Friday, March 4, 2011

Kibaki, Uhuru promised Kalonzo support in 2012 polls — Wikileaks

E-mail Print PDF
Share/Save/Bookmark

US Embassy in Nairobi told Washington that Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka accepted the post of VP at the height of the post-election violence because President Kibaki and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta promised to support his presidential candidature in 2012.

“Musyoka confided, as is generally believed, that as quid pro quo for his accepting the vice presidency position, Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta agreed to support Musyoka as candidate for presidency in 2012,” US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger says in a confidential cable released by Wikileaks.

Ranneberger in a cable dated January 22, 2008 also wrote that Kalonzo confided in him that he did not want Prime Minister Raila Odinga to join the coalition government saying he should serve as the leader of the opposition in Parliament.

Ranneberger said he met Kalonzo 10 days after Kibaki named the first half of his Cabinet where the VP allegedly argued that he did not want Raila to join the government.

“Perhaps reflecting the reality that he does not want Odinga brought into the government, Musyoka argued that Odinga should remain outside of government as leader of the opposition in Parliament,” the envoy added.

Kibaki named his half cabinet of 17 ministers on January 9, 2008. Many parts of the country at that time were experiencing violence pitting members of different communities.

Ranneberger says he advised Kalonzo against supporting the half government formed by President Kibaki warning that it could destroy his political career.

“On January 20, I met with Vice President Musyoka. During a one and a half hour discussion, I made clear to Musyoka that we expect him to use his leverage within the government to support a political solution,” Ranneberger wrote.

“I reviewed US policy at length and told Musyoka that he will destroy his political future if he participates in a government that is not broad-based and seen as reflecting the will of the Kenyan people. Therefore, it is his interest to work for a political solution,” the envoy added.

Ranneberger added that during the meeting, Kalonzo said he was willing to see a political solution to the crisis and that President Kibaki was ready to meet one on one with Prime Minister Raila Odinga in presence of Kofi Annan.

“Musyoka tried to take credit for mobilizing government efforts to promote dialogue. He claimed that he and (deputy Prime Minister) Uhuru Kenyatta went to Kibaki, telling Kibaki that he is isolated and that the government needed to develop a strategy to demonstrate commitment to dialogue,” said the ambassador.

No comments:

Post a Comment