Kang'ata limps out of UDA, and no one should read too much 'politics'

Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata speaks amid growing political pressure and speculation over his shifting allegiance ahead of the next elections.. [File, Standard]

Kang’ata limps out of UDA, and no one should read too much ‘politics’

When Murang’a County Governor Irungu Kanga’ta appeared on TV last Sunday, he swapped his formal sartorial for blue jeans and open shoes. Then, he sat beside Prezzo Bill Ruto, where the latter was visiting for the second time in just one week.

Hours later, Kang’ata mobilised his family, including tots without teeth, to face TV cameras to protest against the enormous pressure that he said had been piled against him, hence  his decision to address the nation.

If that sounds confusing, it is. After all, Kang’ata is a lawyer who speaks in such a convoluted manner, it’s hard to keep track of things. His three-page statement to the nation was followed by an hour-long conversation on Citizen TV.

This media blitz can be summed up in a sentence: Kanga’ata has been under immense pressure from Prezzo Ruto and UDA honchos to declare his loyalties in a region that has sworn by the gods of Kirinyaga against his re-election.

As a practical and pragmatic politician, Kang’ata was jumping ship to align with the opposition, where his prospects for re-election as governor as almost guaranteed. There’s nothing complicated about this, which is why it’s perplexing that Kang’ata saw the need to address the nation to explain such an inanity.

Early in the month, he was on Nation FM explaining the policy and polity of devolution. His invocation of the turmoil in Biafra in Nigeria in 1967 to defend the overload of 47 devolved units in our land made little sense.

Ditto was his insistence that people should not politicise his decision to depart from UDA. As a politician, he should know everything is political.