Ruto's hidden message behind Lusaka's appointment as coordinator

I sat quietly under a mango tree, watching him do some stretches. We had taken a break from our intense book interview after hours of documenting his life in his forthcoming autobiography—Beyond Belief.

He smiled, his eyes shifting to his old compound. He stared at the Elgon Teak tree planted by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013, when he visited his home to celebrate his election as governor.

With a smile, he said: “My brother Caleb, I’m not boasting but I believe I’m the only leader in Kenya to have hosted four Heads of State in my house. I hosted Daniel arap Moi while serving as District Officer in the Rift Valley. I hosted Mwai Kibaki when I was District Commissioner in Murang’a and then I hosted Uhuru soon after being elected first governor of Bungoma.

On August 28, 2022, as President-elect, William Ruto graced my home. Raila Odinga and I used to watch football in my Nairobi home,” said Kenneth Makelo Lusaka.

I slowly peeled through the life of Lusaka, a man in whom President Ruto saw the skill and prowess to be his 2027 presidential campaign coordinator in Western Kenya.  

But why has Ruto had a persistent and intense interest in the Mulembe Nation? Since his election in 2022, Ruto has made countless visits to Western Kenya.

Conspiracy theory

Ruto’s determination reminded me of conversations I once had with; the eloquent people’s watchman, Martin Shikuku, and Mama Phoebe Asiyo. The two politicians shared an interesting conspiracy theory revolving around the tyranny of numbers the Luhya possessed.

After the 2009 population census, Shikuku and I sat in my house for a book interview.  Our talk strayed into the presidency and Luhya unity. “Do you know the Luhya overtook the Kikuyu in population a long time ago? But since Luhya have never tasted the presidency, we lack the requisite hunger. The day we shall unite; the political game will change dramatically” he told me.

Mama Asiyo would later share similar sentiments. After the 2007 post-election violence, she hosted Kikuyu and Luo elders at her home in Karachuoyo. She said that the 2007 presidential election was stolen based on the illusion of tyranny of numbers. “The ruling class and the powerful manipulate the census.  Why do you think Raila invests energy on the Luhya? He knows they are the majority. If they can put their act together, register as voters and turn out to vote, they will change Kenya’s political equation.” It took time for her words to sink in.

Is Ruto reading from the Shikuku and Asiyo scripts? He appointed a seasoned administrator as his campaign coordinator and a younger but aggressive politician Ayub Savula to woo the Western vote. However, Ruto’s big challenge is to ensure youth in Western register in large numbers, agree to vote for him and actually turn out to vote.

“Why” some ask, “would Ruto pick Lusaka and sidestep two senior politicians, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangu’la?”  Musalia was quick to congratulate Lusaka for the appointment. Musalia is tied down by travel and boardroom assignments. He is unable to indulge with the rough and tumble of field politics.  

Ford Kenya

Wetangu’la on the other hand is a man under siege. The Speaker of the National Assembly is yet to recover from the humiliation he suffered when a Ford Kenya MCA candidate in his ward lost to an independent candidate. Then his younger brother, Tim Wanyonyi, who is eyeing the Bungoma governor’s seat, vowed he would never run on a Ford Kenya ticket.   Lusaka has unique characteristics that make the coordination his cup of tea. He speaks and communicates fluently in numerous Luhya dialects. He avoids aggression and confrontations. He thoroughly understands government operations and how to communicate with wananchi on the ground and he has great mobilisation skills.

 But who is this man Lusaka? After studying political science at the University of Nairobi, Lusaka joined the provincial administration as District Officer (DO). Serving under Moi was a tense tour of duty with critical political lessons at every turn. 

He served as DO in various parts of Kenya before becoming District Commissioner (DC) in Marigat and Kajiado districts. When Mwai Kibaki took over as President, Lusaka was appointed Murang’a DC at the height of the Mungiki menace. Then he was promoted to Permanent Secretary, Livestock, before becoming governor of Bungoma in 2013.

Mulembe people

Apart from his loyalty and friendship with Ruto, the President must have considered his deep understanding of politics and government operations essential in winning the hearts and minds of the Mulembe people.

“Wherever I worked, I made it my duty to unite leaders and ensure peace reigned. I had witnessed enough destructive politics and knew the importance of peace,” he told me as we sipped tea.

 As a provincial administrator, Lusaka made many great friends; among them President Ruto, former Vice President Prof George Saitoti and former Interior Cabinet minister John Michuki. He stood by them and they stood by him. The friendship ran deep.

He recalls one Saturday afternoon, on April 19, 2008, when he sat in Michuki’s office to discuss administrative matters,  Michuki told him that President Kibaki, would be presiding over an important function in Murang’a the following day. Lusaka had to ensure the event ran smoothly and successfully.

”As God in his humour would have it, during the tour, the President was pressed and needed to answer the call of nature at the District Commissioners' house.

‘‘I found myself with Kibaki, his wife Mama Lucy and Michuki in my living room. During this brief moment, Michuki turned to Kibaki and said, “Your Excellency, if we had more DCs like Lusaka here, even if they were only five in the whole country, we would be very far as a nation.”

On Monday, April 21, 2008, a day after Kibaki had eased his way through  Lusaka’s home, Lusaka was appointed provincial administration secretary.

“I was in pleasant shock. With a stroke of a pen, recommendations from Michuki had elevated me to a major slot in government,” says the Bungoma governor.

He had suddenly become boss to those in Harambee House who used to treat him contemptuously and even ignore his calls.

Later that day, Michuki gave him a broad smile, shook his hand and said: “Kijana now you are the boss.”

In 2009, Lusaka became Permanent Secretary, in the Ministry of Livestock Development. 

When he joined politics in 2013, he ran on New Ford Kenya ticket. 

“We campaigned around trust, consistency and integrity. When I became governor, I made a strategic move of appointing ‘rivals’ into my Cabinet. I was determined during my term, 2013 to 2017, to bring unity in Bungoma. Immediately I won, I called Wetangu’la, Eseli Simiyu and Wafula Wamunyinyi to a meeting in Eldoret.  I asked Wetangu’la to give me five names to join my government.”

In 2017, Lusaka joined the Jubilee coalition led by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto. He became the first leader to dissolve his political party.

He told New Ford Kenya top organ meeting in Nairobi: “We have already removed our clothes and taken the dive so we must land on water. How we land is irrelevant. We cannot undo what we had already done”

Ruto, then Deputy President, sat him down and told him: “You are in this small village party of yours, where are you headed?” Lusaka took his resolve to his supporters telling them: “Let’s close this kiosk and build a supermarket. A fly must die. But a wise fly dies in milk while a foolish one dies in the toilet. I would rather we died in milk. Uhuru and Ruto have the milk.” 

For sleeping with Jubilee in a Ford Kenya stronghold, he paid a heavy price. He lost the gubernatorial race in 2017 and was suddenly abandoned.   

Lusaka argues that in 2017, he suffered the curse of incumbency: ”There was a clear disconnect between my team and the public. The chaos in my camp was so rampant that at some point we had people threatening each other with guns and legal battles. I was a strong candidate with a weak, chaotic and disjointed team.”  

Ruto had intimated to me that he wanted to propose me as the Speaker for National Assembly. Just like that, Lusaka became Speaker of the Senate. 

In 2022, Lusaka was under intense pressure to join Uhuru’s Azimio la Umoja Coalition that fronted Raila Odinga to run against Ruto for the presidency.

Kenya Kwanza

Lusaka became the presidential campaign coordinator for the Kenya Kwanza Coalition in Bungoma: “Our campaign strategy took the form of organising rallies not in public places but in homes of popular and influential people. Rallies would start as early as 6 o’clock in the morning in the morning at someone’s home”

The friendship between Ruto and Lusaka runs deep. The fact that Lusaka delivered Bungoma to Kenya Kwanza in 2022, further cements their relationship.