Deal they kept away from you

By ATHMAN AMRANODM-Kenya leader Kalonzo Musyoka negotiated for the vice-presidency three months before the 2007 General Election, his closest confidant at the time, former Bahari MP Joe Khamisi, claims.
In a sensational revelation in his book, Politics of Betrayal, launched in Nairobi last Tuesday, the ODM-Kenya first vice-chairman details how he helped Mr Kalonzo wiggle his way to the most important position in the Kenyan leadership hierarchy, after the presidency."
In the book, Khamisi who was among the Vice-President’s top campaign strategists maintains the deal to work with President Kibaki was sealed months before the December 2007 General Election. Claims by Khamisi are bound to attract the ire of ODM-Kenya leadership, which has always maintained it entered into a partnership with the President’s Party of National Unity, only after the controversial December 27, 2007, presidential election.

President Kibaki and VP Kalonzo at a previous State function. [PHOTO: FILE]

Already, ODM-Kenya Secretary-General Mutula Kilonzo maintains he is the one who initiated alliance talks between President Kibaki and Kalonzo after the bungled presidential election. He says he was not aware of any pre-election compromises.
The account on the alleged Kibaki-Kalonzo pre-election pact in the book is titled, ‘Secret Mission to Kibaki’ and is one of the 29 chapters of Khamisi’s 379-page book.
Khamisi writes, as time got closer to the December polls date, Kalonzo sobered up to the fact he was staring defeat in the eye.
Three options were then on the table.
"The first was for ODM-Kenya to negotiate a coalition agreement with Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement. The second was for the party to go it alone, and face defeat. The third option was some form of alliance with Kibaki’s PNU," recalls Khamisi.
Members found option three more plausible and after holding several meetings, including one at Serena Beach Hotel, Mombasa, which was also attended by party chairman, Samuel Poghisio, the objective being to work out a mutually agreeable pact with Kibaki to secure Kalonzo’s place in government, was agreed upon.
State House Mombasa was chosen as the venue as State House Nairobi was viewed to be "too open", and what goes on there more likely to leak.
Sanctioned every detail"It was then that we informed Kalonzo of our mission, and he sanctioned every detail of it," says Mr Khamisi.
The ODM-Kenya leader had reportedly warned he would disown the mission if it leaked to the Press.
According to Khamisi’s book, the politician alongside two top ODM-Kenya officials proceeded to State House, Mombasa, in September 2007, to "cut a deal" with a view to ensuring Kalonzo got the Vice-President’s slot in exchange for his support in keeping Raila out of the presidency.
The ODM-Kenya trio was reportedly ushered into State House by Kibaki’s Strategic Policy Advisor at the time, Stanley Murage. Mr Murage has since left State House.
Khamisi dedicates nearly two pages to vivid description of the presidential lounge, and its ambience. He sat to the right of the President, with then Kangundo parliamentary seat aspirant, Johnstone Muthama.
"Never before had private individuals been given opportunity to intercede with the President to have an expected presidential election loser considered for the second most powerful post," writes Khamisi.
The former MP says they arrived at State House, Mombasa, on a Sunday at 8.10 pm, after a flight from Nairobi.
Khamisi said to the President: "Your Excellency, as you have been informed, we are here on behalf of a fellow presidential candidate, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka. We have his mandate to meet you to discuss possibilities of you two working together."
Khamisi said he told the President that things do not look too good for either him (Kibaki) or Kalonzo, and if he wanted to continue leading the country and for Kalonzo to survive politically, the two must come together for mutual interest.
Then Kalonzo’s close associate (Muthama), now Kangundo MP, reportedly told the President: "Your Excellency, our main concern is what will happen to you, and to Kalonzo if Raila wins. I know for a fact that Kalonzo is ready to work with you, so if you are ready to work with him, then ODM-Kenya would be willing to support you against Raila."

Tauthor of 'Politics of Betrayal' [PHOTO: FILE]

Specific proposalKibaki then asked: "What do you have in mind? Do you have any specific proposal?"
"Yes, we have a specific proposal, Your Excellency: If you allow it, we want Kalonzo to be your Vice-President," Muthama reportedly told the President, who had brightened up to the idea.
Khamisi claims Kibaki said, "If that is what you want, then it’s granted. I accept your proposal."
Kibaki wanted a complete merger between the PNU and ODM-Kenya and further suggested a one-on-one meeting with Kalonzo, the next Wednesday, after the State House, Mombasa, meeting. That meeting, however, did not take place, according to Khamisi’s account.
Contacted for comment, Philip Kaloki, then aspirant for Kibwezi parliamentary seat and a member of the Khamisi-led campaign panel that included Muthama, concedes they had then other strategies to ensure the party stayed relevant.
"One of the options was to stick together with Raila Odinga. But when Raila and Kalonzo split up, chances of the two camps working together diminished. As strategists and people supporting Kalonzo we looked at other options. We wanted the party to stay relevant," Kaloki said.
Presidential campaignsAsked whether they met with President Kibaki, Prof Kaloki was guarded, only mentioning, "We met with a lot of leaders then." And the MP praises Khamisi, who he says greatly assisted Kalonzo in the presidential campaigns and in many other ways.
"He has done a lot of things to strengthen the party. He has done everything he could for the Vice-President to be President. If such efforts, including pleading Kalonzo’s case with the President, then that was within his mandate," Kaloki said.
However Poghisio termed Khamisi’s claims as "a lot of lies".
"We started talking with PNU later after the elections," Poghisio said, arguing ODM-Kenya was in the race to win.
"There should be nothing sinister about the Kibaki-Kalonzo pact. If anything, the margin between ODM and PNU was narrow, and if we add the 800,000-plus votes ODM-Kenya candidate got to PNU’s, that shifts the balance in favour of national stability," Mutula added.