Kinyanjui’s Comeback: What’s Next After His 2022 Gubernatorial Loss?

Former Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui appears to be making a political comeback one year after his loss to Governor Susan Kihika in the Nakuru County gubernatorial race on August 9, 2022.

Kihika, who contested under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), emerged victorious with 440,707 votes, defeating Kinyanjui, who came in second with 225,623 votes.

For the past year, Kinyanjui, like other political heavyweights in the Mount Kenya region, has maintained a low profile, seemingly overshadowed by the “Hustler” wave championed by the UDA party.

Kinyanjui, who vied for the governor’s seat on the Jubilee Party ticket, was among the political leaders who rallied behind Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga for the presidential race.

His sudden resurgence, marked by political salvos against the Kenya Kwanza government, particularly Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, has raised questions about his true political intentions.

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Is this a new strategy to revive his political career after his defeat by Kihika?

According to political analysts, Kinyanjui seems to have “found a new political courage” due to emerging political divisions within the Mount Kenya region, especially within the Kenya Kwanza faction.

These divisions appear to have provided him with an opportunity for a political revival and self-reinvention.

“Undoubtedly, the main reason for Kinyanjui’s resurgence and his renewed foray into the political arena seems to be driven by the emerging divisions among Kenya Kwanza leaders in the Mount Kenya region. This appears to give him a fresh impetus to rebuild himself,” says Charles Muriithi, a political analyst.

Muriithi suggests that Kinyanjui’s primary objective is to use these divisions to remind the residents of “what they lost by not electing Odinga and defying former President Uhuru Kenyatta.”

“If you look closely, Kinyanjui has been subtly attacking Gachagua in various messages he posts on social media. This implies that he has identified Gachagua’s political vulnerabilities and is ready to confront him, just as Gachagua campaigned against Kenyatta,” adds Muriithi.

Other analysts suggest that Kinyanjui may be a tool used by Kenyatta to confront Gachagua, given his close ties to the Kenyatta family and former Baringo Senator Gideon Moi.

“It’s possible that he is not speaking for himself but is being used by others, such as Kenyatta, to convey a message to Gachagua and the Mount Kenya region at large,” says Muriithi.