Kindiki woos Ukambani MCAs as Wiper rebels face sanctions

In a fresh push to woo the Kamba community to the government’s side, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Monday held a high-stakes meeting with MCAs drawn from the three Ukambani County Assemblies.

He urged them to close ranks with the national government and drive development at the grassroots.

The meeting that brought together over 80 MCAs drawn from Kitui, Makueni, and Machakos was held at the DP’s Karen residence, where Kindiki urged the ward reps to prioritise development in their regions and steer clear from bitter and divisive opposition politics. 

Addressing the gathering, the deputy president, who is set to start his second leg of the Ukambani tour on Thursday, said that President William Ruto’s administration is committed to transforming the Ukambani region.

He noted that the region has suffered prolonged neglect under opposition politics for the last 15 years.

“We are not bringing development to Ukambani because of the 2027 election. We are developing your area because the people you represent are taxpayers and deserve development and service delivery,” Kindiki stated.

He assured that the Kenya Kwanza government would treat all regions equitably, regardless of how they voted in the last presidential elections.

Kindiki also revealed plans to convene a meeting in the coming weeks with ndengu and pulse farmers from the Eastern region to discuss how they can benefit from government programmes and policies.

These will include fertilizer subsidy, just like coffee, tea, sugarcane, and maize farmers elsewhere in the country.

The deputy president, who comes from the neigbouring Tharaka Nithi County, promised to champion the interests of Ukambani people even as he does for all Kenyans.

 “In me, you have a close ally. Do not feel left out. As a neighbor and brother, your interests are my interests,” he told the MCAs.

The deputy president, at the same time, regretted that the Wiper party leader, Kalonzo Musyoka, had opted to “waste himself” in the opposition but still expressed optimism that they might strike a working formula with the former vice president.

“It is so disappointing to see my brother Kalonzo being dragged into a very unfamiliar space. Kalonzo is not known for ethnic or polarizing politics. That’s not his style,” observed Kindiki, who has declared a personal effort to sweet-talk Kalonzo to ditch the opposition side.

The bulk of the attending MCAs were from Kitui County Assembly, where Speaker Kelvin Kinengo, already sanctioned by the Wiper party, led 38 Ward reps to the DP’s meeting.

His Machakos counterpart, Anne Kiusya, who is facing an impeachment threat by the Wiper party, also led a team.

For his dalliance with the Kenya Kwanza administration, Speaker Kinengo has received sanctions from the Wiper party.

He has already been served with a show-cause letter for attending a State House meeting recently.

However, the Speaker on Tuesday remained defiant, saying that the Ukambani region had suffered long enough in the opposition.

He noted that MCAs, who are the grassroots leaders, had a big role to play in making devolution a success by strategically engaging the national government.

“MCAs are the key drivers of development at the grassroots. We shall continue consulting and collaborating with the national government to bring development to Ukambani,” he said.