Politicians in the One Kenya Alliance held a consultative meeting on Wednesday amid uncertainty on the coalition’s working relationship with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The coalition’s principals Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Musalia Mudavadi (Amani National Congress), Moses Wetang’ula (Ford Kenya) and Gideon Moi of Kanu met in Karen, Nairobi, alongside close allies, and discussed the possibility of going into the 2022 polls as a team.
“We met a section of elected leaders from our respective parties and discussed ways of strengthening our union in readiness for the next election,” Mr Musyoka said.
The meeting was attended by Nambale MP Sakwa Bunyasi (ANC), Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr (Wiper vice-chairman), Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua (Wiper), Johnson Sakaja of Nairobi (Jubilee, but allied to ANC) and Fafi MP Abdikarim Osman Mohammed (Kanu).
“We shall continue to forge solid partnerships with leaders who share our vision of a united and prosperous nation, where our people have equal opportunity to thrive in their economic and social endeavours,” said Mr Moi, who has lately warmed up to ODM leader Raila Odinga.
While the leaders in the alliance have maintained their alliance will produce the next President, insiders revealed they were in a tight spot with regard to their ties with President Kenyatta, who is already drawing a coalition arrangement with Mr Odinga.
Mr Musyoka, Mr Mudavadi and Mr Wetang’ula have lately had a frosty relationship with Mr Odinga, their National Super Alliance (Nasa) co-principal, over their 2017 coalition pact.
However, they have clarified that they support President Kenyatta, whom they hope will anoint one of their own as his possible successor.
The elephant in the room, sources privy to the coalition’s plans told the Nation, remains how to continue working with President Kenyatta while at the same time isolating Mr Odinga, who is the President’s ‘Handshake’ partner and enjoys wide support across the country.
“The plot is thickening. You will see coalitions within coalitions soon. We are hopeful we shall have a formidable force and it will include both the President and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga,” said Tiaty MP William Kamket, an ally of Mr Moi.
Mr Mudavadi said the One Kenya Alliance Conversation and other activities are focused on bringing all Kenyans together on a platform of trust and economic rejuvenation.
“We are cognisant of the fact that at the end of the day, Kenyans will choose a leader they can trust to guarantee them and their children a solid future through an administration that belongs to them,” the ANC leader said.
He noted the alliance aims at rallying like-minded leaders and Kenyans behind the agenda of uniting Kenya and resuscitating the economy.
“With talk of emerging alliances and formations, trust, honesty, political integrity and respect for the rule of law remain at the centre of this emerging conversation,” added Mr Mudavadi.
Last week, Mr Odinga’s ODM extended an olive branch to their estranged Nasa partners – Wiper, ANC and Ford Kenya – with the party’s chairman John Mbadi maintaining they cannot wish away their influence.
“We cannot underestimate the support that other Nasa principals have in different regions. Kalonzo for example has more support in Ukambani and so does Mudavadi in Western. We have to incorporate them in our team for us to win,” Mr Mbadi said.
Yesterday, an MP in the One Kenya Alliance told the Nation there was no way they could spell out conditions on working with Mr Odinga while still supporting President Kenyatta.
“We must remain united. The one Kenya Alliance must be put together and that force must then work with His Excellency the President and the former Prime Minister. We cannot give room for (Deputy President) Ruto to get a partner from this team,” said the Kanu MP.
It is not clear the kind of arrangement the One Kenya Alliance brigade is working on with Jubilee since coalitions are formed at the party level.
Should they want to engage Jubilee as One Kenya Alliance, then they must dissolve the individual parties and merge into a new outfit as per the law.
The team has, however, ruled out any plans to dissolve their individual parties, meaning that for any engagement with other parties, they must do so as individual outfits.
Article 8.1 of the Political Parties Act states that “a coalition means an alliance of two or more political parties formed for the purpose of pursuing a common goal and is governed by a written agreement deposited with the Registrar (S.2, PPA 2011)”.
“Coalitions enable constituent political parties to pursue a common goal…and are different from mergers in that parties in spite of their cooperation remain independently identifiable legal entities with their own leadership, constitutions and members.”
ANC deputy party leader Ayub Savula said President Kenyatta has already shown interest in the One Kenya Alliance brigade as well as Mr Odinga and “that’s why he has been hosting all of them at State House”.
“We shall agree on one broader coalition that will bring all these leaders together, including the President and Tinga (Mr Odinga). We are cognisant of the fact that we cannot belong in two coalitions and that’s why we want to form a bigger team,” Mr Savula said.
At the moment, Kanu has a post-election coalition with Jubilee Party, which has also inked a cooperation agreement with Wiper.
