It was a year of political upheaval in 2022 as a number of high-profile politicians found themselves on the receiving end of unexpected defeats and controversies.
From surprise losses to embarrassing dismissals, these unlucky politicians saw their careers face bumps in a matter of months.
Raila Odinga
Raila Odinga, the leader of Kenya’s opposition has spent the last 25 years sweating and toiling in an attempt to become president, four times coming close but falling just short.
His political base is shaken and uncertain about what to do next at this point.
To date, his base is yet to come out clear on what exactly led to his August 9 election loss.
In the Azimio faction, the Supreme Court, the IEBC, and a lack of organization are now the targets of the blame game.
He had support from the state apparatus, the Mt. Kenya business elite, and several seasoned politicians, but he was narrowly defeated, something he does not accept.
Martha Karua
Three Mount Kenya leaders unveiled their plans for a Mount Kenya caucus in August of last year in order to shape the region’s political future before the elections of 2022.
Leaders of like-minded parties were invited to join Martha Karua of the Narc Kenya, Mwangi Kiunjuri of the TSP, and Moses Kuria of Chama Cha Kazi.
A new Mount Kenya kingpin was emerging because Uhuru Kenyatta was anticipated to exit the stage.
Sadly, this caucus collapsed in March 2022 when Karua, who was expected to be a running mate and was regarded as the best alternative to the top two candidates, decided to back Raila Odinga.
Although ‘Baba na Mama’ was a powerful coalition, their errors—which are just now becoming apparent—cost them the election.
Kalonzo Musyoka
There were loud calls from Kenya Kwanza to Kalonzo to join the coalition when Raila Odinga announced Martha Karua as his running mate.
However, Kalonzo left Azimio, albeit temporarily, and declared his intention to run for president. He even appointed Andrew Sunkuli as his deputy.
After a while, though, Kalonzo returned to Raila Odinga, seemingly missing his chance to join the winning coalition or serve as a deputy despite bringing a massive number of votes to the Azimio coalition.
Millicent Omanga
She was a fervent supporter of President William Ruto, and after she was unsuccessful in her bid to become the Nairobi Women Representative, it was almost certain that she would be rewarded with a significant position in Ruto’s administration.
Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries have already taken the oath of office, leaving only the position of Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS), whose constitutionality may soon be called into question.
Cleophas Malala
He went from being an obscure MCA to a strong Senator, and he was just close becoming Kakamega’s second governor.
In 2017, he ran for and won the Amani National Congress (ANC) Senate seat for Kakamega.
Malala ran for office in the 2022 elections on a Kenya Kwanza-affiliated ANC ticket.
Senator Boni Khalwale of Kakamega was compelled to withdraw from the race prior to the August 9 election in favor of Malala.
Malala was forced to swallow a bitter pill, though, after losing to Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Candidate Fernandez Barasa, who received 192,929 votes to Malala’s 159, 508 votes to win the seat.
Despite,Malala has gone quiet and has yet to be given a job by the current government.
Mike Sonko
In the elections of 2022, he could have given current Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir a run for his money, but Mike Sonko’s impeachment made him ineligible to run for office due to not fulfilling the leadership and integrity requirements.
The IEBC’s decision to prevent Mike Sonko from running for the position of Mombasa Governor was upheld by the IEBC Dispute Resolution Committee.
On its final day of hearing and adjudicating complaints submitted by candidates, the Committee rendered its decision at Milimani Law Courts.
He had to switch his allegiance from Azimio to Kenya Kwanza, and despite his defeat, it seems unlikely that he will hold a position in the government.
William Kabogo
Kabogo’s Tujibebe Party and Moses Kuria’s Chama Cha Kazi had co-authored a letter to the coalition’s principals requesting a meeting to chart the way forward in the Kiambu county gubernatorial race.
Former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo complained that the coalition was ignoring him, particularly in the Mount Kenya region.
Kabogo finished third in the August 9 election, but it appears that all is not lost as he continues to back President Ruto.
Kawira Mwangaza
She won arguably one of the most difficult races for governor in the 2022 elections, but she is currently facing an impeachment.
After only 112 days in office, the governor of Meru was impeached by Members of County Assembly over myriad of charges.
The assembly’s MCAs unanimously decided to remove Mwangaza from office due to allegations of severe misconduct, abuse of power, and flagrant disregard for the law and the Constitution.
Her fate now lies in the hands of the Senate to either uphold her impeachment exonerate her from all the five charges Meru MCAs have tabled against her.
As the year comes to a close, it was clear that 2022 had been a rough one for most politicians across the country.
For those who found themselves on the wrong side of the political landscape, the road back to power could be long and uncertain but they have got to play their cards right.
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