MONDAY, 04 JULY 2011 00:02 BY ALPHONCE GARI AND MATHEWS NDANYI
PARTNERS: Ruto ,Mwakwere Ganya ,arrive at Kwale Girls for the fundraising ceremony yesterday. Photo/ Elkana Jacob
ELDORET North MP William Ruto was at the weekend negotiating to make Trade Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere his United Democratic Movement (UDM) running mate in next year’s general elections. Sources close to Ruto however said they had not ruled out seeking a running mate from the Meru region. Ruto who was on an extensive tour of Coast province met Mwakwere together with a number of leaders from the Coast province in Mombasa to discuss the deal.
The suspended Higher Education minister held a confidential meeting attended by Mwakwere and Gender and Children Affairs Minister Dr Naomi Shaaban, Malindi mayor Samson Mapunga, council chairmen Mshenga Vunga (Kwale), Anthony Kingi (Kilifi) and Ali Donyo (Tana River) alongside other senior opinion leaders to lure Mwakwere into the UDM fold.
The deal between Ruto and Mwakwere could eclipse former South Mugirango MP Omingo Magara initially slated for the same position. Mwakwere comes into the picture following zigzagging political trend exhibited by Mvita MP Najib Balala who is shuttling between the Ruto and Raila camps leaving doubts over his clear political position.
Ruto has been hunting for a credible political company and has already enlisted former Speaker of the National Assembly Francis ole Kaparo who is set to become the UDM chairman while Magara may become the party’s new secretary general edging out Martin ole Kamwaro who is currently holding the position.
And speaking in Malindi where he accompanied Ruto, Mwakwere hinted that he will be willing to be a running mate in the coming elections.
Mwakwere said he would run for the presidency but could accept the vice presidency for the sake of Coast region and the nation at large. He asked Coast people and leaders to unite to be part of the coalition that will form the next government.
“Next year I am going for the presidency to join the others in the league but will accept the vice presidency if that will be the decision of the people," he said.
Yesterday Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny, a close confidant of Ruto, confirmed that there was an ongoing deal being worked on between Mwakwere and the Eldoret North MP. “The majority of William’s (Ruto) supporters want Mwakwere to run with him. This will effectively lock out the Prime Minister from the Coast,” Kutuny said.
Ruto who has said he wants to rebuild UDM into a vibrant election machine announced he will confidently run for presidency and seek a post-election coalition with like-minded individuals and parties thereafter. “We shall come together in an alliance that shall transform the way this country is governed forever,” Ruto said at Chumani Secondary school in Malindi.
He was accompanied in the trip by 10 MPs among them Cabinet Minister Samuel Poghisio, assistant ministers Kazungu Kambi,(Medical Services), Mahmud Ali (Special Programmes ), Gonzi Rai (Lands) and MPs Cyrus Jirongo (Lugari), David Koech (Mosop), Chacha Ganya (North Horr), Mohamed Hussein Ali (Mandera East), Dr Julius Kones (Konoin), and Ekwe Ethuro (Turkana Central). Kaparo, former Kisauni MP Anania Mwaboza and PNU activist Stanley Livondo were also present.
At the same time a group of professionals associated with Ruto are working on a political strategy that could see UDM sweep votes in the entire Rift Valley in the general elections expected to be held in August next year.
A confidential report prepared by the strategists indicates that he plans to pick not less than three million votes from the Rift Valley region, and an additional 2 million votes from other parts of the country to bag a total of 5 million votes. The strategists say he will be going flat out to ensure that many residents of Rift Valley register as voters ahead of the 2012 polls.
According to Kibet Mutwol who is part of the group working on the plan, Ruto’s presidential drive can no longer be assumed to be lightweight. “We have analyzed the political trends properly and we think it’s possible for him to make it to the top two in the presidential race next year,” said Mutwol.
The group is also working on possibilities of forming post election alliances with other related parties and the role Ruto will play in such alliances.
UDM has planned to hold its national elections for October two months after the grass root elections in August to strengthen the party’s network on the ground.
Yesterday Kamwaro said that the party will pitch tent in all the counties in the Rift Valley before seeking to conquer other regions in a popularity drive to be launched by Ruto. To enhance its national connections, UDM is seeking to enlist Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi, former Foreign Affairs minister Raphael Tuju, former Regional Development minister Mohamud Mohamed and former assistant minister A A A Ekirapa among others.
Ruto yesterday ended his three-day Coast tour with rallies at the south coast where he dismissed his political rival Prime Minister Raila Odinga as having a lot of empty talk.
Ruto said Raila is not development conscious and only talks too much without taking action. “Some people only talk a lot about football and proverbs instead of thinking how this country will eradicate poverty. What miracle will happen to ensure that the proverbs and football commentary will eradicate poverty in Kenya?” said Ruto at Kwale Girls High school where he helped raise money in aid of the school.
Ruto hit out Raila and his ilk, who have publicly paid their taxes, saying they are only after cheap publicity at the expense of serious matters. He said the job of paying taxes should be left to their messengers and clerks. “Your job is to think how Kenya will lift itself from the pangs of hunger and not wasting taxpayers’ money that is used to pay the clerks and messengers who are supposed to do the work for you,” said Ruto. Ruto insisted that millions of Kenyans pay taxes but there are usually no cameras to show that they are paying taxes.
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