Nyakundi Report is republishing this archive commentary dated 21 November 2018, which argues that Uhuru Kenyatta governed in a style different from the old Mt Kenya political establishment.
The piece says Kenyatta did not lean heavily on the so-called “Mt Kenya mafia” and instead built his own political circle. It contrasts his approach with earlier administrations, claiming Jomo Kenyatta was surrounded by a self-forming kitchen cabinet that controlled access and shaped perceptions around power.
According to the article, that inner circle helped isolate Jaramogi Oginga Odinga by branding him a Communist, then later turned its attention to Tom Mboya, JM and eventually Moi. The names mentioned in that group include Dr Njoroge Mungai, Mbiyu Koinange, Kihika Kimani, Njenga Karume and Kariuki Chotara.
The commentary makes a similar claim about the Kibaki years, saying Mwai Kibaki was shielded by a different set of advisers that included Francis Muthaura, Matere Keriri, Matu Wamae, Njenga Karume, John Michuki, Alex Mureithi, David Mwiraria and other golfing associates. It says that circle misled Kibaki and helped frame Raila Amollo Odinga as a political threat in the eyes of the presidency.
On Uhuru’s first term, the article says he tolerated such figures for a while, but many of them later died, became frail or lost influence. It adds that he brought in younger or more effective aides such as Nzioka Waita and Kinuthia Mbugua to block idle gossip and manage access to State House.
The author also argues that Uhuru Kenyatta did not share the same social or political instincts as the hardline ethnic loyalists around him. Instead, the piece says he had closer personal ties with Alfred Getonga, Tony Gachoka, David Murathe, Bruce Odhiambo, Gideon Moi and Raila Odinga, whom it describes as a childhood friend.
The commentary warns that anyone trying to sell Uhuru a politics of Mt Kenya superiority was likely to be disappointed. It singles out Maina Kamanda as one of the figures entering unfamiliar territory and says those who rose through anti-Odinga politics had also lost influence.
It closes by repeating an allegation that Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga once ran a joint bank account, while asking whether that account was ever closed. The article ends with a quoted line attributed to Uhuru Kenyatta: “The bond between me and my brother Raila is soooooo deep”.
