President Uhuru Kenyatta is finally touring Mt Kenya this week with the hope of giving the vote-rich region some political direction ahead of the August 9 General Election.
On Wednesday, February 23, the head of state is expected to host thousands of residents from central Kenya in what political pundits have said is a deliberate move by the president to minimize the perceived influence of Deputy President William Ruto in the region.
The president is expected to use the meeting, dubbed “Sagana 3” to push for a common political stand on the August 9 election by the region.
The People Daily Newspaper reported that organizers of the meeting are expecting at least 20,000 representatives from all the Mt Kenya counties to attend the meeting.
It is highly expected that the head of state will use the Sagana meeting to officially launch an aggressive campaign for his handshake partner, the ODM leader Raila Odinga.
“The meeting will deal with issues of grassroots mobilization and take a common stand on the August 9 polls in favor of Raila Odinga’s candidature. The President is expected to give the direction we should approach the election,” a highly placed source told The People Daily.
Without a doubt, President Uhuru will use the political gathering to explain how the region will gain from the Azimio la Umoja which he has rallied his supporter behind.
As he had promised earlier own, President Uhuru is also likely to use the opportunity to explain the reasons he fell out with his deputy.
In an interview with The People Daily, Gatanga MP Ngugi Nduati said they were hoping the president would finally reveal the reasons for the breakup with DP William Ruto.
“We will be waiting to hear him tell us what it is that his deputy did to him, leading to the fall out… People still do not know what caused the fallout. We will also be waiting to hear him tell us what political direction the region will take and how that will happen. He will also be explaining to us why he feels that we are safe under Azimio la Umoja and what the region’s stake is in Azimio in terms of how the coalition agreement will be drawn and implemented,” Ngugi told People Daily.
Having been bashed by DP Ruto and his allies for not doing much to improve the standard of living in the country, President Uhuru might use the opportunity to list the projects that his government has initiated in Mt Kenya region.
Many political analysts opine that the Sagana meeting will have a lot of political ramifications especially if the president will manage to persuade the region to follow his political direction.
According to Political scientist Oscar Otele, a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, the Sagana meeting is likely to change the country’s political course depending on how President Uhuru puts across his message.
“This is the defining moment that all Kenyans have been waiting for. Should he persuade the people of Mt Kenya to follow his stance, then the current campaigns will change. But it is a do-or-die tussle for the President who is out to control his legacy and succession,” Dr. Otele told The People Daily.
The meeting comes on the backdrop of an accusation by DP Ruto’s allies that President Uhuru has no control over the political direction of the Mt Kenya region.