Kalonzo 'rented crowds' to show he was popular

By David OchamiThe ‘miracle’ crowd that attended the launch of Kalonzo Musyoka’s presidential bid at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, in October 2007 was contrived, according a former aide in a new book.
Mr Joe Khamisi, in the book The Politics of Betrayal discloses the inside politics of Kalonzo’s presidential bid, arguing the crowds involved rural people brought to Nairobi to give an impression he (Kalonzo) was popular.
This was after opinion polls showed his bid was doomed.
The author claims the Vice-President described in the book as "stuck in the Kanu days" rented the crowd with the support from allied MPs.

ODM-Kenya presidential contender Kalonzo Musyoka is said to have stared defeat in the face months to the 2007 General Election. Photo: File/Standard

Anti-MuslimAnd the author, who has since said he lost his bid for re-election in Bahari for associating with Kalonzo, discloses that besides shortages of money for campaigns, the future VP was plagued by rumours he was anti-Muslim, claims he did little to dispel.
"Through out his political career, Kalonzo portrayed himself as an ultra-conservative born-again Christian and shunned any situation that would seem to be questioning his Christian faith," says Khamisi.
He says Kalonzo’s campaign entourage included Israeli security and campaign strategists brought in as early as 2006.
"The Israelis, I came to know later, were loaned to Kalonzo by an unnamed friend...," says Khamisi, who further discloses that following an unsuccessful bid to entice Muslims, a scholar from the faith declared he "failed the test" and was not "a religious moderate" who could work with these adherents.
The former MP argues in his book that Kalonzo often came down with frustration and "foul mood" without focus as his campaign flagged from a combination of lack of money, low opinion rating and inability to attract serious politicians to his banner.
He was reluctant to name former nominated MP Julia Ojiambo as his running mate despite prior promises that he would do so.
Going nowhere"No serious politician of substance wanted to play second fiddle to Kalonzo," says the author, who adds that even Kamba professionals thought in 2007 that the candidate’s campaign was "going nowhere" even as Kalonzo struggled to contain an onslaught from rivals Charity Ngilu and Harun Mwau.
Khamisi writes that Kalonzo unsuccessfully tried to bring former Baringo Central MP Gideon Moi to attend the ‘miracle’ rally to support his presidential bid with money "which Kalonzo badly needed".
As he pondered his options, he received enticements from President Kibaki’s campaign, according to the writer, who suggests Kalonzo received financial donations from foreign friends, including those made when he studied in Europe.