Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi during an interview at his office at Kenya Railways Headquarters Nairobi, Nairobi on January 18, 2025.
Whenever a political party folds to join another, a new order is ushered in with obvious casualties.
Just days ago, Amani National Congress (ANC), associated with Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, took the leap of faith and folded its tent to join President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in a merger.
In an interview with the Sunday Nation, Mr Mudavadi, also the Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Cabinet Secretary said: “As the leader of UDA, the ruling party, President William Ruto is now my party leader.”
It’s a decision fraught with risks and sure to provoke reactions in his 2.2 million-strong political bastion of Western Kenya.
When President Daniel arap Moi’s Jogoo (Kanu) swallowed opposition leader Raila Odinga’s National Development Party (NDP) in 2002, it led to an implosion in the then-ruling outfit months later, forcing Mr Odinga to shop for a new party ahead of that year’s General Election.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua now says he regrets joining forces with Dr Ruto as an individual ahead of the 2022 vote instead of forming a party-to-party alliance with the UDA.
His handlers believe that it would have been almost impossible to unseat Mr Gachagua if he were dealing with the President as a co-party leader.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary’s twin political brother and National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetang’ula, is said to be reluctant to go that route with his Ford Kenya party.
Mr Wetang’ula does not want to throw caution to the wind, his handlers say – a stance that could put him on a collision course with the president’s men.
However, Mr Mudavadi disagrees with this idea.
“I give a lot of thought to the decisions I make. I take a long-term view. Let us break away from the notion that you must own a party for you to be able to negotiate. You can negotiate very effectively if you persuade people on your plan,” Mr Mudavadi says.
Former ANC Party Leader Issa Timamy becomes UDA Deputy Leader alongside Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, while ANC former chairman Kelvin Lunani becomes the ruling party’s vice-chairman.
With the ever-changing national political landscape, and Mr Gachagua threatening Dr Ruto’s grip of the Mt Kenya bloc that was instrumental in his 2022 presidential victory, the choice of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance’s running mate in 2027 is up in the air.
It could remain in the Mountain, but there are growing indications to the contrary.
Mr Mudavadi addresses speculation that he is among those angling for the position and that his willingness to fold ANC could be a harbinger.
On the spate of kidnappings, Mr Mudavadi insists that the government will not provide fertile ground for foreigners to destabilise their countries while comfortably living here, a direct admission that Nairobi may have handed over Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye to Kampala when he attended the book launch of Narc Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua in November.
Mr Besigye faces a court martial on charges of sedition against the regime of veteran President Yoweri Museveni.
Four Turks were arrested in Nairobi in October 2024 and flown to their country.
On the myriad challenges facing the government, the Prime Cabinet Secretary says Kenya is in the throes of unprecedented times.
“This administration is in the eye of a storm. We are dealing with a different set-up in terms of communication space – a most enlightened population in the region,” he says.
“No president gets as much criticism in the region as Ruto. We have to find a way of communicating better under these circumstances.”
He says Mr Gachagua’s support in Mt Kenya as being built on quicksand.
For Mr Mudavadi, these people are helping the former deputy president mourn the loss of his seat, and that support will disintegrate soon.
Here are excerpts from the interview, which will also be aired on NTV this evening.
President William Ruto this week met ex-American congressman Mark Deli, a meeting that has generated so much heat, given that this is an ex-convict. Are people meeting President Ruto vetted beforehand?
I was not at that meeting. I would, however, like people to appreciate that it is not unusual for the President to meet different delegations and different people from across the board.
Out of frustrations, Kenyans are writing to international agencies to intervene or expose what they consider the rot in the government. Some are opposed to Raila Odinga’s Africa Union chairperson bid. What do you make of this?
It strikes me as being strange that Kenyans have lost their patriotism. You spend time sending social media messages to various governments on the continent, telling them: “Don’t vote for the Kenyan candidate.” Is it patriotism? Is it jealousy? Is it somebody being petty or is it malice? These are the questions we ask ourselves.
Then there are those who say Kenya has no moral authority to bid for the African Union Commission chairperson position because of what appears to be efforts to claw back the gains of democracy.
First, let me say Kenya is not clawing back on its democratic space. We were elected not too long ago, in October last year, to be on the Human Rights Council for the next three years. So there’s no claw-back. There may be bleeps, there may be concerns, but that does not amount to a claw-back.
There has been a lot of talk and a lot of media reporting that people have been abducted. My position and that of the government is that any arrest or any interrogation should be in accordance with the law.
Kenya was a haven for foreigners. With abductions of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye and Tanzanian journalist Maria Sarungi, that may no longer be the case.
Kenya is a safe haven and it will continue to be so. But we must also accept that Kenya should not also be turned into a platform by anybody, especially those from outside, to become an adversary of friendly nations.
There have been calls by some Kenyans to involve the International Criminal Court (ICC) in what is happening here. Would you agree?
You know, sometimes some issues are emotional.
Some are even calling on the incoming United States president Donald Trump to pile pressure on Nairobi to speed up the formation of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Let us put it in proper perspective. It is not the government of Kenya that is delaying the constitution of the IEBC. You have said that we must also follow the rule of law. Why can’t we allow the courts time to sort out this matter?
Kenyans have gone to court. It is their right to do so. We know there is a concerted effort to attempt and delegitimise the election of 2027 ahead of time. So the idea is to start casting doubt.
Who are behind this plot?
I will speak to them at the right time.
This is the right time
No, I will speak to them at the right time.
Life is very hard for an average Kenyan. What is the government doing to alleviate this?
Do not imagine that we are not aware. There are seasons in politics, which come out of an election – an election where we had to deal with unprecedented debt, we had to deal with drought.
There are serious economic and social decisions which have been made by this government. It will take time, but the results will be there.
What are the chances of Mr Odinga winning the AU Commission Chairman seat?
We have had an extensive lobbying engagement, including at presidential level by Dr Ruto and his peers. I have been engaging foreign ministers and the candidate himself.
Raila has also been robust in moving around the continent. We are hopeful that he will clinch it.
What about reports that Kenya could be courting the Djibouti candidate to bolt out of the AU Commission chairmanship contest in favour of Mr Odinga?
He (Djibouti candidate Mahmoud Ali Youssouf) visited me here some time back. I am one of those people who say, until the deal is done, you have to keep working. The election is in mid-February and we are not going to let our guard down.
How much is the government spending on this campaign?
Wait for it (the amount). It will be tabled in Parliament by the Auditor-General.
We have witnessed the merger of UDA and ANC. Some ANC supporters are saying their party been swallowed.
First, you must remember that I was not the ANC party leader. I ceased being an official and cannot hold any official position in the party.
We had a conversation about elevating our partnership from a coalition. I give a lot of thought to the decisions I make because I always have a long-term perspective. From where I sit, the decisions we talk about are tough, not populist.
Although you have, as a country, extremely complex decisions like those, the unity of parties becomes important. For now, my party leader is William Ruto.
Why take a gamble that many see as denying you the wiggle room in terms of future political negotiations?
I don’t think it does. Let us break away from the notion that it has to be a party for you to be able to negotiate. You can negotiate very effectively if you persuade people on your plan.
Yet we have seen some of your partners in the Kenya Kwanza arrangement reluctant to go that route, a clear example being Moses Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya party. What do they see that you perhaps do not?
It is their democratic right to make that decision.
Does Musalia Mudavadi feel threatened by Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya’s “Tawe” movement?
Tawe slogan is not new. We coined it during the referendum campaigns in 2005. Kenya is a multi-party democracy.
There will be candidates to checkmate all these people talking. I can assure you, some of them will never leave their counties again as they will be fighting for their own political survival.
I’m a politician and we play politics when that time comes.
You have newcomers in the Cabinet the name of broad-based arrangement. These people did not believe in the Kenya Kwanza administration. How will the arrangement work?
Let’s give them time. They have just taken up their roles. Let’s watch. They are also individuals who have to protect their integrity. You don’t take up a job if you don’t have integrity.
Their reputation is at stake. Having taken up the jobs, their reputation is on the line. They, therefore, have to defend and protect it by doing a good job.
Will this be a one-term presidency?
We have three years to an election. Let us wait and see. The voters will judge us on the basis of our track record.
Do you think former DP Rigathi Gachagua will cause an upset in 2027?
It may be honeymoon now. Some people may be riding on sympathy. The sympathy usually wanes after a while. Then reality sets in.
Take a case of bereavement, for instance. For a moment, the village will be around saying: “We are here to mourn with you.”
After that, a year down the line you are not going to come back to them and say you lost your loved one. They will tell you: “My friend, we have to move on.”
Yet a number of Kenya Kwanza politicians are toying with the idea of term extension for the President.
Get it from me, we are not going to amend the Constitution to alter the terms. Both sides of the aisle have people who have stranger than fiction statements. Some can be reckless.
