Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta. PHOTO/ FILE
By OLIVER MATHENGE, omathenge@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Saturday, July 16 2011 at 20:07
Posted Saturday, July 16 2011 at 20:07
Perceived as the heir of President Kibaki’s political clout in Central Kenya, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta faces a daunting task in fighting accusations of involvement in the 2007/8 post-election violence as he prepares for next year’s elections.
He is among the six individuals facing allegations of crimes against humanity at The Hague as the alleged key perpetrators of the post-election violence.
If the Pre-Trial Chamber judges send the case against him to trial, the Finance minister’s career in politics may suffer a blow with the hearings likely to kick off mid next year.
This is the same period that the next General Election in which Mr Kenyatta wants to run for the country’s top office will be held.
Mr Kenyatta has been a key player in the Kibaki succession politics and has stayed ahead of his main rivals from the central Kenya region including Internal Security minister George Saitoti, former Justice minister Martha Karua and assistant minister for Planning Peter Kenneth in opinion polls.
Sources within Mr Kenyatta’s strategy team have confided to the Sunday Nation that the quest for a suitable running mate, getting the right political party and securing enough county support are the current headaches that he is facing.
One source said there is a common agreement that Mr Kenyatta should rebrand himself and seek to use a new political vehicle.
The option of using Kanu or the PNU Alliance appears to be a liability, according his strategists.
Currently, the team has embarked on a strategy to sell the brand as “Team Uhuru” and kicked off this on online social networks — Twitter and Facebook — and are currently putting together a website.
But the major headache for the DPM and his team is getting the suitable running mate. One of the reasons is that he will be seeking to be president just after the second term of another Kikuyu presidency.
There is also mistrust between his supporters and those of Mr Ruto despite them appearing to work together and having the largest combined vote basket. Mr Ruto has already said he will be running for president and will not be anyone’s deputy.
An opinion poll held earlier this year by Synovate showed that 63 per cent of Mr Ruto’s supporters would prefer Mr Kenyatta as his running mate.
Another 14 per cent of Mr Kenyatta’s supporters prefer that he chooses anyone else other than those who have declared interest in the presidency as running mate.
Only 13 per cent and 6 per cent respectively think that Mr Kenyatta should settle for Ms Karua or Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa respectively as the running mate.
But according to his spokesman, Mr Munyori Buku, Mr Kenyatta plans to be in the 2012 political ballot if he manages to beat his colleagues in the primaries. He added that his boss is capable of capturing 25 per cent of the votes in 26 counties — two above the required 24.
“This is due to his support in central Kenya, the diaspora in Rift Valley, Narobi and networks in upper and northern Eastern regions. Campaigns in other areas could yield more counties,” said Mr Buku.
Mr Kenyatta, who ran for president in 2002, is facing what some critics say may be the toughest moment in his political career.
Other than the ICC, the DPM faces several critical issues that he needs to shake off in order to clearly concentrate on next year’s political contest. He is involved in leadership wrangles in his party, Kanu, where he is the national chairman, against a group led by his deputy and former Baringo Central MP Gideon Moi.
Mr Kenyatta suggested that he was not in a hurry to name a running mate.
“In the book of Ecclesiastes 1:1-8 the Bible says that there is a time for everything. The time to pick a running mate will come,” he said.
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