Thursday, November 15, 2007

Kenya Politics getting hotter

I couldn’t believe what someone told me this morning, until I saw it in the paper.

Mr. Kenneth Matiba is back in the race for State House and is expected to present his nomination papers to ECK today after President Kibaki presents his. Its the headline news of Nairobi Star and inside other newspapers Read more


This is shocking news to many and especially to PNU supporters who believe Mt. Kenya area will vote as a block. Apparently many friends of mine from this region would prefer Mr. Kenneth Matiba to President Mwai Kibaki but think he came in at the wrong time.

Other Presidential candidates handed in their papers to ECK yesterday.

ODM - Mr. Raila Odinga
ODM-K - Mr. Kalonzo Musyoka
KPP - Mr. Pius Muiru - I thought he was not serious
CCU - Mr. David Ng'ethe - There will always be small strange parties, I saw Dr. Patrick Lumumbas green posters in Kamukuji with CCU party, now I know its Mr. Ng'ethe's party.

The battle line is drawn and its getting interesting.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes Matiba is in now!!!!!!!! No longer news.

What does this mean to Kibaki chances. I read a negativity on Kibaki. Surly Matiba will run away with some of central province vote. Ok. That is bad news. If Matiba gets some of Kibaki votes and Raila and Kalonzo remain intact..........opinion poll experts please tell us what we expect.

Anonymous said...

I thought a presidential candidate must be a person of sound mind has ECK been checking that all pass this test. I am not suggesting anything but it is a procedure to be done on all.

Anonymous said...

Matiba will not even make it parliament .Kenneth matiba is a man many kikuyu love but with time the power and influence that he once commanded is gone . It is surprising that ODM strategists are grasping at straws over the mans abilities to steal votes from kibaki . To think that any member of gema would vote for matiba this time round is a very misinformed position . WHY?

1.Everyone in the central/mt Kenya regions knows matiba is a poor state of mental/physical health.
2.Matiba has not even bothered to campaign despite his handing in papers
3Matibas financial empire is in ruins mainly attributed to his state of mental health and his refusal to hand over his empire to his son Raymond
4.Matiba will this time round be seen as a spoiler with no chance of winning
5.Kibaki command of Gema support is unparallel -the unity between the southern kikuyu and the northern kikuyu(ndia and kabete) is long forgotten
6.Odm's campaign against kikuyus has promoted kikuyu nationalism that has killed the kiambu /nyeri rivalry!(a house divided cannot stand)The house is greator than matiba .
7.Matibas poor health and age have eroded his popularity that has already been inherited by Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta.

It is because of this 7 reasons that many in gema have chosen to keep quiet over matibas run for statehouse and left the ODM Brigades to cheer a run that will amount to nothing . Kenneth Matiba is a well respected Man but his time has come and gone !Even in Muranga politics His thrown has already been inherited by the other Kenneth-peter Kenneth

Matibas run for statehouse is more of a symbolic goodbye to Kenya politics than a real threat to kibaki!

Matiba we love you !But the House must be united
Andu matari ndundu mahuragwo na njuguma imwe

Phil said...

Third anonymous must be living in a different country from Kenya. Matiba's influence in Central and Nairobi provinces is not something any right thinking politician would undermine.

How do you question his mental health yet at the same time claim that he is refusing to hand over business reigns to be his son Raymond? Does it then mean a 'pyscho' knows the value of business? You might take Matiba to be a spoiler (for who I ask?), AS IF he does not have any right in democracy to run for presidency!

Its common knowledge matiba's return to politics is driven by the fact he does not see eye to eye with exKANU strongmen Kibaki and Kalonzo who totally failed to raise a finger when he, as a cabinet colleague, was hounded out of KANU in the late 1980s. Infact, Kalonzo - then KANU Organising Secretary - was sent to Kiharu to supervise the sub-branch sham elections there and ended up ousting matiba and recommending that he be expelled from KANU - knowing the country was still under one party dictatoship! Meanwhile Kibaki was then glorifying KANA as a mugumo tree that cant be cut with a razor blade, while Raila, Matiba, Rubia were held incommunicado, without trial at the country's harshest maximum security prison. This is something that nearly cost Matiba his life.

ODM does not need to celebrate his comeback, but indeed applaud the fact that a comrade-at-arms has arose again. In other words, Matiba is not a threat to ODM but rather an associate. Dont be suprised if he drops his bid of sometime soon and endorses Raila as his prefered candidate!

Why arent Muiru, Ngether being called spoilers yet they originate from the same province as the president?

Sayra said...

Matiba coming back is not an issue of whether he will win ... its more of a revenge mission to Kibaki. Kibaki divided central vote in 1992 when Matiba really needed the votes of the whole province and now Matiba must divide them now that Kibaki needs the votes of the whole province.

Anonymous said...

Ask any kikuyu on the streety they will all tell you the same thing .Mattiba is 10 years too late we are with kibaki .everyone knows if the central vote is split raila wins . the loathing many kyuks have for raila is enough to make sure that even matiba gets no votes.

Matiba is a good man but the house is greator than any one individual. Matiba cannot stop kibaki uniting the kikuyu vote

Anonymous said...

only odm supporters are grasping at straws you cant know more about how a kyuk will vote more than a kyuk -anti Gema politics has united Gema under Kibaki not even Matiba can change this

Jamii said...

From this debate and especially from the last anonymous comments I need to get some answers from GEMA people.

"The loathing many kyuks have for Raila is enough to make sure that even Matiba gets no votes."

1. Why do Kyuks hate Raila so much?
2. What exactly did he do to deserve this hate, yet he said Kibaki Tosha and supported him so much?
3. What would you do if you were Raila and you sacrificed your ambitions to support a friend, had an agreement with him/her then the person does not honor.

Sorry to bring this issue up, but I believe it has got to do with tribalism and Kyuk hatred for Luos since the days of Jomo Kenyatta.

I hope to get some concrete answers, not propaganda.

Unknown said...

Matiba is back but they I dont think he is capable of changing things now because of the timing and he still looks sick from the way hes talking. But am not happy with comments from people here, mostly from GEMA anonymouses, mwangi and sayra its shows how certain Kenyans are big tribalists. I pray for real change that will save us from this hatred by such Kenyans who think they are more special than others.

Anonymous said...

CCU is an acronym for 2 parties:

Chama Cha Umma (CCU ya Ngethe)
Chama Cha Uzalendo (CCU ya PLO)

PLO Lumumba is not with Ng'ethe

Matiba is very respected in Central and Nairobi region. That is a fact. When it comes to voting in 2007 Dec, I can assure you he is inconsequential. When it comes to voting, many sympathise NOT vote for him. He will not even take the MP seat!

If ODM is clinging on this straw, it is like relying on the Raila-Njonjo alliance. Fruitless!

PNU is not wasting time with Nyanza. They know its a gone deal. Same should be for Raila and Mt Kenya.

Sayra said...

Rozie, ... me a tribalist? That is an insult and you should apologize.
What has tribalism got to do with what i have written? Can you re-read my comment and tell me what's tribal in it. I stated what is a fact to me. And that makes me ask you whether you know the meaning of tribalism, i will be more than glad to explain it to you.

Anonymous said...

If raila was running against a MONKEY Mt kenya whould still vote for the monkey and lock out Raila. The votes will not be split from now on Mt kenya has one voice! the rivalry between north and south has been burried