Honourable Sabina Chege (LinkedIn Photo)
Sabina Chege, a supporter of UDA, says she is glad Rigathi Gachagua was impeached as Deputy President. In an interview with K24 TV, Sabina said she was among the MPs who voted to impeach Rigathi Gachagua last year.
Sabina was first nominated the Mūrang’a Woman Representative in 2013. It was the TNA Party that nominated her then. Later, in 2017, the Jubilee Party nominated her a Member of Parliament.
She, with a few renegades, later tried to oust the Jubilee leadership, including the current Deputy Party Leader, Jeremiah Kīoni. She now works with the UDA government though she is in Parliament courtesy of Jubilee.
Sabina Chege Criticized Gachagua on TV
Speaking during a K24 TV interview, Sabina Chege said that she personally voted to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua last year. She underlined that if Gachagua’s impeachment was happening now, she would impeach him with even more vigour.
Asked in that recent interview why she seemed so much anti-Gachagua, she had a ready answer.
Sabina Chege Cites the Ol Kalou Aftermath
Sabina Chege seems displeased with the way things are going after the Ol Kalou by-election. During the interview with K24, she gave that as a major reason she is deeply unhappy with Gachagua.
The July Ol Kalou by-election has given the former deputy president even greater prominence for his party’s success. His party candidate, Kamau Ngotho, won the Ol Kalou parliamentary seat with a landslide.
Despite the different projects the government initiated during the campaign period, Mūchina Ng’ang’a, the government backed candidate, lost badly. Often, in Kenya, politicians are used to influencing ordinary voters by dishing them tokens of money.
Hence, pro-government campaigners seemed shocked that Ol Kalou residents could vote overwhelmingly for the DCP candidate who offered no money.
Unlike the opposition, the government side wooed the people with goodies. Among those freebies were small gas cookers, mattresses and cash. Sabina Chege was among the leaders campaigning for the government candidate, and she now sounds bitter about the loss.
In contrast, many of those who campaigned for the same candidate seemed to instantly understand the reason for their loss.
They seemed to understand why the DCP candidate won. Many were even amazed to learn that their “supporters” were sharing the goodies they received with the DCP candidate.
Rigathi Gachagua’s Prominence Following the Ol Kalou Win
In the aftermath of the Ol Kalou by-elections, prominent Kenyans, including political analysts, have hailed Gachagua’s organizational aptitude. Many have paid visits to Wamūnyoro, the home of Honourable Rigathi Gachagua.
Among those who have visited and consulted with the former deputy president are Jimmy Wanjīgī, Ndindi Nyoro, and several other MPs and senators. Gachagua has also since hosted delegations from different communities, including the Kipsigis and Somalis. Others include groups from, Murang’a, Meru, and other places.
Kenyans See Ol Kalou as a Game-changer
Many politicians seem to acknowledge a new political reality: that Kenyans can vote their will despite accepting handouts. That reality was underlined when Ol Kalou residents graciously accepted government handouts then voted for the opposition candidate. Sabina Chege and her colleagues offered handouts on behalf of UDA, but their candidate, Samuel Mûchina, only received 5,450 votes.
Meanwhile, the DCP candidate, Sammy Kamau, won the by-election with 35,440 votes.
Obviously, the campaigners on the government side must be facing an uphill task trying to explain such an embarrassing loss. It must be particularly difficult for them to explain it to their financier.
It is clear the government had sought to endear itself to the people of Ol Kalou through infrastructural projects. That is why it re-introduced train operations and initiated an electricity distribution project.
So, if individuals managed to convince top UDA leadership that the projects were not sufficient, it seemed they did not advise them to limit potential losses.
Instead, it is apparent they convinced them that loads of money in the hands of “the right people” would do the trick. Obviously, that did not work.
They brought the people of Ol Kalou small gas cookers and mattresses. Then they identified a dam and introduced fish, then brought a couple of boats to the dam. They told the people of Ol Kalou that they could use the boats for fishing, to earn a livelihood.
It is not clear how much liquid cash the pro-government campaigners received for use in Ol Kalou. Nevertheless, the extent of their expenditure is apparent. Hence, their financier may have a bone to pick with them depending on any promises they made.
Is Sabina Chege in Good Company?
Is Sabina a lone ranger? Or is she among a critical mass of people thinking it is worth ignoring Gachagua?
Certainly, many will note what is apparent. That includes the reality that Gachagua is arguably the most sought politician at the moment. Also, some politicians previously fence-sitting have now made it public they have parted ways with the government. That boldness is attributed to the opposition success in Ol Kalou.
Mūrang’a Governor Irūngū Kang’ata, for example, declared almost immediately after Ol Kalou that he was no longer pro-government. For now, he is working with the Linda Mwananchi movement, which has hailed Gachagua’s leadership in the Ol Kalou by-election.
Gachagua himself now makes headlines almost daily, updating Kenyans hungry for his views or responding to questions from journalists.
The former DP has also held public meetings in different places since Ol Kalou, including in Meru where his mother was born.
And when he is not appearing in public he is hosting political visitors at his home in Wamunyoro. Yet even there, journalists are on hand to publicize the courtesy calls.
Everything considered, it appears like Sabina Chege is in the minority as far as Gachagua’s appeal is concerned. Gachagua’s continuing engagements appear to reflect positively on him, with analysts attributing his appeal to the Ol Kalou success.