Linda Mwananchi's Jacaranda Rally Was a Passing Cloud - Atwoli

Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has described the Linda Mwananchi rally held at Nairobi’s Jacaranda Grounds as a temporary political event.

Speaking on Sunday, September 20, Atwoli said the political gathering should not be viewed as evidence of an established nationwide political machine, pointing to the performance of President William Ruto during the 2022 General Election.

"What you saw in Jacaranda was a passing cloud. Ruto beat us in Azimio because he had a highly constituted technical bench. Ruto is driven professionally, with a lot of professionalism in his work; he is not doing guesswork. He has numbers," he said.

Atwoli also discussed the political ambitions of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and cautioned that building a presidential campaign would require structures extending beyond a small group of political allies.

"You can’t win elections without structures and strategy. Don’t compare the US and Kenya. That is the same mistake Sifuna is making: going to the markets with buckets, taking five shillings from the old women. In Kenya, you cannot use money contributed from markets to become a president. He is trying to aim for Obama’s way of soliciting funds. That money cannot make you a president in Kenya," he added.

The COTU boss said Sifuna would need to assemble a broader political team capable of operating across the country if he intends to pursue a national political position.

"If you want to advise Sifuna, tell him to go ahead. He must know how he will have to put his team together, and that team will not only be him, Orengo, and Babu. He must have a team countrywide.

"Kalonzo is one of the best leaders we have, but do you think he can stay until 2 am and the following day you find him in Wajir? Is he aggressive enough, like what Raila used to do?" he further said.

Atwoli acknowledged Sifuna's potential as a future leader but said winning a presidential election would require extensive networks, financial backing and mobilisation across the country.

"He is a future leader, I agree, and I can support him in any manner that he wants. I was in Azimio; I went through this republic with Raila. The tediousness, the running up and down looking for votes. It requires massive support from all county governors and the business community. Raila had networks, and we still lost. Sifuna is not even a quarter of those people who have tried," he noted.

This comes days after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua reached out to Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino to broker peace amid infighting in Linda Mwananchi.

Speaking on Friday, September 18, he claimed that he warned Sifuna and Babu that they are falling into a trap set by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

Gachagua alleged that the push and pull between their supporters was part of an elaborate plan by the NIS to divide Linda Mwananchi because the outfit had caused panic in government.

"I placed a call to Edwin Sifuna from here. We had a long chat with him. I did the same with Babu Owino and told him that William Ruto and the National Intelligence Service were infiltrating their movement.

"Your supporters are falling for it, and you must very quickly meet and tell your supporters not to fall into that trap of infiltaratiion. The state has invested heavily in dividing Linda Mwananchi," he claimed.

Gachagua confirmed that he asked Nyandarua Senator and DCP Secretary General designate John Methu to join them in their talks so that they could quickly call their supporters to order.

He reckoned that the Linda Mwananchi rally at the Jacaranda Grounds in Nairobi had scared President Ruto. He claimed that Ruto aimed to divide the faction along tribal lines.

"The state is trying to divide Linda Mwananchi, which will be catastrophic for the country because it will play a significant role when we converge to liberate our country.

"It is taking a tribal dimension where the Luo and Luhya have started trading insults. That is what William Ruto wants: to divide and conquer," he added.