The rivalry between Musalia Mudavadi and DP Gachagua seems to have taken a new dimension after it became clear that President William Ruto has a soft spot for PCS Mudavadi. According to sources privy to the ongoing behind-the-scenes political wars in President Ruto’s government, he is focusing on the 2027 elections with a clear focus on the Luhya nation since he is fully aware that he may not get the same number of votes he received from the Mount Kenya region in 2027 as he did in 2022
By The Weekly Vision Political Desk
Deep political cracks between Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi seem to be widening even further following revelations that the DP is pushing for the failure of the ongoing bipartisan talks at the Bomas of Kenya.
DP Gachagua is on record as having dismissed the ongoing talks, terming them as a waste of time, claiming that nothing will come out of the talks even as he confirmed there was indeed a face-to-face meeting between President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga in Mombasa a few weeks ago to discuss the same.
The rivalry between Musalia Mudavadi and DP Gachagua seems to have taken on a new dimension after it became clear that President William Ruto has a soft spot for PCS Mudavadi. According to sources privy to the ongoing behind-the-scenes political wars in President Ruro’s government, the President is said to be focusing on the 2027 elections, with a clear focus on the Luhya nation.
The President is fully aware that he may not get the same number of votes he received from the Mount Kenya region in 2027 as he did in 2022, his political strategists are now focusing on Musalia Mudavadi’s backyard of Luhyaland to deliver the votes if the mountain rebels against their boss. His political strategists have opted for Musalia Mudavadi as their boss’s running mate in 2027.
President Ruto, being a shrewd politician we all have come to know, did cleverly bring Mr Mudavadi on board when forming his government to checkmate his DP and at the same time sending a warning signal to Mount Kenya that should they decide otherwise, he has an option. DP Gachagua and his allies from the mountain opposed the creation of Mudavadi’s Prime Cabinet Secretary’s office from the beginning when it became clear that some functions in his office would be transferred to Mudavadi PCS’s office.
The DP has been praying for the ongoing bipartisan talks to collapse so that Mudavadi’s office be rendered unconstitutional, null, and void. According to well-placed sources, should the bipartisan talks succeed with the office of Prime Cabinet Secretary entrenched in the constitution; it will be a big political threat to Mr Gachagua. Should the talks fail, which is the DP’s prayer, then Mudavadi will be rendered irrelevant, the President will be forced to disband the office altogether, and the functions will be taken back to the DP’s office. Under such circumstances, the only option left would be for the President to appoint MM as an ordinary CS; however, the president has already attained the maximum number of CSs allowed in the constitution.
So what next? Who will be sacrificed, and will Mudavadi accept a position that will put him on the same level as other cabinet secretaries, considering that he has a 30% stake in the Kenyan Kwanza administration? The equation seems complicated for both President Ruto and Musalia Mudavadi, and that is one of the main reasons why the Bomas talks are likely to succeed.
As things stand now, Mudavadi has been receiving more attention from the president, something the DP’s allies haven’t taken lightly. The DP is well aware that a powerful Musalia Mudavadi could jeopardize his chances of not only succeeding William Ruto in 2027 but also as a possible running mate in 2027.
One thing the DP might not know is that the President has created structures in the mountain and does not need to rely solely on Gachagua to get the Kikuyu and, by extension, the Mount Kenya votes. Already, the president has uplifted Kimani Ichungwa and Ndindi Nyoro, as well as other leaders whom he would use to penetrate the region even in the absence of his DP. Political analysts say Musalia Mudavadi will play a pivotal role in the 2027 elections. In the last elections, he delivered the swing vote, which ensured Ruto won the presidency against Raila Odinga, though with a small majority of only 200,000 votes.
