The deep state exists and can be deeper than deep. If you have two candidates at the rate of 50/50 and the deep state supports one, then you can be sure that candidate will win, these were the words of Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia when he appeared on Citizen TV for an interview.
Kimemia was once a powerful state operative who sat at the heart of government operations for more than 20 years. He understands how the deep state works in managing elections and fixing issues disturbing the government.
Before being elected, Kimemia served in the Ministry of Provincial Administration and Internal Security as a Principal Secretary and also held the powerful docket of Head of Civil Service in Mwai Kibaki’s administration. He was retained by Uhuru Kenyatta until 2015 when he stepped aside over corruption allegations.
“The deep state is a no-go zone…It goes up to the villages and polling stations and engages the people…It is not necessarily rigging but it works,” added the governor.
Raila Odinga’s elder brother, Oburu Odinga, is on record exuding confidence that the 2022 presidential race will be an easy ride for the former premier since the system will be on his side.
According to Oburu, Raila has been winning elections but the deep state has been denying him victory.
“Why haven’t we (ODM) gone to State House when we have actually won the elections through votes? This is because there is something which we were missing and that something is called the system.
“Some people are saying the system is not important but it is…and now we are with Uhuru who is holding the system plus our votes which are always more than the others. So what else do we need? he posed.
Tell Tale Signs
One of the hints from Kimemia’s account that lifted the lid on who the deep state could be preferring to succeed Uhuru was when he brought in the role of the international community in influencing Kenya’s presidential elections.
“This country has lots of interests from the international (community) and they influence a lot, I can tell you from where I sat, they influence in many ways…so if you combine that with the deep state then your goose is cooked,” Kimemia said.
In line with this, Raila has been strengthening his diplomatic ties with Kenya’s partners from around the globe.
On August 11, 2021, the former premier met nine ambassadors and heads of mission from the European Union and discussed matters of economy and diplomacy.
“I’m encouraged by the sentiments of Ambassadors and Heads of Mission from the EU, US, and UN regarding programs for our nation particularly on helping get the economy back on track to cushion livelihoods, support for democracy and, the fight against Covid-19. We had a great discussion this afternoon, “Raila said through his social media pages.
In February 2020, Raila, who accompanied Uhuru to the USA, held a meeting with Ambassadors from Africa at the AU Mission in Washington and discussed trade partnerships in Africa and infrastructure development.
In June 2019, the former premier met five Africa heads of states in his capacity as Africa’s envoy for Infrastructure Development.
He recently attended the swearing-in of Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema and later paid a courtesy call to President Samia Suluhu of Tanzania at her office in Dar el Salaam.
On September 9, the ODM leader met Estonia President KerstiKal Julaid and discussed new opportunities in business and technology.
“Had a great conversation with visiting Estonian President, H.E KerstiKal Julaid. Estonia ranks top amongst digitally advanced countries globally. We discussed ways through which we may adopt methods to hasten our advancement,” Tweeted Raila after the meeting.
Political Risk Analyst Dismas Mokua opines that most of these meetings and visits have been strategically organised and enabled by state operatives behind Raila’s presidential bid.
“You cannot ignore the international community when it comes to deciding who becomes president in this country, they have a voice and those pushing for Raila’s presidency are alive to this fact. But most importantly, Raila himself has built his image as a statesman not only in Kenya but across the Africa,” said Mokua.
On the contrary, Ruto, although deemed a frontrunner, has been confined within the borders of the country for the better part of Jubilee’s second term.
Despite being the deputy president, Ruto has been restricted from meeting diplomats and heads of states from the European Union and even Africa.
In August, he suffered a setback at the Wilson Airport when his flight to Uganda was canceled at the last minute over “missing documents”.
When President Suluhu made her maiden trip to Kenya in May, the DP was kept out of the picture and never had an opportunity to meet her.
Key diplomatic functions that require his presence in the president’s absentia have been presided over by Interior CS Fred Matiang’i or, sometimes, Raila.
This has left the DP in a precarious position and forced him to hunt for support from within, which might not be enough even if his supporters backed him to the last man.
