Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance to deposit pre-election deal today
From left: Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetangula, ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi and Deputy President William Ruto at Kasarani Sports Centre in Nairobi on March 15, 2022 during UDA National Delegates Conference.
Deputy President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance plans to deposit a pre-election coalition agreement with the Registrar of Political Parties today, even as more details of the power sharing deal emerge.
The Nation has established that DP Ruto of United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Amani National Congress (ANC) boss Musalia Mudavadi and Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula signed a separate pact alliance pioneers, which guarantees ANC and Ford Kenya a 30 per cent share of government.
County seats
The other parties, Nation has gathered, will get rewarded based on their performance in the August General Election, including the number of parliamentary and county seats won.
“There is an agreement between the pioneers of Kenya Kwanza Alliance, which gives us (ANC and Ford Kenya) 30 per cent of the government. This is not pegged on the number of votes we’ll get in the August General Election. We don’t have the issue of zoning but there are some areas where UDA produces governor and we give them deputy and vice versa,” ANC secretary-general Simon Gikuru said.
Having chosen not to form a coalition political party like Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition, the DP’s Kenya Kwanza legally have until end of today, May 9, to deposit a coalition agreement if he intends to go into the election as a coalition.
The KKA power sharing revelation is coming just days after the ANC leader, while in Vihiga, disclosed that the 30 per cent deal would apply to government positions in the Executive, the Judiciary and Parliament.
This, he said, would see the Luhya community get 30 per cent of the 22 cabinet slots, 30 per cent of judicial appointments as well as 30 per cent of ambassadorial positions.
The deal, he added, also covered appointments in all state agencies.
This also means that if ANC and Ford Kenya get 30 per cent of the government, the other 10 parties in the alliance will have to share out the remaining 70 per cent.
The parties are likely to increase before today’s deadline for depositing pre-election coalition of parties.
But while in Bungoma on Saturday, the DP revealed that KKA will share the government equally among the parties within.
“We’ve agreed as Kenya Kwanza Alliance that this government will not belong to William Ruto. This government will be for all the members of KKA. We’ve also agreed that we will share this government equally,” the DP said.
Yesterday, DP Ruto’s director-general of presidential campaigns Josphat Nanok also told the Nation that they have agreed that there will be no zoning while noting that as at the end of Sunday, the alliance had only 12 parties.
“We’re optimistic that a few others might join before we file the agreement with the Registrar of Political Parties tomorrow (today),”he said.
Mr Nanok added: “A day in politics is enough for many things to take place, therefore, let Kenyans wait for tomorrow (today). There is no zoning and there’s nowhere we’ve indicated that it will take place.”
The alliance brings together UDA, ANC, Ford Kenya, Justin Muturi’s Democratic Party, Moses Kuria’s Chama Cha Kazi, the Communist Party of Kenya, Mwangi Kiunjuri’s The Service Party, William Kabogo’s Tujibebe Party, the Farmers Party, Devolution Party of Kenya, Economic Freedom Party and Embu governor Martin Wambora’s Umoja na Maendeleo Party.
An agreement signed with various parties that formed the alliance mid last month shows that it ties the fortunes of small parties to the number of seats in the Senate, National Assembly, Council of Governors (CoG) and county assemblies.
Similarly, the funds the coalition will get from the exchequer through the office of Registrar of Political Parties will be shared based on the numerical strength of the affiliate parties of the KKA.
Isaac Ruto’s Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) is also set to sign a pact with UDA on a “no zoning” condition, expecting any portion of the government in case they succeed in trouncing Azimio a Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party of Raila Odinga in the August 9 polls.
Official signing
“As CCM, we’ve done our part of agreement with UDA and submitted it to both Veronica Maina and Johnstone Muthama. We’re currently waiting for them to inform us when the official signing can take place,” CCM secretary-general Albert Kochei said.
But even as he criss-crosses the country promoting his bottom-up economic approach, the DP is faced with the reality within the KKA pertaining to dishing out positions to leaders so as to have them work together.
Democratic Party national chairman Esau Kioni yesterday told the Nation that they are cognisant of the need to discuss power sharing in their alliance, but they want to win elections first.
“Discussions on positions in our alliance is not a one-time thing. Negotiations are still ongoing but our main focus now is on consensus and winning elections. Issues of who will take what will be a bit later when we have formed the government,” Mr Kioni said.
