Wakati ya kuchagua running mate, Gachagua alikuwa ameshika JSKS makeii. The only way that could happen is if he financed his campaign bigly and he cant do that with $8M net worth. A presidential campaign here costs about 5 billion. I am willing to bet that Gachagua has contributed at least 1 billion to hustler’s campaign and that was his leverage. How else will he recoup his money?? That’s why JSKS had no choice.
Both politicians lied. Pia Martha mtu amekuwa in politics for decades even as a minister anasema ako na $1.5 mil…who is she kidding.
According to the regulations,
Presidential candidates were limited to spending Ksh5.25 billion ($51.8 million) while those contesting for the governor/senator/women representative seats were be allowed to spend up to Sh433 million ($4.3 million).
An aspiring MP was limited to spending up to Sh33.4 million ($330,000) while a contestant for an member of the county assembly (MCA’s) seat was allowed up to Sh10.3 million ($101,000).
Raila and Ruto learnt years ago that you can’t be a serious politician in kenya if you don’t have some billions. Western Kenya has no politician who can take a serious stab at the presidency because they don’t have Rao or Ruto billions ( shillings). Ruto needed billions to first successfully take on Moi and his acolytes…an assignment he completed in record time. Gachagua is currently deputising Ruto due to his wealth. No other Mt kenya UDA frontrunner has his kind of wealth. Remember he is a very good student of both Moi and kenyatta …and hes now learning from Ruto so we expect him to be already fabulously wealthy and don’t expect him to slow down. He’s shrewd,calculative and overly ambitious…almost impatient, traits that we used to associate with one William samoei Ruto. He knows the importance of money in politics and will be looking to accumulate a lot more in preparation for his own future ambitions…Karua must have also made some tidy sum during kibaki’s first term…she’s worth well over 150 million but nowhere near mikora kama Gachagua…and thats one thing that will limit her influence in central province…Kenyan voters, especially the ones from central, won’t take you seriously if you can’t steal and throw it in their faces…
Gachagua is a tenderprenuer through and through…he admitted yesterday that all his money is from doing business with the government…very similar to his boss…it would be interesting to see how they share government tenders should they win. Is Ruto going to let Gachagua amass more wealth and be a threat to his own power and dominance of central politics? If you were Ruto and you were following yesterday’s debate, who between Martha and Gachagua would you rather deputise you after 9th of August? The wealth and ambition of Gachagua is going to keep Ruto very alert…luckily, Ruto ensured the likes of Gachagua, despite their wealth, didn’t come up with their own political party for a coalition arrangement with UDA…that gives him some leverage…for now.
Wealth aside, moderators failed to ask karua difficult questions concerning several failings of the kibaki presidency especially events that followed 2007 elections. She should have been made to shed more light on that. She was also left off the hook on her role in the current mess at the judiciary…a role that she seems to want to replicate under Rao presidency. From the opening exchanges one could sense she was tense…she came expecting to be put to task but instead she was easily let off the hook. Gachagua also wasted a lot of time attacking Uhuru instead of Karua…and karua seems to have been coached to portray a loyal, respectiful, timid and unambitious deputy. The martha karua of 1997- 2007 was missing yesterday…and it seems very deliberate…yesterday she had a chance to hang both Gachagua and Uhuru and also send a warning to Rao and his handlers… but she didnt
Good analysis. But you got lost here. How can you hang the person that gave me you a chance. Especially if the audience don’t care about what you say. During elections, Kenyans don’t care if you tell them you will fight, corruption, or build infrustructure, reduce public waste. To 75% of them, tribe is deciding factor. They are merely watching the debate for entertainment.
Hio debate was over hyped. It was under par. They failed to convince us what they will do to us. It turned as a personal attack against each other and uhuru. Kenya journalism is lacking.
Mikel…in this here day and time people are tired and fed up withall this talk of money…money which they never see…money whose purchasing power continues to be eroded…money that doesnt guarantee their own personal safety…money that is never enough…money that is easily accesible via predatory rates and stringent rules and tough consequences upon default…money thatsa common denominator to most crimes.
Money isnt everything.
Bbi was not about money. The new constitution was not about money.
Karua has credit in the tank by virtue of her reputation…all she needs is a credible fit and proper clean team and a solid message and agenda…the rest sisi tutafanya.
Karua angesimama na linda katiba…kura yangu angepata…but na tinga…nitaketi nyumbani.
I cant blame Gachagua. How else will he secure his money without a guaranteed position protected by the constitution? Hata mimi I cant fund half of the campaign bila kiti ya DP and several fat ministries. It is a business risk kama gold prospecting.
If you think about it, both Jambazis needed each other. JSKS needed JSKMs money, and JSKM sees a perfect opportunity to 10X that stash using government contracts. Ruto is wealthy, but he is not dumb enough to fund his entire campaign out of his pocket. He needed someone with very deep pockets to share that risk with in exchange for tenders in the next government.
@mikel good analysis , i thought Martha had alot of chances to fix UDA jamaas vizuri which She missed , first the issue of character hapo ange fix Ruto vizuri the reason he failed as Uhurus deputy ,How do we trust him now as president , pia hapo kwa Gachagua having 5 billion na wealth declaration , ange deconstruct narrative ya hao kua hustler vizuri sana ,maybe her strategy was different but i missed the iron lady jana
Good analysis Sir, what made Musalia and Kalonzo run around sulking was this.
During those early when The Musalia thought that he was the chosen one, he kept on pushing Uhuru to endorse him and force Raila to support him, One time, Uhuru was at the coast and he and Kalonzo followed him there. Raila also went there uninvited, Uhuru now tired of the pestering called a joint meeting, he told them that to run a campaign you need a minimum of 10Biscuits, so he asked the front runner Musalia if he could raise that amount, front runner said no, Kalonzo said no, Raila asked him when he needed it. That is how Raila was picked and that is how the sulking boys started to fight Uhuru and Raila.