Politics in Kenya is executed through proxies. And so props like Murathe are readily available for procurement – By Gerald Gekara
When Murathe speaks, the deep State trajectory on who will not succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta is discerned. He shoots straight, is very cunning, and has been President Uhuru Kenyatta’s political buddy for the longest of time.
As of the DP William Ruto’s supporters, Murathe rubbished their dreams, called them thugs, and told them to their face that Uhuru and Central province owed them nothing.
He was the first politician to allude that the DP was conferred a benefit to rally behind Uhuru in 2013. The value of the consideration has so far been embargoed but the deal sweetener, dubbed ‘GEMA’ support to Ruto has been rubbished.
Odd Jobs
During the good days, Ruto’s men expected Murathe to get a tongue lashing from Uhuru. That never happened. And will not. As a top Jubillee strategist, Murathe was detailed odd jobs for the party.
Specifically, he was detailed to manage the media, provide heads up on the following day’s headlines, and verifiable media intelligence. In this assignment, he was anchored by Davis Chirchir from the DP wing of the Presidency.
At this vantage point, he became a “source” to the scribes. A source is a media term used to refer to a well-connected individual with access to powerful newsmakers. In this case, Murathe assumed the role of Jubilees media fixer for mainstream media.
He provided unsolicited exposes to media houses especially on the political beat. For consideration that cannot be quantified, Murathe “passed on” information, rumors, and storylines being cooked by the media against Jubilee and a pro-NASA agenda.
And for this, he was on the speed dial of the Jubillee nerve Centre. And the Presidency. For obvious reasons, media hounds revere good and credible sources. Murathe was certainly one of them.
During the 2017 electioneering period, the media was viewed to have been pro Nasa. Media monitoring analysts established that NASA secured better coverage than Jubilee for free until Murathe came calling and leveraged the team. Murathe’s easy-going mien came in handy, first as the Mp for Gatanga and Uhuru Kenyatta’s PA.
Due to the close links with Uhuru over the years, Murathe attracted and retained excellent media contacts. His dalliance with middle-level editors during the 2017 elections left tongues wagging in the media industry.
This made him “leak” stories to the Jubillee team at night, making it prepare responses by the time the NASA team woke up. Of course, it was not all smooth sailing. Top-level editors were not comfortable with the external editor role Murathe had assumed but it was too late in the day.
So who is the real Murathe?
The former Gatanga Mp is an alumnus of Nairobi School, one of the meanest environments to nurture boys. Nairobi School in the ’70s and ’80s was akin to a military school. It nurtured fearless men producing brilliant and uncompromising leaders. Murathe and Musalia Mudavadi, Gitobu Imanyara, Otuoma Ahmed Nassir Abdullahi are some of the
President Uhuru Kenyatta with Gitobu Imanyara
During his campus days at the University of Nairobi, Murathe joined the anti-establishment forces that wanted to remove then President Moi from power. For his troubles, Murathe was arrested by Special Branch officers and was about to be charged with treason and therefore hanged then treason was punishable by hanging.
But his father, William Murathe was an intelligent man. Fearing his bright but insolent son may face the hangman, Mzee Murathe approached then-Attorney General Mathew Guy Muli to plead for his son.
Justice Muli was a neighbor and close friend of the Murathe’s at Thome Estate. Muli and his brother Henry, then Cooperative Bank chairman were Moi advisers on Ukambani politics.
Their brief was to cut Paul Ngei to size in Kangundo Constituency and Kenya in general. For that, Moi listened to them without blinking. This was an easy errand for Muli. After all, he had interceded for then powerful PC David Musila and postponed his sacking.
And so Guy Muli saved Murathe from the gallows but with a warning to keep peace. Murathe obliged, partly because of the Nyayo House escapades with the ruthless Moi boys.
The gesture by Justice Muli made the senior Murathe a lifetime friend of the Kamba community. The young Murathe, Unlike old Jomo, Moi and Kibaki power brokers, has little time for niceties. He delivers the message raw and in a blunt well.
He also holds the dubious distinction of being the first MP in Kenya to resign from Parliament, rescind the decision with another letter, and have still retained his way.
The deal then was to pave way for Citizen TV owner S.K. Macharia to “take over” Gatanga on a KANU ticket. Macharia is still waiting for that job to date. Murathe’s solid rock relations with Uhuru Kenyatta meant that Macharia was and is still locked out of the inner circle of Uhuru.
Macharia response was swift he assembled a mega-media house supported Mwai Kibaki against Uhuru in 2002 and against Raila in 2013. To date, Macharia is not a darling of Uhuru hardliners and his close friends.
When all is said and done and the political history of President Kenyatta is written Murathe and Speaker Justin Muturi will stand out as the undisputed props. You haven’t heard the last from Murathe.
But if that treason charge Moi preferred against him can be revived, DP William Ruto would grab the opportunity in the morning. The only challenge is that Murathe was not a threat to Moi and the then Government he was playing the role of keeping a despot government in check.
And so the maverick may one day claim his medal as one of the second liberation heroes.
