deep understanding of not just the Mt Kenya voters, but the Kenyan electorate generally. For the voters to be discriminate in their decisions and give the best coalition the power to form the next government, the ideologues and strategic communication experts in these coalitions will need to differentiate their manifestoes and messaging to the granular details with vivid demonstrations of how each will address critical issues such as the economy, corruption, the plight of the poor and boosting the economic securities of the masses to cushion them from the high cost of living. Such differentiations provide the electorate with different angles of looking at issues and pathways for making informed decisions and on the grand scale of things the momentum is tilting towards Azimio la Umoja.

The author is a PhD Candidate in Media Studies and Political communication.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

About The Author

Comments
Advertisement

More on Capital News

Top stories

NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 18 – President William Ruto is expected to sign the Affordable Housing Bill into law this morning, marking a significant step...

NATIONAL NEWS

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 – Azimio leader Raila Odinga’s bid for the top post of the African Union Commission Job has continued to gather momentum after official...

Top stories

NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 10 – Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has declared his unwavering determination to tackle the menace of illicit alcohol in the Mount...

World

The President emphasized the paramountcy of the country's security and stability, stating that they are indispensable for realizing all other national aspirations.

Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 1 – President William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga have expressed their condolences to Tanzania following the passing of Tanzania’s...

Africa

About The Author MOSES MUOKI A seasoned Video and Photo-Journalist with 15 years’ experience in capturing moments through the lens. His passion is telling...

Top stories

Ruto defeated Odinga in the August 2022 presidential election whose outcome the Azimio leader unsuccessfully contested in court.

Featured

About The Author MOSES MUOKI A seasoned Video and Photo-Journalist with 15 years’ experience in capturing moments through the lens. His passion is telling...