Battle Of Kisii Sons Looms As Judge Nyachae Set To Join Uhuru’s Cabinet, Will Matiang’i Survive?

hansome peaceJune 24, 2020Read original

A cold war is brewing between Interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i and East Africa Court of Justice judge Charles Nyachae ahead of looming cabinet reshuffle.

This is after it emerged that Nyachae is being pushed to be in cabinet in the looming reshuffle by those against Matiang’i whose rise as a super minister in the Uhuru Kenyatta cabinet has not been received well.

Matiang’i’s name also features prominently among those in Uhuru’s succession race. During Uhuru Kenyatta’s recent executive order that whittled down the powers of the office of William Ruto, Matiang’i cabinet coordination office was also affected by those well versed with power games.

In the executive order No 1 of 2020, many will have noticed that the National Development Implementation and Communication Committee Matiang’i chairs, were not under his ministry. The order reveals the planned creation of Oversight and Coordination in Delivery of National Priorities and Flagship programmes.

The order will lead to the formation of the cabinet office to be headed by a powerful secretary. Initial reports indicate the position of chief cabinet secretary is in the offing with ODM leader Raila Odinga earmarked for it. However, a section of Raila handlers is opposed to the move.

Sources aver that Matiang’i and Nyachae power struggle has placed the president in an awkward position. The two are relatives. In fact, Matiang’i’s appointment was linked to the Nyachae family support for Uhuru second term re-election in 2017. The former minister, Simon Nyachae family, was pushing for nomination of young Nyachae to the senate but he met roadblocks.

The Kenyatta and Nyachae’s families have over the years shared a cordial relationship which has ever since remained unknown to many.

These relationship were started way back in 1951 when Senior Chief Musa Nyandusi the father of Simeon Nyachae hid Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in his house for a night.

This happened at a time when the British were looking for the former president.

According to Prof David K Leonard, a political scientists in University of California, in his book, ‘African Success’, Nyandusi risked losing his job and a possible arrest for hiding Kenyatta.

“On October 15, 1952, Kenyatta was campaigning in Kisii for self-rule when he received a tip that the colonial administration was seeking to arrest him. Nyandusi hid him for the night and helped him escape to Nairobi,’ reads a paragraph in the book.

“Kenyatta was arrested five days later. The British were furious when they discovered what Nyandusi had done, but he begged that he was only meeting traditional African obligations of hospitality to a visitor,” it further reads.

And when Kenyatta became President, he made Nyandusi’s son, Simeon Nyachae as one of his trusted administrators, promoting him through ranks to provincial commissioner.

The same traditions never stopped, as the sons of the two prominent leaders continue to help each other to date.

This is much evident, as Charles Nyachae joined president Uhuru Kenyatta’ s Jubilee party and vied for senatorial position despite the region being dominated by the opposition in the 2017 general elections.

And as though that is not enough, Nyachae lost in the race but president Uhuru Kenyatta came to his rescue and appointed him to the East African Court of Justice as a judge.

Sources say that Uhuru dilemma in Gusiiland being that the region cannot have two cabinet secretaries at the same time the Chief Justice David Maraga. If Nyachae is named to the cabinet, then Matiang’i has to be sacrificed. Those baying for Matiang’i’s blood link him to Ruaraka land scam ghost that has refused to disappear.

They further claim that as Uhuru is trying to unify Kenyans, the CS is instrumental in the registration of a new political party with roots in Gusiiland. The CS is blamed for not defending the community as prominent personalities are sacked. Those mentioned are the former managing director of Kenya Ports Authority Daniel Manduku and Charles Ongwae of Kenya Bureau of Standards. The current frustrations facing CJ Maraga are also mentioned.