Alfred Mutua: Kalonzo’s strategy is to keep Ukambani poor for political gain
By Mabonga Makhanu, November 12, 2025Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has accused Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka of deliberately keeping the Ukambani region underdeveloped for his own future political ambitions.
Speaking on the first day of President William Ruto’s developmental tour of the Ukambani region on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, Mutua said that Kalonzo has kept the region in opposition and resisted its integration into government initiatives.
According to Mutua, this strategy is intended to portray Kalonzo as the only leader capable of rescuing the region from its perennial poverty, positioning him as a future political saviour should he one day run for the presidency.
Mutua described the approach as a “political poverty strategy”, a tactic where a leader intentionally limits development in areas where they have significant support to maintain influence and control.
He explained that by keeping people in poverty, the leader ensures the population sees him as the one capable of delivering change and relief.
“Wacha nitoboe siri niseme nisiseme, kuna watu wengine wana mpango wao, kwa kingireza inaitwa political poverty strategy. Hio strategy inasema kwamba waweke watu wakiwa maskini, ndio wakuone ya kwamba wewe ndio kiongozi utakaye waokowa,” Mutua said.
This comes at a time when Kalonzo Musyoka has positioned himself as the frontrunner in the united opposition, ready to face President William Ruto on the ballot in 2027.
He has been urging his community not to be persuaded to support the current regime, which, according to him, has failed to deliver for Kenyans. By doing so, he is positioning the united opposition as the only political establishment capable of defeating President Ruto and restoring hope among the populace.
Past accusations against Kalonzo
This is not the first time Alfred Mutua has blamed Kalonzo for the slow pace of development in the eastern region.
He insisted that the stagnation is a calculated political tactic by Kalonzo Musyoka.
“The slow pace of development in the Ukambani region compared to areas such as Nyanza, Mt Kenya, and North Eastern is not accidental. It is part of a deliberate strategy by Hon. Kalonzo Musyoka to maintain psychological control over the Kamba people,” Mutua stated.
He then compared the kind of developments taking place in Nyanza, which were courtesy of the late former prime minister Raila Odinga, who, despite his long stand in opposition, could at times swallow his ego to work with governments of the day so his people would benefit, which, according to Mutua, is not the case with the Wiper party boss.