National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa. Photo/Kimani Ichung'wa/X
By Newsflash Writer
The prolonged silence of National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa has become the subject of growing political speculation in the Mt Kenya region, with his reduced public profile following the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election raising questions about the state of President William Ruto’s political camp.
Since the July 16 by-election, where Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau defeated the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Muchina, Ichung’wa has largely withdrawn from the political spotlight.
The three-term Kikuyu MP, once among President Ruto’s most outspoken defenders in the region, has limited his public engagements, with his social media pages focusing almost exclusively on development projects in his Kikuyu constituency.
The Ol Kalou defeat was widely viewed as a major political setback for UDA, particularly because the ruling party had deployed some of its most influential leaders in a bid to retain the seat.
Ichung’wa was at the centre of that campaign, leading a team that included Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire, Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika, Nyandarua Woman Representative Faith Gitau, Kinangop MP Kwenya Thuku and several other legislators allied to President Ruto.
Silence after Ol Kalou defeat
For a politician known for aggressively defending the Kenya Kwanza administration in and outside Parliament, Ichung’wa’s silence has not gone unnoticed.
His absence was particularly striking during the swearing-in of the newly elected Ol Kalou MP, Sammy Douglas Kamau, on Tuesday, July 28. As National Assembly Majority Leader, many expected him to be present to receive the new legislator into Parliament.
Instead, he was conspicuously absent, further fuelling speculation over his political posture after the by-election loss.
Read more: Ichung’wah’s waning influence in Ruto’s inner circle
Efforts by Newsflash to reach Ichung’wa for comment were unsuccessful as he neither answered calls nor responded to text messages sent to his personal mobile phone.
However, one of his close associates dismissed suggestions that the Majority Leader had gone underground politically.
“Our MP is busy working for Kabete people,” one of his handlers told Newsflash.
The explanation has done little to silence political debate, especially given Ichung’wa’s previous visibility whenever major political developments unfolded in the country.
Wider quiet within Ruto’s Mt Kenya camp
Curiously, it is not only Ichung’wa who has significantly reduced public political engagements following the Ol Kalou defeat.
Faith Gitau, another key figure in the UDA campaign, has also maintained an unusually low profile.
Other senior allies of the President from the Mt Kenya region, including Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi, Murang’a Woman Representative Betty Maina, nominated MP Sabina Chege, Ndaragwa MP George Gachagua and Kiambaa MP John Kawanjiku, have similarly become less visible in grassroots political activities.
According to sources familiar with developments at State House, President Ruto is said to have reduced his political engagements with some of his Mt Kenya allies following the embarrassing defeat in Ol Kalou, where UDA reportedly spent millions of shillings campaigning for its candidate but still lost to Gachagua’s DCP.
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Immediately after the election, the leaders held a brief press conference at Encore Hotel in Nakuru, where they announced that they would soon unveil what they described as a “major political move.”
More than two weeks later, no such announcement has been made.
Sources further told Newsflash that, besides the electoral loss, State House was unhappy with reports linking some UDA leaders to violence that rocked the by-election campaign, leaving two people dead.
MP Kawanjiku came under scrutiny after a vehicle associated with him was reportedly spotted transporting armed men wearing balaclavas and carrying rungus during the campaigns.
Although he has not been charged with any offence, the incident attracted widespread political criticism.
Murang’a’s Betty Maina also faced controversy after an audio recording allegedly captured her intimidating one of DCP’s party agents during the by-election.
Gachagua has repeatedly linked the first-term legislator to several alleged attacks on his supporters, including incidents surrounding the Ol Kalou contest.
Maina has consistently denied the allegations.
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