As Uhuru, Ruto and Mudavadi agonise over nomination cracks their pre-election deal faces in the Kibaki succession battle, all eyes are on the men and women on whose support they hope will propel them to State House
Ephraim Maina
He is proprietor of Kirinyaga Construction Company, one of the companies that did massive and lucrative Government projects during the Moi era. He is the MP for Mathira and one of the wealthiest leaders in Central. He will be one of the key financiers in the Jubilee coalition. Although he gets along well with Uhuru, Maina has not shied away from indicating that he is open to a Musalia candidature. Maina also spends considerable amounts of resources supporting grassroots mobilisation especially in Nyeri County where he wants to be a senator. He also puts a personal effort in mobilising the Central leadership and has been the chairman of Central Kenya Parliamentary Group.
Gidion Mbuvi ‘Sonko’A flamboyant political player, Sonko has deep pockets and is not averse to using his money to get his way. The fact that he won Makadara parliamentary against heavyweights Reuben Ndolo and Dick Wathika attests to his political prowess. He is one MP the Jubilee coalition will be counting on to deliver votes in Nairobi County. Of late Sonko has become quite close to Uhuru, accompanying the DPM to almost all public rallies in Nairobi and in the countryside. Jubilee coalition considers Sonko as a key pillar in their campaigns due to his mobilisation skills and ability to pull crowds at any part of the country. His support mainly is drawn from the youths and women, who see him as a fighter for the down trodden.
Cecile Mbarire
The Runyenjes MP first entered Parliament in 2002 as an MP nominated by Charity Ngilu’s arm of the National Rainbow Coalition. She grew her own teeth when she ended Martin Nyaga Wambora one term parliamentary tenure in 2007. She has been an assistant minister and one of the most enthusiastic Uhuru supporters in Embu County where two MPs belong to the rebel Alliance Party of Kenya. She is young and energetic campaigner who the Jubilee coalition will be counting on to deliver the votes in Embu. Mbarire also has the advantage of coming from a family with a long political heritage with her father, Njagi Mbarire being a former MP for what used to known as Embu East constituency.
Sam Ongeri
Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Ongeri will have the enormous task of delivering the Kisii vote to the Jubilee Coalition presidential candidate. The Nyaribari Masaba MP will be using one stone to kill two birds given that apart from seeking support for the Jubilee Coalition presidential candidate, he will be soliciting votes for his Kisii County senatorial bid.First elected to parliament in 1988, Ongeri has vast political experience and a rich grassroots network he has established over the years.Ongeri also enjoys good will of teachers in Kisii County and beyond have cemented relations with them when he was Minister for Education.
Mark Too
Too, a former nominated MP and one time powerful Nandi KANU branch chairman, was in his heydays, literally and figuratively just one phone call away from the nerve centre of power. For a long time, Too was the political ‘Mr. Fix It’ of the Kanu regime and should Mudavadi be the Jubilee Coalition presidential candidate, he will be hoping that Mark Too still has some of the old political magic with him. Most likely Mudavadi is counting on Too to be his intermediary with vote-rich Rift Valley. Mudavadi must also be counting on Too to woo to his side the wealthy Rift Valley business and political elites. During the Kanu days, Too was nicknamed “Bwana Dawa”, loosely translated as the political medicine man.
Najib Balala
Balala was once a popular politician from the Coast region in the days of the late Shariff Nassir. But over time newer and younger politicians have emerged and appear to have eclipsed the Mvita MP. Today there is a debate in Mombasa about who between TNA and the Mvita MP is depending on the other in the next polls. Balala has emerged from self-imposed political limbo to ride on the TNA/URP/UDF alliance. He remains an unknown quantity as far as rallying Mombasa is concerned given open hostility with several Miji Kenda politicians within the same alliance. It is not clear how significant will be his ability to rally Mombasa having fallen out with key actors in Mombasa.
Kareke Mbiuki
The Assistant minister no doubt remains one of the closest Uhuru allies. He is also a youthful leader that Uhuru will be relying on to help deliver the youth votes in the greater Mt Kenya region. Uhuru is also banking on him to deliver votes from his Nithi backyard. Kareke is one of the most outspoken in defending the Deputy Prime Minister’s hold of Central. Recently, he led a section of Central MPs in threatening to ditch the Jubilee alliance if Uhuru Kenyatta is compelled to quit the presidential race in favour of Musalia Mudavadi of UDF. He is reliable in mobilisation, an asset the coalition will very much need.
Sambu Alfred
Though he joined the UDF bandwagon a few months back after also bolting from ODM the way Mudavadi had done earlier, Sambu, the Webuye MP is an experienced politician who brings a wealth of wisdom into team Mudavadi. Sambu is also a man of immense resources, who can boost the Jubilee Coalition campaign kitty, more so if Mudavadi is the candidate. Within Bungoma County, Sambu is the only sitting MP supporting Mudavadi, and will therefore be useful in marketing him in a region that is dominated by Ford-Kenya and New Ford-Kenya.
Kinuthia Mbugua
Sambu Alfred
Though he joined the UDF bandwagon a few months back after also bolting from ODM the way Mudavadi had done earlier, Sambu, the Webuye MP is an experienced politician who brings a wealth of wisdom into team Mudavadi. Sambu is also a man of immense resources, who can boost the Jubilee Coalition campaign kitty, more so if Mudavadi is the candidate. Within Bungoma County, Sambu is the only sitting MP supporting Mudavadi, and will therefore be useful in marketing him in a region that is dominated by Ford-Kenya and New Ford-Kenya.
Kinuthia Mbugua
Though rarely seen addressing political rallies like other leaders, Kinuthia Mbugua’s long held association with the Nakuru County grassroots leaders will be the main reason why the Jubilee Coalition will be seeking his support to win the rural folk. Having served in the larger Nakuru as a District Commissioner, Kinuthia who retired as the AP commandant to seek the Nakuru Governor’s seat used his high profile positions to assist locals whom he will be expected to lobby to support the Jubilee Coalition presidential candidate. He is wealthy, something that will come in hardy in the campaigns for Jubilee Coalition.
Justin Muturi
When he lost his Siakago seat in 2007 because he had stuck with Kanu, Muturi took time off his constituency to reflect on the debacle. The ‘sabbatical’ allowed him to consolidate his position as a solid member of the Uhuru’s think-tank, more so after he became chair of the NGO Centre for Multiparty Democracy. A lawyer, a gifted debater and strategist to boot, Muturi is credited with reviewing Kanu constitution before Uhuru fled the party and his input in the formation TNA marks him out as one of the DPM’s formidable allies. He has stood with the Gatundu South MP has faced since 2002 and is regarded as Uhuru’s best legal mind, having been at the centre of assembling of the latter defence at ICC.
Roba Duba
A close Mudavadi ally, Duba was appointed Nairobi city town clerk under Mudavadi’s watch as Minister for Local Government. Mudavadi brought in Duba as town clerk to take over from Philip Kisia, another close ally of the Sabatia MP. Before joining the Nairobi city council as town clerk, Duba had worked for Laptrust limited. His closeness to Mudavadi could see him push for support in upper Eastern areas, where he will contesting the Moyale parliamentary seat on a UDF ticket. When he resigned in September to join politics, he said he believed UDF was the right vehicle to help Kenyans fight the numerous challenges facing them.
Soita Shitanda
The Housing minister and Malava MP was among the first leaders from Western province to boldly support Mudavadi’s presidential bid while the Sabatia MP was still in ODM. As a New Ford-Kenya leader, Shitanda even dismissed his own party’s presidential aspirant, Justice Minister Eugene Wamalwa, and challenged the Saboti MP to support Mudavadi, whom he described as the senior most politician from Western province. Among full ministers in Western province, its only Shitanda who backs Mudavadi, with the rest backing ODM. Though Shitanda has no deep pockets, he is a good public speaker and his support for Jubilee Coalition in hunting for votes in Western province will be key.
Jamleck Kamau
The Nairobi Metropolitan Minister has been close to Uhuru Kenyatta since the two vied for parliamentary seats on Kanu ticket in 2002 when Uhuru was being fronted by the independence party as presidential candidate. Kamau had managed to cultivate the respect of fellow politicians from Murang’a County. It was thus not surprising that when John Michuki died early this year, Kamau was easily ushered to inherit the former minister’s cabinet slot. Things are a bit different now because Kamau seems to have fallen out with some MPs from Murang’a during the Kangema by-elections in which Tiras Ngahu was elected. He however still retains respect at the grassroots and is widely viewed as Uhuru’s point man here.
Yusuf Haji
The Defence Minister is amongst the most senior and the articulate leaders within the current crop of politicians in Jubilee Coalition. Born in Garissa County in 1940, Haji is the MP for Ijara Constituency. After completing the East Africa Certificate of Education (EACE), he joined the Provincial Administration as a District Officer and rose to the position of Provincial Commissioner between 1970-1997. With immense experience, Haji remains a household name not only in Northern Kenya region but entire country. The Jubilee Coalition will be relying on Haji to attract votes not just from North Eastern but also from Moslem communities in other parts of the country.
Mukhisa Kituyi
The former Trade minister is doubtlessly the force behind Mudavadi’s series of underhand political dealings. Ideally, he is the face of the UDF leader’s think tank, who initiates the all-important political overtures towards senior players and who is ever present during each of the crucial engagements. Before Mudavadi bolted out of ODM, Kituyi became handy in facilitating “last minute consultations” between the Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the DPM. He equally organised several meetings between Mudavadi and presidential hopeful Peter Kenneth, among many. Kituyi, was the first politician from the populous Bukusu Luhya subtribe to stick out his neck for Mudavadi.
Mukhisa Kituyi
The former Trade minister is doubtlessly the force behind Mudavadi’s series of underhand political dealings. Ideally, he is the face of the UDF leader’s think tank, who initiates the all-important political overtures towards senior players and who is ever present during each of the crucial engagements. Before Mudavadi bolted out of ODM, Kituyi became handy in facilitating “last minute consultations” between the Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the DPM. He equally organised several meetings between Mudavadi and presidential hopeful Peter Kenneth, among many. Kituyi, was the first politician from the populous Bukusu Luhya subtribe to stick out his neck for Mudavadi.
Lee Kinyanjui
In Nakuru, Uhuru Kenyatta will be banking on the goodwill area MP Lee Kinyanjui who is his point man in the region. Kinyanjui enjoys good support across many communities in the cosmopolitan Nakuru County. At the initial stages of forming The National Alliance Kinyanjui who is also an Assistant Minister for Roads plunged head-on into the campaign to market the unknown outfit to the Uhuru supporters in the County a move that has endeared him to the Gatundu South MP’s supporters in the area. He comes out as a likeable politician to all communities and it’s no mistake that Jubilee Coalition will be banking on him to deliver votes from the region.
source: standard Digital
