The emergence of devolution a decade ago increased the number of leaders in a bid to ensure service delivery to the people.
However, over the years, politics seem to have taken the center stage due to useless political competition.
Here is a list of popular leaders from Ukambani who don’t see eye to eye.
Kalonzo and Muthama
The two began as friends and were together at the Wiper party. They went separate ways after the 2017 general elections.
Muthama explained that he was not satisfied with the way the Wiper party denied some candidates a chance to vie on a Wiper ticket by coding to give out direct tickets in various political positions.
In 2019 Muthama fully left Wiper and joined forces with the then Deputy President William Ruto and started rallying other leaders to do the same.
The two were in a near fistfight in 2021 at a burial in Mitaboni after Kalonzo made remarks about the former wife to Muthama Agnes Kavindu.
The two are in different coalitions this political nemesis.
Mutua and Muthama
In 2013 Dr.Alfred Mutua was given the Wiper ticket to contest for Machakos gubernatorial post. Johnson Muthama was against it arguing that Mutua was not from Machakos as he claimed and he would mess up the county and leave.
Their hate could be seen even during the Kenya Kwanza coalition campaigns. The two supported President William Ruto in the last elections but could not be in the same function.
Muthama and Wavinya
Their animosity was seen in 2017 after the Wiper party refused to let Benard Kiapa deputize Wavinya Ndeti. This was after Wavinya had been given a direct ticket to vie for the governorship.
He is remembered for his famous quote, “Machakos people know this, removing Mutua and replacing him with Wavinya is lethal, you will cry with one eye while shifting the other one”.
In the last general elections, Muthama asked Wavinya to shelve her bid and back him but Wavinya ignored him.
Nimrod Mbai and Kalonzo
Mbai began as a bodyguard to former Machakos governor Alfred Mutua before vying for Kitui East parliamentary seat in 2017.
He didn’t begin in Wiper like most politicians and vied on a Jubilee ticket then the UDA party in 2022.
Recently Mbai declared war on the Wiper party vowing to popularize the UDA party and ensuring the Wiper party is reduced to a small party.
Mutua and Kalonzo
Mutua vied for the gubernatorial seat in 2013 using the Wiper party. Two years later Mutua rebelled and comes his party Maendeleo chap chap which he used to defend his seat.
Mutua blamed Kalonzo for the lack of development in the three Ukambani counties even after being in politics for three decades.
This created animosity between the two and Mutua was forced to leave the Azimio coalition after complaining of unequal treatment.
