From CS to the streets, Wamalwa lays ground for State House bid

Former Defence CS Eugene Wamalwa and Martha Karua at an Azimio rally in Githurai ,Nairobi on Feb 4, 2023. [David Gichuru, Standard] Eugene Wamalwa switched from the opulence of being a Cabinet Secretary to the trenches of the opposition so swiftly, it was hardly noticeable. From being guarded by police officers, he is now on the other end, inhaling teargas hurled at him by the same police officers. Clad in the khaki coloured uniform of Azimio la Umoja's Movement for the Defence of Democracy, Wamalwa has on three occasions been in the vanguard with Azimio's politburo, leading their foot soldiers in street demonstrations called to put pressure on the Kenya Kwanza government to lower the cost of living. Azimio also demands the opening of 2022 presidential election servers for verification of results. Azimio leader Raila Odinga has maintained that he beat President William Ruto to the tape in the 2022 presidential race but was robbed of victory through a sleight of hand. However, President Ruto has consistently refuted this claim, but his resistance to opening the servers only helps to fuel speculation that he has something to hide. Like former colleagues who quietly faded into the shadows after the change of guard at State and Harambee houses, Wamalwa, who was admitted to the bar in 1995, could have chosen to go into legal practice as opposed to opposition politics, but he chose the latter. This is not surprising considering that except for the stint as a CS, he has always been a politician. In his first term in office, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his then deputy William Ruto stated that their Cabinet would be apolitical, with them as the only politicians. However, during their second term in office, Wamalwa was among outspoken CSs who defended their right to engage in political campaigns. Former Tongaren MP David Simiyu Eseli says it is impossible for Wamalwa to stay away from active politics. "He comes from a pedigree of human rights defenders and it runs in his blood. Eugene Wamalwa is the brother of former Vice President Kijana Wamalwa who will be remembered as one of the people who fiercely fought for multiparty democracy and the rights that Kenyans enjoy today," says Eseli. Given his involvement in Azimio's agitation, many wonder what Wamalwa's endgame is. What benefits accrue to him from his involvement in running battles with the police? We put this question to the former CS which could have been better answered by him but he had not responded by the time we went to press. The Democratic Action Party (DAP) Director of Legal Affairs Kennedy Echesa says: "Our position as DAP is that Hon. Eugene Wamalwa will be Azimio's presidential candidate in 2027. This explains why he must stick with Raila Odinga, Martha Karua and Kalonzo Musyoka to win their political support and trust. If Wamalwa abandons Azimio's quest for a better Kenya through street protests and other mechanisms, he will be branded a traitor and this will weigh heavily on his political ambitions". Political analyst Martin Oloo notes: "Wamalwa has always been a politician. He played active politics even when he was a Cabinet Secretary and was bound to be political. He is the party leader of the Democratic Action Party, which is affiliated to Azimio. As a party leader, he must remain active to maintain political relevance." "Wamalwa comes from western Kenya, a region whose political heavyweights Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang'ula have teamed up with the United Democratic Alliance under the Kenya Kwanza umbrella. What that means is that he has no space in the Kenya Kwanza camp," Oloo adds. He explains that there are two political camps in western. "A majority under the leadership of Mudavadi and Wetang'ula are leaning towards the Rift Valley axis of Ruto and the other under Wamalwa is leaning towards the Nyanza axis of Raila. Wamalwa seeks to remain active to secure his future in politics and must, therefore, choose one of the axes. He chose the Nyanza axis where he stands a better chance," Oloo says. Eseli echoes this sentiment, "Moses Wetang'ula and Musalia Mudavadi are already in the Kenya Kwanza house, which means there is no room for Wamalwa there. Joining Mudavadi and Wetang'ula in Kenya Kwanza would be a terrible choice. For obvious reasons, Mudavadi and Wetang'ula will not run for the presidency in 2027. Wamalwa will be in a good position to make a shot at the presidency and even if he loses, it will put him in better stead for 2032. He will be able to galvanise the Luhya vote as a front runner in 2032." Eseli says Wamalwa was very close to President Uhuru Kenyatta and that might have caused bad blood between him and William Ruto, which makes it hard for the former CS to join Kenya Kwanza. Besides, political differences make it impossible for Wamalwa and Wetang'ula to see eye to eye. Wamalwa believes the Bukusu people must be liberated from the bondage of Ford- K. During the 2022 campaigns, he said, "We cannot continue living under the Ford-K bondage anymore and that is why we have formed the DAP-K party that has the interests of the people at heart". Andrew Kutitila, former Federal Party of Kenya (FPK) leader, says Wamalwa's star is rising because he has come to fill the void left by Wetang'ula and Mudavadi.

From CS to the streets, Wamalwa lays ground for State House bid

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From CS to the streets, Wamalwa lays ground for State House bid

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