By Anderson Ojwang
The cocktails of events that preceded the selection of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) running mate to the presidential candidate, then Deputy President William Samoei Ruto, paints a dark shadow of the underground manoeuvres, blackmails, betrayals and underhand deals.
The dark secrets during the selection of a running mate to deputise President Ruto in the 2022 General Election can now be revealed.
The Peoples Party of Kenya party leader, Ndindi Nyoro, in a recent interview revealed how they applied manipulations, threats, blackmails and intimidations to coerce Ruto to select Rigathi Gachagua as the running mate.
Ndindi also revealed how some of the potential and possible running mates they approached turned down the offer.
Among those who were approached but declined the offer was then Cabinet Secretary for Transport James Macharia.
“We approached several people to become running mates to Ruto, among them were former CS Transport James Macharia to become our running mate, he refused. We had been so beaten on our side that we were not attractive,” he said.
After failing in the approach to Macharia, the team cast their net on the banking sector and settled on the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Equity Bank, James Mwangi.
“We approached Chief Executive Officer of the Equity James Mwangi because we were looking at geography, the quality of the person and one person who was not having political injuries, But Mwangi also declined. And several other people declined,” he said.
Mt Kenya election
Ndindi said, left with no alternative, the search for the running mate zeroed in among the Mt Kenya supporters for Ruto.
“We had a consultative meeting of the 40 leaders from Mt Kenya. It was not an easy task. We ended up spending over 30 hours. We arrived at voting,” he said.
For the voting, there were two candidates, namely Gachagua and then Tharaka Nithi Senator Prof Kithure Kindiki.
“At the election Kindiki won by garnering 28 votes against Gachagua’s five votes. This couldn’t happen. Kindiki was not part pf the team and we couldn’t allow him run with the throne,” he said.
Intimidation and blackmail
Ndindi said they took Ruto to a private room for a meeting over the running mate slot.
“Gachagua and I went to another room and tagged along William Ruto. Gachagua removed his phone and told Ruto, you have started to play with us, even President Uhuru Kenyatta is looking for us and let us go to him. We brought trouble and this worked,” he said.
Ndindi, who later fell out with Gachagua, said he was the chief campaigner for Gachagua and they were very good and close friends.
Disappeared
Ndindi said Kindiki had disappeared from the team for almost two years and they could not accept that with his return he could be the automatic running mate.
“I was wondering, how, Kindiki just came back could be the running mate. We told Ruto to give the slot to Gachagua whom we have been in the trenches together with. We had injuries. I was Gachagua’s chief campaigner for the deputy president slot. We received five votes but eventually won,” he said.
Switched phone
“Kindiki had just come to the team when we were in the trenches, he had switched off his phone. No one in our team was accessing him.
We never knew where he was and he was talking to none,he said.
Ndindi said from 2019, as they were facing the previous government, Kindiki went missing from action.
“If you look around did you see Kindiki in any of our rallies? For two years he switched off his phone., he was not even picking Ruto’s calls. We couldn’t reach him,” he claimed.
Gubernatorial ambition
Ndindi said when Kindiki returned he had gubernatorial ambition and they tried to persuade him from contesting.
“He had just resurfaced in our team and he came and declared he wanted to contest for governor in Tharaka Nithi,” he said.
Ndindi said Kindiki asked for the ticket, but that time Ruto was enticing the incumbent Muthomi Njoki to join him.
“Kindiki asked for the ticket. We were enticing our first governor to join us and it was Governor Muthomi Njoki. We wanted him so much so that the other governors they could join us.
But here Kindiki has resurfaced and wants to be the governor. We went to his home to tell the people he may not vie. We were chased away by the public,” he said.
Karen plot
Ndindi said after the election, they plotted to have Ruto declare Gachagua as the running mate, and this enraged most of the Mt Kenya leaders.
“Following Morong, which was a Sunday, we plotted in Karen naming of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Several Mt Kenya leaders failed to turn to Karen for the occasion,” he said.
After the naming, some of the MPs boycotted Ruto’s rallies, forcing the group to develop a new campaign strategy.
“Some leaders told Ruto from today henceforth we are not coming to your rallies. And actually some never came to the rallies. We divided two with Ruto leading one and Gachagua the other. We delivered victory,” he said.
