The One Kenya Alliance (OKA) party leaders took a hard-line stance on the proposed coalition talks with the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), insisting that they will field their own presidential candidate in next year’s General Election.
Sources who attended the two-day OKA conference that ended yesterday in Naivasha indicated that the coalition has also suspended any coalition talks with ODM, until after the anticipated Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) judgment by the Court of Appeal on Friday.
In the Naivasha meeting, OKA leaders failed to broker a deal on the choice of flag bearer for the new political outfit, further creating fissures in the outfit.
OKA to field own presidential candidate
The sources who attended the meeting told the Nation that even though the four principals declared publicly that a presidential candidate will come from one of them, they failed to reach a common position on who should carry the flag of the alliance.
The coalition which brings together Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Gideon Moi (KANU) and Moses Wetangula of Ford Kenya resolved to continue consulting as they hit the road to popularise their outfit.
According to our source, all the leaders refused to budge, and nobody was willing to step down for the other, hence the choice of the flagbearer was shelved to allow for more talks.
This now means that the September date earlier set by the technical committee for the unveiling of the OKA Presidential candidate may not be met.
OKA to field presidential candidate
In a joint statement released after the meeting, the four leaders said OKA will field a presidential candidate in the 2022 poll but did not name him.
“We hereby unequivocally state that One Kenya Alliance will field a presidential candidate in next years’ General Election and the candidate is here,” reads the statement read by Ford Kenya deputy party leader Richard Onyonka.
“The coalition will and must field a candidate in the elections…we are the face of Kenya and OKA is the political outfit to keep an eye on,” added Samburu West Member of Parliament Naisula Lesuuda.
Sources told the Nation that the leaders resolved to wait for the outcome of the Court of Appeal ruling on the fate of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) before any other engagement with Mr Odinga for a possible coalition pact.
The leaders argued that the adoption of a wait and see stance will give them options on whether they are going to the negotiating table with Mr Odinga for the expanded executive positions as proposed in the BBI, or as per the positions in the current constitution.
The OKA has packaged itself as alternative political force to Mr Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto, while endearing itself to the incumbent and outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The leaders, however, refused to be drawn into Mr Odinga’s presidential candidature, insisting that they were only focused on popularising the coalition.
Makueni Senator, Mutula Kilonzo, told the Nation that OKA will unveil its presidential candidate “soon”, saying they had just received a brief of the Mombasa meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta, the four principals and Mr Odinga.
"The aim of the retreat was to strengthen the OKA, other things will follow later, because we want to win in 2022.The issue of presidential candidate will come at a later stage," Mr Mutula said.
The leaders endorsed a draft manifesto presented to them by the technical committee, but will seek the input of a wider cross section of members in upcoming regional meetings also intended to popularise it.
The manifesto of the alliance is titled “Just, Inclusive and Prosperous Kenya”. The main focus of the OKA strategy includes economic revival, health, education, governance and agriculture.
“We will now move across the country to popularise our manifesto. We want the people to own it and tell us what more needs to be added so as to make it as more inclusive as possible,” said the source.
“We will not only share our primary agenda of hope on the bedrock of an economic liberation, but also demonstrate that in OKA, Kenyans have a unique opportunity to bestow their sovereign power on a responsible and trustworthy leadership,” reads the joint statement.
The alliance, according to the draft plan, will have its first regional county hall meetings in Kakamega County, then proceed to Mombasa, while Nairobi is last in the schedule drawn by the technical committee.
On the OKA logo, the leaders failed to endorse the artwork by the technical team calling for minor corrections in the next five days.
The Nation learnt that the activities planned by the alliance are meant to publicly show that they are implementing their agenda even before talks with the ODM leader Raila Odinga on a possible coalition.
“As an alliance that believes in the rule of law, irrespective of the outcome, we wish to restate our resolve to be the leadership committed to seeing a one united Kenya,” they noted in the statement.
The meeting also resolved to have a political caucus both in the National Assembly and the Senate that will be overseeing the work done by the technical committee before being presented to the principals.
The party promised to resuscitate Kenya's economy, advocating for “practical solutions” to the economic challenges the country was grappling with.
By Samwel Owino, Macharia Mwangi and Eric Matara
