Politicians allied to the Deputy President Dr. William Ruto, mostly first term Mps are embroiled in a bitter war with Ex-Machakos Senator Mr Johnston Muthama over leadership roles and distribution of hand-outs from the DP.
The Mps are now threatening to bolt out of the ‘Hustler’s Movement’ if the tyrant Muthama will remain the man leading Ukambani Hustlers.
They want Ruto to trim him of excessive powers for ignoring them when planning DP’s events in the region and when distributing hand-outs or allowances from the DP.
The Mps accusing Muthama of starving them of DP’s cash include Mwala’s Vincent Musyoka, Nimrod Mbai of Kitui East, Victor Munyaka of Machakos Town and Fabian Kyule of Kangundo Constituency.
The loudly raised their concerns over allowances and Muthama’s leadership style arguing that they have remained sycophantic to the Deputy President despite the support that Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper party and Alfred Mutua’s emerging Chap Chap are enjoying in the region. Muthama with a handful of Ruto allies in a past event [p/courtesy] They also claim to have been with Ruto way before Muthama came in and hijacked the campaigns for selfish gains including exercising his uncouth dictatorship.
The former Machakos Senator has now cut the Mps direct access to the DP by playing the role of a middle man where he easily pockets their weekly allowances and random hand-outs.
He is now rudely calling shots and elbowing out coward Mps including his traditional allies from the days he was Kalonzo’s mouthpiece.
Muthama who was first welcomed by the same MPs when he came from Kalonzo’s camp is also accused of being a bully, rogue lone ranger and a poor team-player.
He began his autocracy by gathering these Mps in his Mua home where he would make phone calls with the DP on loudspeaker to address the leaders and chant further political moves.
But such meetings would end with the Mps furious after Muthama repeatedly failed to give them hand-outs wired from the DP and his operatives.
Ruto only learnt of the wars when the Mps gave one of his Karen functions a wide berth with Muthama showing up with fellow former Senators Hassan Omar and Boni Khalwale instead.
The DP dished out some Sh4 million for the attendees on that day and later summoned the Mps who revealed how Muthama had side-lined them in all the dealings.
Muthama is only working closer with the former Machakos deputy governor Bernard Kiala pushing the Mps to accuse the DP of bypassing elected leaders and working with political failures in advancing his political moves in the region.
They openly told the deputy president that the old tactic of Muthama calling Kalonzo a political failure will never work since the former VP is still the undisputed political king of the Kambas.
Ruto who was in agreement then instructed the Mps to plot independent projects and outshine Muthama once the Covid-19 pandemic is managed, with a promise to bankroll them.
This blog can authoritatively report that the DP also concurred with the Mps that Muthama’s uncontrolled abrasiveness is dealing the hustler’s image major blows and reversing the gains brought by the hustler narrative.
Ruto was also in shock after he learnt that Muthama was inflating bills on food, accommodation and supplies by his Amazing Grace Hotel which wins all the bids to host functions held on his behalf.
The upcoming tycoon was also busted for invoicing Ruto Sh2 million at every event, even those attended by 20 people just because Ruto is desperate to get a share of the 1.5 million Kamba votes.
But Muthama still remains the DP’s point man leading the complaining clique and performing duties in other neighboring regions including Coast’s Msambweni Constituency where he is leading campaigns with Hassan Omar.
Hustlers are backing an independent candidate in the by-elections set for December 15 to fill the seat that was left vacant after the area Mp Suleim Dori passed in March.
Ruto’s candidate is aiming to win the seat that was held by the ODM party which is the hustler’s number one sworn enemy.