Kalonzo: I have no secret deal with Ruto
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has denied claims of a secret deal with Deputy President William Ruto, even as he called for a fresh round of talks between himself, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Azimio leader Raila Odinga, on the team’s running mate.
Mr Musyoka was responding to concerns by a high-ranking official of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition who questioned what he termed as the suspicious demand by the DP to have Mr Musyoka picked as Mr Odinga’s running mate.
The official suggested that the push was to allow Dr Ruto to wriggle out of expectations to pick his running mate from Mt Kenya region, and clear the way for Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi -- a scenario that he said would give Dr Ruto an advantage in Mt Kenya, Rift Valley and Western.
“We think Ruto and Kalonzo have a secret pact. I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case. Kalonzo’s behaviour has been destructive all through. He’s trying to wreck us from within. He doesn’t want RAO (Mr Odinga) to be president so that he can run against Ruto in 2027,” a source within Azimio told the Nation.
But on Thursday, Mr Musyoka, who continued to reject a panel formed to interview candidates for the post, said there was no such deal and his heart and mind were with Mr Odinga, and not Dr Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
“I have no relationship whatsoever with William Ruto because I am a principled man. I want to beat Dr Ruto and the UDA so that Kenyans will march forward. People know that a Kalonzo and Raila ticket will send them home, and that is what they are trying to stop. But they are set to fail,” he said.
Mr Musyoka spoke when he launched campaigns for the Wiper Mombasa governor candidate Mike Sonko, whom he said was ready to beat ODM’s Abdulswamad Nassir.
Mr Odinga’s presidential bid
Addressing a series of roadside rallies in Machakos and Makueni counties at the start of a three-day campaign to popularise Mr Odinga’s presidential bid, the former vice president maintained that he was the most suitable candidate to deputise the ODM leader because he was the most experienced.
He said none of his challengers in the bid to deputise Mr Odinga had sacrificed for the ODM leader as much as he had.
“I want one of them to come out and say that he was ready to be the president in 2022 and instead paved the way for Mr Odinga in good faith like myself,” he said.
Mr Musyoka said he held in high regard the various structures that Mr Odinga’s campaign had put in place.
He, however, took exception to a plan by Mr Odinga’s campaign to take him through an interview, a move he said was designed to humiliate and undermine him.
“Kalonzo Musyoka has been President Mwai Kibaki’s vice president for five years and Mr Odinga’s running mate in 2013 and 2017. What kind of interview do I need to be subjected to? That is why I have honourably declined to attend the interviews,” he said at Mlolongo township while addressing Mr Odinga and President Kenyatta.
He went on: “Instead of interviewing Kalonzo let us sit and dialogue among ourselves as brothers. We should ask ourselves, where are we going? Brothers, what is it? We have a nation to save from corruption. We have a nation ravaged by joblessness following the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Mr Musyoka was accompanied by Wiper politicians in the region and the party’s aspirants for various seats in the country.
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The entourage, which included Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr, Machakos Wiper governorship aspirant Wavinya Ndeti, and Mr Sonko, exerted pressure on Mr Odinga’s campaign to unconditionally nominate Mr Musyoka as his running mate.
“Mr Musyoka must be the next deputy president of the Republic of Kenya. Our rivals are defending Mr Musyoka because they have seen that he is being humiliated,” Mr Sonko said.
Mombasa governorship
At the same time, Mr Musyoka and Mr Sonko sensationally told off allies of Mr Odinga in Mombasa who have been up in arms over Mr Sonko’s nomination to run for governor.
Addressing Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, who has been the face of Mr Odinga’s allies who are faulting Mr Musyoka for fronting Mr Sonko, the Wiper leader said no one will stop the ousted Nairobi governor from seeking the Mombasa governorship, as Mr Sonko maintained that he had the right to vie for governor in the coastal city.
“Any Kenyan can contest for any seat anywhere in the country. We are coming to Mombasa. You are not the god of Mombasa. You have oppressed Mombasa residents and we are coming to redeem them,” Mr Sonko said, sparking frenzied cheers from the crowds.
He exuded confidence in beating Mr Odinga’s allies in Mombasa, whom he accused of flashing the tribal card as they campaigned for Mr Shariff, the Mvita MP.
“We are not joking. If you think you can intimidate Kalonzo, you need prayers, my friend. And I’ll pray for you … At this stage, we are unstoppable because we want to redeem Kenya. We are saying; ‘OK Jubilee take Nairobi but Wiper will take Mombasa County. Those lamenting and hurling insults on us should know that Mr Sonko has a right to seek elective office in Mombasa because that is his backyard,” Mr Musyoka said.
The former vice president is expected to use the roadside rallies to stem a looming fallout among his troops in Ukambani from the just concluded party nominations. A last-minute decision by Wiper to dole out direct nomination tickets, especially to elected politicians, has irked Mr Musyoka’s allies who were eyeing the party’s tickets. Many of those dissatisfied with Mr Musyoka’s decision to issue direct nominations have since ditched the party in protest and secured nominations as independent candidates.
The disgruntled lot includes Mr Willie Malile, a former Makueni County government official who hoped to challenge Kibwezi East MP Jessica Mbalu for the Wiper ticket at the party primaries, and Ms Mbula Mutula, a Wiper nominated MCA in Makueni County who hoped to challenge Makueni Woman Representative Rose Museo. The two erstwhile allies of Mr Musyoka have kicked up a storm by ditching Wiper in a huff and securing nominations as independent candidates.
Mr Malile has since written to the chairperson of the Wiper elections board, Ms Agatha Solitei, demanding the Sh250,000 he had paid as fees for the nomination that did not take place.
