By Nation Reporter
Posted Friday, March 18 2011 at 22:00
Posted Friday, March 18 2011 at 22:00
Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta believed President Kibaki was a dishonest, non-reformist and tribal leader, according to whistleblower website WikiLeaks.
In two meetings with American diplomats in 2006, the then opposition leader was suspicious of Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s political agenda ahead of the 2007 General Election.
He also believed the massive influence retired President Moi used to command was fast fading even in Rift Valley.
“Kenyatta said he has seen the famous ‘MoU’ signed by the coalition of parties that ran against him as Narc in 2002. It demonstrates that Kibaki went back on his word,” the cable says.
It adds: “A coalition voted out “terrible Kanu,” “but immediately the head of the coalition (Kibaki) began acting as if he had been elected as a stand-alone candidate.”
Mr Kenyatta also claimed that President Kibaki declined to review the constitution for expediency.
“Kibaki once in power decided there was no need to change the ‘strong Presidency’ features of the Constitution he had campaigned against. Then, seeing that he had lost his Parliamentary majority, he did what even Moi never did, “poaching” members of other parties to be part of his government,” Mr Kenyatta reportedly told the Americans, alluding to the inclusion of one of the 2002 presidential candidates Simeon Nyachae and his allies in the cabinet after the 2005 referendum.
“Kibaki was given a golden opportunity in 2002 to bring Kenyans together and take the country to the next level. He squandered that opportunity and now we are at a worse state of affairs than we were prior to 2002, especially as regards entrenched ethnic sentiments,” he went on.
Mr Kenyatta wondered why Mr Odinga was “pushing hard” existing political parties to dissolve into a coalition to run against President Kibaki.
“When Odinga keeps pushing for the dissolution of parties, with no clear reason, the question has to be put to him: what’s your real agenda?”
On whether Mr Odinga would seek the presidency in 2007, he said: “Raila Odinga is about 62, so this is his last real chance, and he will try with every ounce of his strength to become president of Kenya.
He will push right up to the moment when he sees he simply can’t make it. If that moment comes, as a pragmatist, he will look around and say, “let’s cut a deal.”’
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment