The Court of Appeal decision to nullify the election of Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua will provide yet another opportunity for the region's political bigwigs to face off again to show their political might should the Supreme Court uphold the Appellate Court ruling.
With Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka keen to stamp his authority on Ukambani politics, the impending by-election will provide him with a perfect opportunity to reinvent his political career where a win for his party's candidate Wavinya Ndeti against his political-protégé-turned-for, Dr. Mutua will give him a psychological boost in his 2022 presidential bid.
Since decamping from Kalonzo's Wiper to form his own Maendeleo Chap Chap party in the run to the 2017 election, Dr. Mutua has been the former Vice President's political nightmare. His resounding win against Wavinya Ndeti confirmed that he is a new political force in the region where Kalonzo had reigned supreme for decades.
With the Friday landmark ruling, is this the perfect opportunity for the Wiper leader to send a strong message to his bitter rival that he is still the Ukambani political kingpin? And with all politics being local, the Kalonzo-Mutua looming duel will no doubt be a make or break point for both men who harbor presidential ambitions.