THE G7 political group is discussing the possibility of fielding former Speaker of the National Assembly Francis Ole Kaparo as a compromise presidential candidate in next year’s polls.
The former Laikipia East MP could become compromise candidate especially if Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Eldoret North MP William Ruto, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa fail to agree on who will be the flag bearer.
An additional possibility is that charges of crimes against humanity could be confirmed against Uhuru and Ruto in September which would rule them out of the 2012 election even if they had not yet gone on trial at the International Criminal Court. "The reason Kaparo accepted to be UDM chairman is because he has been promised that he will be the compromise candidate for the G7," said a Cabinet minister close to Ruto.
An internal coup by Ruto supporters last November took over the UDM party and replaced Gen John Koech as chairman with Kaparo. However, the final outcome is still in the balance as Koech is challenging the takeover in the Political Parties Tribunal. Ruto reportedly negotiated with Kaparo to join the new G7 alliance. The former Speaker has already accepted to contest the presidency if necessary. Kaparo was a highly respected Speaker of the National Assembly.
His eloquence and grasp of standing orders was so remarkable that he seldom referred to the small grey book that contains House rules commonly referred to as Standing Orders in parliament. Kaparo was first elected the Speaker in 1993, was re-elected in 1998 and 2003, but lost in 2008 to Kenneth Marende.
G7 members are still considering all political possibilities as they do not want to be caught off guard in 2012, according to a Ruto confidant. “One key issue of concern is the issue of the ICC cases which affect two of our key members. The September confirmation hearings will determine the actual way forward in our plan”, said an MP allied to Ruto.
Former Nominated MP Mark Too, a close ally of Ruto, refused to comment on the plan but said their strategy was workable. He insisted that Ruto would still be a presidential candidate.
Keiyo South MP Jackson Kiptanui, also close to Ruto, said it was too early to talk about 2012 but politicians were free to organize themselves as they wish. “We will cross the bridge when that time comes. For now there are so many issues we are dealing with as leaders”, said Kiptanui.
The G7 group brings together Ruto, Uhuru, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa and minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere among others. Ruto has been meeting leaders in almost all regions as part of the G7 campaign. He has just visited the Coast region and held meetings with MPs in Western Province over the 2012 election plans.
Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo is a key strategist in the group which sees Prime Minister Raila Odinga as its the key opponent. Most G7 members favour a plan where they all contest the presidency to force a run-off between one of them and Raila. The Ruto faction has also stayed put in ODM as a disruptive force despite switching their support to UDM.
ODM chairman Henry Kosgey, now a Ruto supporter, has reportedly refused to resign and hand over crucial party documents. “He is being used by the Ruto group to hold ODM at ransom and we will not allow that. If it’s true that they are not interested in ODM, why can’t they quit and allow us to carry on as they do their own things?” said assistant Education minister Ayiecho Olweny. He said ODM’s decision to remove rebel councillors was in line with the party constitution.
Yesterday, about 33 civic leaders from North Rift challenged Ruto and his allies to quit ODM and pursue their political careers in UDM. The civic leaders said that Ruto and his allies had already declared their interest in UDM and it was time to officially decamp.
Yesterday ousted UDM chairman John Koech moved to court to challenge the takeover by Ruto. Koech wants Ruto stopped from presenting himself as the UDM party leader. Koech in an urgent application filed at the High Court in Nairobi sued 27 members of the UDM National Executive committee. He named as respondents Ruto and the Registrar of Political Parties.
Koech's case before the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal was stopped by a High Court order obtained by the Ruto faction recently. Koech is asking the court to restrain Ruto and the executive committee from replacing current UDM officials.
He complains that Ruto moved into the party under unclear circumstances and has been campaigning nationally for UDM while still affiliated to ODM. He said Ruto and his supporters cannot be members of UDM while at the same time being members of ODM. The Registrar of Political Parties is accused of taking sides with the Ruto faction that replaced Koech as UDM chairman.
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