Kindiki shifts strategy in Ukambani, hints at working with Kalonzo
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki acknowledges greetings from residents and leaders during an economic empowerment engagement in support of women and youth groups in Katangi in Yatta Constituency, Machakos County on June 14,2025.
President William Ruto has not given up on Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka joining Kenya Kwanza government, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki revealed on Friday when he led yet another tour of Mr Musyoka’s political bastion.
In a marked change of tact by the Kenya Kwanza administration which has trained its guns on Mr Musyoka during a series of fundraising events the last two weeks across the Ukambani region as it makes inroads in the Ukambani voting bloc, Prof Kindiki said he had taken up the role of wooing the former vice president whose grip of the Ukambani voting bloc has been enviable.
This comes against the backdrop of a recent revelation by President Ruto that he had unsuccessfully reached out to Mr Musyoka before he went for the 2022 Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga to stabilize his administration in the wake of last year’s antigovernment protests by the youth.
“Mr Musyoka turned down my overture,” President Ruto said when he hosted a section of Ukambani professionals and politicians at the State House last month.
According to Prof Kindiki, Mr Musyoka was on the verge of making a political suicide by hanging out with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki during an economic empowerment engagement in Masii, Machakos County on June 13, 2025.
“Between Mr Gachagua and myself, who appears like a closer friend of Mr Musyoka? Who looks like he respects Kalonzo more? Is it me or the troublemaker? Is it me or the person who promotes tribalism? Do you agree that I should look for my elder brother we talk as brothers?” Prof Kindiki said.
The broad-based plan by the Kenya Kwanza administration to turn around the vote-rich Ukambani voting bloc, according to Prof Kindiki’s allies, includes creating the impression that the Deputy President is a closer relative of Mr Musyoka compared to Mr Gachagua.
It also includes poaching key allies of Mr Musyoka in the Ukambani region.
Those who have already crossed over include Kitui Assembly Speaker Kelvin Kinengo and his Machakos counterpart Anne Kiusya who have openly declared their support to President Ruto.
Personal friend
“Kalonzo is my personal friend. He is a principled leader who, unfortunately, is hanging out with bad people. Have you heard me attack him during our campaign trail? We have moved to make it easy for Mr Musyoka and other like-minded leaders to join the government. I shall reach out to him. Watch this space," Prof Kindiki said at Masii Township in Machakos County on Friday.
This was the second day running Prof Kindiki had made known his close relationship with Mr Musyoka.
At Mutomo Township in Kitui County, Prof Kindiki said his relationship with the former vice president extended beyond politics. “I trained Mr Musyoka’s son, Kennedy, at law school at the university and helped him go for higher learning abroad,” he said on Wednesday.
Accelerate development
The announcement by Prof Kindiki threw President Ruto's allies in the Ukambani region off balance at a time they had fashioned their politics around threatening to vanquish Mr Musyoka from the Ukambani political scene.
It also caught many of Mr Musyoka’s allies flatfooted. As United Democratic Alliance nominated senator Tabitha Mutinda and MPs Vincent Musyoka (Mwala), Caleb Mule (Machakos Town), Mwengi Mutuse (Kibwezi West), Nimrod Mbai (Kitui East), Rachel Nyamai (Kitui South), Fabian Kyule (Kangundo), and Joshua Mwalyo (Masinga) gave the talk of wooing Mr Musyoka a wide berth, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi said plans by the Kenya Kwanza administration to woo Mr Musyoka “to accelerate development in the Ukambani region” were at an advanced stage.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki during the Kilome Constituency Economic Empowerment Engagement for Women, Youth and Small-scale Traders SACCOs at Kasikeu Market, Makueni County.
“You need to allow him to work with us,” he said when he graced a prize-giving ceremony at Tututha Secondary School in Makueni County.
"Stop saying you will call other people on board. The Kambas you are looking for are already available. Use that energy to develop the Ukambani region," Machakos Minority Leader and Kinanie MCA Francis Kavyu told Prof Kindiki when they shared a platform at Masii Township.
The vocal MCA elected on Maendeleo Chap Chap is among President Ruto’s allies who are struggling to understand the new strategy by the Kenya Kwanza administration to reach out to Mr Musyoka, especially on what it portends for their political future.
Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi who is a strong ally of Mr Musyoka dismissed the move by Prof Kindiki as a clever strategy “aimed at dividing the opposition team by creating doubts in the minds of the opposition leaders on the commitment of Mr Musyoka on the opposition cause. There is no doubt that Kalonzo is focused on forming the next government not working with the badly tainted Kenya Kwanza administration which is busy killing citizens,” Mr Mwangangi told the Nation in a telephone interview on Friday.