Mutula Kilonzo Junior: Wiper party's rejected stone becomes the cornerstone

By Jacob Ng’etich

“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” — Psalms
118: 22.

The verse, repeated thrice in the Bible, could not have captured better the victory of Mutula Kilonzo Jnr in the Makueni senatorial by-election.

When the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared the seat vacant following the death of his father Mutula Kilonzo Snr, the Wiper party settled for his sister Kethi Kilonzo to run for the seat.

Party officials agreed Kilonzo Jnr be by-passed in favour of his sister because he would lose.

So they unanimously backed Kethi, who had made a name for herself during the presidential election petition at the Supreme Court.

She was unveiled at one of the biggest rallies in Wote attended by CORD leaders Raila Odinga and former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka.

Popular and Likable

“The party in a common position said they preferred Kethi to carry the mantle because they believed I would lose the seat; they believed she was more popular and likable,” said the Senator-elect in an exclusive interview with The Standard On Sunday.

He took it in his stride and decided to concentrate in what he does best, representing his clients in court and managing Kilonzo & Company Advocates and his father’s business empire.

“Alongside the busy work schedules, I had also prepared to spend a lot of time to campaign for my sister, just like I did for my late father; I was going to ensure she wins,” said Kilonzo Jnr.

That also meant he would take up Kethi’s court cases as she campaigned given their father relinquished the ownership and the running of the law firm to both siblings in 2007 after he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Mbooni.

However, with the turn of events after Jubilee challenged Kethi’s candidature for not having registered as a voter —a position the IEBC tribunal and the High Court upheld — the party desperately sought Kilonzo Jnr after the High Court gave them a window to field another candidate.

“When Wiper party approached me, I did not hesitate because it was time to rise to a calling, it was not a big challenge,” said Kilonzo Jnr.

He was not new to the game because he had been involved in his father’s campaigns in 2007 and in the recent General Election.

The Senator-elect was mentally prepared although he had only five days to convince over 250,000 voters in Makueni to vote for him.

Immediately after accepting to carry the party flag, he activated the networks he had made when he was the deputy chief agent for Kilonzo Snr during the nominations.

“I had been actively involved in his (Kilonzo Snr) campaign and it was easy for me, because I had dealt with many people in the county just a few months ago and was not new to them,” said Kilonzo.

And indeed, in only five days following the High Court ruling, the father of one daughter had addressed over 30 rallies in the county and the return at final vote count was 163,229 ballots in his favour against his closest challenger Jubilee candidate Philip Kaloki’s 9,762.

Kilonzo says his father wholly supported Kaloki’s gubernatorial bid in the last election, even as it emerged he was not that popular.

“I tried to communicate to him that Makueni people seemed to prefer Makueni Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana than Kaloki, but he told me he would support the former Kibwezi MP even if it meant both of them losing their seats,” he said.

But this time around, it was interesting that Makueni Governor Prof Kibwana vigorously campaigned for the son of the man who campaigned against him.

Only last week, he was busy preparing for the petitions of Mr Ali Nur, former Bura MP and the current Speaker of Tana River County Assembly, and an international arbitration in a commercial dispute.

Kethi and other lawyers in the Kilonzo & Company Advocates stable will now most probably handle those cases.

In the 12 years the 38-year-old Kilonzo has been in the legal fraternity, he has represented both the big and small politicians in petitions, including that of Deputy President William Ruto in 2003.

“I was involved in the DP’s petition team when his former political rival, the late Reuben Chesire, challenged his re-election as the MP for Eldoret North”.

He also handled several other petitions, including that of Mr John Mututho versus Ms Jane Kihara in Naivasha, the late Titus Ngoyoni’s in Laisamis, Mr Maoka Maore’s in Ntonyiri and the late Njenga Karume’s in Kiambaa.

New Era Laws

Of the many cases the certified international arbitrator has handled, he is proud of the two that led to a new era in the laws.

“In the petition case of Abu Chiaba’s election in Lamu West, the seven judges we faced recommended to Parliament during the ruling for an amendment as far as service of papers for petitioners is concerned,” he said.

“They ruled that other options other than serving a respondent in person were acceptable, as happened in the petition case of former President Moi versus Mwai Kibaki after the 1997 General Election”.

His journey to the top at Kilonzo & Company Advocates started 19 years ago when he worked as a messenger and a cleaner after High School in 1995.

He would go to work before 6am by matatu, to clean the office before Kilonzo Snr arrived.

“I used to earn Sh4,000 a month, cash I would spend in a single Friday evening,” said the lawyer.

He is currently reading a book titled, ‘The Leader Without Title’, by Robin Sharma, author of the popular book ‘The Monk Who sold his Ferrari’.

Kilonzo Jnr loves Pajero cars but currently drives a Toyota VX.