Former Kanu Bigwigs

President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga plan to take the battle against those opposed to the Proposed Constitution to the grassroots.

They are also hoping to ride on the crest of who-is-who in Kenya’s political arena to the finish line. To this end, they showcased the new face of ‘Yes’, which borrows heavily from the Cabinet and the top hierarchy of parliamentary parties.

It starts with the President himself and his principal assistant Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, as well as the PM and his two deputies — Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, who is the Kanu chairman, and Mr Musalia Mudavadi, who is one of Raila’s deputies in Orange Democratic Movement.

As if to cement the political deal reached and cultivate a better working relationship among them, the President later hosted the entire team for lunch at State House.
Unlike in the past when both Kibaki and Raila have briefed the nation after a meeting of this magnitude, on Tuesday the President stepped aside and let the PM to do the talking.

It was a reunion of the key players in the pro-reform movement in the 1990s to 2002, when Kenya struggled with multiparty elections. They included Cabinet ministers Mrs Charity Ngilu, Mr James Orengo, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o and Mr Musikari Kombo. Also present were former Kanu bigwigs who joined the reform bandwagon at the last minute, led by Kalonzo, Prof George Saitoti, Mudavadi and Kanu’s 2002 candidate Uhuru.

Galvanise parties

To set the ball rolling, the two principals called for a ‘Yes’ launch rally at Uhuru Park on Saturday, outside the official campaign period. They invited Kenyans for a ‘Yes’ chant on the historic grounds the Church and the ‘No’ political wing used last week to roll out their campaign against the Proposed Constitution.

As if to symbolise Kenya’s healing process, Kibaki and Raila chose to meet and galvanise political party chiefs behind the ‘Yes’ campaign at Kenyatta International Conference Centre. The KICC served as the base for tallying of votes by the disgraced and disbanded Electoral Commission in 2007’s disputed presidential election, which was followed by weeks of bloodletting.

In another wing of the iconic skyscraper named after the first president, the Committee of Experts simultaneously launched the national civic education exercise on the Proposed Constitution, with focus on the controversial clauses fueling resistance by the Church and some politicians.

Elsewhere in town, ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo met religious and civic groups to gather evidence for his case against post-elections violence suspects.

The ‘Yes’ strategy appeared to be marshalling of all the political units under the Grand Coalition right up to the locational or civic wards, across the country. In this light, the two principals will also host 4,500 civic leaders at State House Nairobi on Friday to plan how the campaign will be co-ordinated from village to village.

"The argument is political parties and civic leaders will easily rally support for the constitution in areas where they command a strong following," said an MP who attended yesterday’s meeting.

That is the reason why Kibaki and Raila managed to bring together 23 political party leaders, most of them PNU partners in the Grand Coalition Government.

‘No’ campaign

Events were unfolding by the hour on a day when 25 Catholic Church bishops also met and announced their programme for the ‘No’ campaign. But Higher Education minister William Ruto, who is leading the ‘No’ team, will also meet civic leaders from Rift Valley on Thursday in Eldoret. Ruto, some Rift Valley MPs and a group of mainstream churches are vigorously campaigning against the Proposed Constitution, albeit for different reasons.

Narc Kenya Chairperson Martha Karua explained her party’s absence from the meeting saying whereas it was on the ‘Yes’ side, it was not an affiliate of PNU.

"Narc Kenya is not part of the coalition government," she said. "We have stated this over and over again. As a political party, we are an opposition party." Karua said both PNU and ODM were their competitors and, as such, the two coalition partners cannot choose when to collaborate with them or not.

Kanu Secretary General Nick Salat sat briefly in the meeting before walking out. "I went there to listen to what they had to say but I soon realised that it was a meeting called for ‘Yes’ proponents. That is why I walked out, because Kanu is in the ‘No’ camp," said Salat. He, however, did not explain why Kanu chairman Uhuru Kenyatta remained in the meeting.

Catholic bishops met and released a statement informing Kenyans that they would relentlessly campaign against the draft.

"We repeat our advice to the people of Kenya to reject this proposed constitution. It is not good for the country," was the tough message from top-ranking Catholic cleric John Cardinal Njue. "We don’t have to call for rallies. We have adequate infrastructure that will take our message to all Kenyans of goodwill."

Sandwiched between Kibaki and Kalonzo, Raila stated that the ‘Yes’ team was now raring to go and will be reaching out to the ‘No’ camp in a bid to win their support. He announced that the political party leaders would form a joint secretariat that will coordinate and oversee civic education and campaigns for the ‘Yes’ team.

He pointed out that whereas they appreciated the right of others to hold divergent views on the constitution, they resolved to mount a major civic education campaign countrywide that will complement education by the Committee of Experts. "The ‘Yes’ side will continue to persuade all those saying ‘No’ in post-referendum activities because the unity of the country must remain paramount," he added.

"It is a new dawn for the country to see the President, the Prime Minister and the Vice President urging Kenyans to give themselves a gift of a new constitution," Kombo said after the meeting.

Narc Chairperson Charity Ngilu said the issues agreed on at the meeting were the position of those in support of the proposed document. "We shall have a joint secretariat that will give a clear roadmap for Kenyans to know what the document is all about because this is not a party katiba but a Wanjiku katiba," she added.

Among party leaders who attended the meeting were Mr Soita Shitanda and Bonny Khalwale (New Ford Kenya), Mr Abdikadir Mohammed (Safina) and Gonzi Rai (Ford People).