IS MURANGA UHURU AND PETER KENNETH'S BATTLEFIELD?

Deputy prime minister, finance minister and king of the slopes, Uhuru Kenyatta has visited Murang'a county over the recent past, more times probably than any other place in Kenya. The most memorable visit was the mammoth crowd where he was proclaimed King in Murang'a town in late March. It was during the run up to the Hague appearance and since the momentum was nationwide, it was only fair for Murang'a not to be left behind. However, he had been in the same county just a few weeks prior to the visit.

After coming back from the Hague, Uhuru has been in Murang'a at least thrice. So what is in this county that catches the eye of the deputy premier? The most logical answer is Peter Kenneth. Peter Kenneth hails from Gatanga constituency, Murang'a county. He is probably the biggest political export from Murang'a after matiba. He may not hail from Kiharu constituency, where Murang'a town is located, but he is known to be well loved there and throughout the county. The leaders from Murang'a  with the exception of Michuki are known to be in Uhuru's camp halfheartedly. Mbau almost wrestled Kabogo when that was reminded to him.

It is no secret that the kikuyu love this man Uhuru. Those from Murang'a love him more, and that is supported by the number that turned up for his mega rally. The problem however is that they also love Peter Kenneth. The respect given to him is mainly because of his soft spoken nature, and lack of directly and with use of hard words attacking Kenyatta. This has made Uhuru lack something to finally finish Peter Kenneth. Use of harsh words on kenneth by Uhuru may bring disastrous results on the latter since in the eyes of the public Kenneth is an innocent angel who they may well vote for to punish his attackers.

For camp Uhuru , central province unity is paramount for him to have any chance of election in the event he is on the ballot. Central province also incorporates all the Kikuyu in other provinces. A split brought about by Kenneth is the last thing Uhuru wants. The key preventing such an occassion, is taming Kenneth right from his turf in Murang'a. That may explain why uhuru can't miss a chance to be in this county. If Kenneth fails to get favour from his own backyard, chances are he will not get any votes from elsewhere. He may even not be in a position to bargain for a running mate position as has been rumoured. If Uhuru can somehow win over total support from this county, then central is his to lose.

Despite Martha Karua been another challenger, the feeling is that Kenneth can emerge stronger considering his ability to win over  top political leaders and members of parliament as opposed to Karua who has failed to get endorsement of any mp.

Uhuru may also have some hope that Peter Kenneth will finally jump to his camp, when options run out. Murang'a  and Kenneth will surely continue to be on Kenyatta's diary between now and 2012.