Mudavadi: Encounter With Uhuru That Forced Me to Dump Raila for Ruto

Azimio party members President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga (left) and their Kenya Kwanza counterpart Deputy President William Ruto and ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi.
Azimio party members President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga (left) and their Kenya Kwanza counterpart Deputy President William Ruto and ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi.
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Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, on Saturday, March 25, accused former President Uhuru Kenyatta of failing to consolidate votes for former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, in the run-up to the August 2022 General Election.

Mudavadi, while speaking to Uriri, Migori residents, claimed to have met the former president during the campaign period. Their encounters forced him to hold the ‘Earthquake’ meeting, signalling his exit from Azimio La Umoja. 

“I used to sit with him (Uhuru) in meetings – he promises this one, he promises that one, then he says “Leave it to me,” but the man never mobilised anything for Raila in Mt Kenya.

"He used to mobilise in Nairobi in that big house (State House). I saw we will sink. I brought the ‘Earthquake’ and here is our leader is William Samoei Ruto,” he divulged.

Mudavadi Speaking on March 9, 2023
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi Speaking during the people's dialogue festival on Thursday, March 9, 2023.
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Musalia Mudavadi

Mudavadi chastised the opposition, noting that the election's outcome was irreversible. He recalled days when he was Raila's staunch supporter, citing the 2017 General Election when he was a National Super Alliance (NASA) member.

At the time, he noted that they thought they would win the presidency but lost.

He advised opposition leaders to accept the results of the last elections noting that election observers worldwide called it in favour of Ruto. 

He added, “We cannot change anything now. No matter how many times you go to the streets…you cannot reverse the fact that elections were held in August 2022.”

Noting the Migori borders Uganda to the West, he urged area residents to shun the Azimio-led protests because it would disrupt trade along the highway connecting Kenya to Uganda.

On January 23, 2022, seven months before the August General Elections, Mudavadi held a meeting at the Bomas of Kenya dubbed the ‘Earthquake’. He teamed up with Ruto and Moses Wetangula to campaign and eventually won the presidency.

However, he rejected calls to fold his party, Amani National Congress (ANC), to join Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

Among other leaders who received Ruto in Migori were DP Rigathi Gachagua, former Migor governor, Okoth Obado, Langata MP, Phelix Odiwuor and politician Betty Adera. 

Adera, a former KANU politician and chairperson of the party's Women Congress, was at the forefront of leading Ruto's tour in the region, a few days after she dumped Azimio La Umoja for Kenya Kwanza. 

"I transitioned to UDA fully, willingly and without any reservations. This is because of the evident expanded space for women’s engagement in politics and leadership in Kenya.

Former National Chairperson of KANU Women Congress and a NEC member, Bety Adera, receives President William Ruto in Migori on Saturday, March 25, 2023
Former National Chairperson of KANU Women Congress and ex-NEC member, Betty Adera, receives President William Ruto in Migori on Saturday, March 25, 2023
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PCS

"As a native of Nyanza region, I join other political leaders from the region in ensuring the development of our region and uplifting the living standards of our people and believe that the Kenya Kwanza government led by President Ruto has the best intention and machinery to get this done.

"I look forward to reaching out to the current women leadership within the party to learn and grow from the best and work together in elevating the voices of women in Kenya," Adera assured Ruto. 

Jalang'o and Adera, who vied for the Westlands parliamentary seat in the 2022 General Elections, are being touted among the Luo Nyanza leaders set to lead Ruto's agenda in the region, with the President keen to consolidate the region from Raila Odinga's grasp. 

DP Rigathi Gachagua also read a list of local politicians from the region, rewarded with government seats. 

"Do you want to worse with us or to demonstrate? Do you want more of your people to be appointed to government?" Gachagua rallied the region to support Ruto. 

Deputy Rigathi Gachagua, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, CS Ezekiel Machogu among other leaders on Sunday attended a Church service at Muungano grounds, Mpeketoni, Lamu County on February 26, 2023.
President William Ruto, Deputy Rigathi Gachagua, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, and other leaders on Sunday attended a Church service at Muungano grounds, Mpeketoni, Lamu County on February 26, 2023.
William Ruto