Photo/FILE President Mwai Kibaki and PNU leaders after a past meeting.
By OLIVER MATHENGE omathenge@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Saturday, January 7 2012 at 21:39
Posted Saturday, January 7 2012 at 21:39
Intense jostling and bare-knuckled political fights are at the heart of attempts by President Kibaki’s political lieutenants and key supporters to inherit his mantle when he exits State House.
Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and Internal Security minister Prof George Saitoti are seeking a pact which they hope will see one of them block Prime Minister Raila Odinga from becoming president.
Also in their team are MPs William Ruto and Eugene Wamalwa, who are in for good political measure and who also hope to benefit from the loosely defined political alliance called G7.
PNU secretary-general Kiraitu Murungi, seen as the convener of the informal arrangement, has told the Sunday Nation that the PNU Alliance Party will on Sunday make the announcement on how the drive to recruit members will be conducted ahead of Tuesday’s launch.
On Monday, MPs allied to the alliance will meet in Nairobi to finalise the modalities of the launch.
The Energy minister exuded confidence that the three main PNU players would remain in one basket.
“I have talked to the three (Mr Kenyatta, Mr Musyoka and Prof Saitoti), and they have assured me that they are fully in the alliance despite being in their own parties,” the minister said.
He said the PNU Alliance Party was recruiting its own members to comply with the Political Parties Act.
He explained that the players in the alliance will then hold joint nominations and have their candidates run under the PNU Alliance Party banner.
“A candidate from one party like PNU will not agree to run on a Kanu ticket and vice-versa, even when they are assured that they have been democratically nominated.
“The pact is that we will have them as PNU Alliance Party candidates in the elections, and we are sure we will carry the day,” Mr Murungi said.
But questions are bound to arise whether affiliate parties will agree to allow their candidates to run on a different ticket and forfeit control of parliamentary business as well as their share of political party funds.
The party or coalition of parties with the majority of members in Parliament will take up the second-most important position in the House – Leader of Majority Party.
Mr Murungi said the major competitors to the PNU Alliance Party are Mr Odinga’s ODM and Mr Ruto’s UDM.
His remarks confirm a strategy by the G7 alliance that brings on board Mr Ruto, Mr Wamalwa and Trade minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere to have two strong presidential candidates to ensure that Mr Odinga does not get to the likely runoff.
The plan involves ensuring that the G7 group takes the presidency and deputy and leader of majority party.
Party launch
Last Thursday, Kanu’s national executive council said it would not be at the PNU Alliance Party launch because it was not “formally” part of it, creating doubt whether the chairman, Mr Kenyatta, was committed to the new grouping. (READ: Uhuru and Saitoti pull out of launch)
He said the best alternative was to have joint nominations to ensure that all their supporters have a say in who they wish to be the flagbearer.
“Let us have a way in which we can have free, fair and transparent nominations. Let people, through that nomination process, pick a candidate.
“Let us support that candidate who shall be chosen. Be it myself or anybody else who is part of that common agenda of this country and the rest of us can play any other role,” Mr Kenyatta said in a recent interview.
Mr Murungi said the protocol signed by the three party leaders does not provide for the dissolution of the affiliate parties.
He, however, blames the perception that the trio are not committed to the pact on those around them.
“We have done this before. There was a lot of scepticism before we put together Narc in 2002. It will be a tedious exercise, but we have to be patient,” Mr Murungi said.“The major problem is their henchmen whose political future hangs on them being the presidential nominees for the party.
It is still not clear whether Mr Kenyatta and Prof Saitoti will be at the launch of the recruitment drive, but the Vice-President’s spokesman Kaplich Barsito said Mr Musyoka would attend.
Mr Kenyatta left the country last Friday for South Africa at the invitation of the African National Congress for its centenary celebrations that run through on Monday.
Prof Saitoti was scheduled to be in Mombasa for a recruitment drive for his PNU party, but sources told the Sunday Nation that the event in the coastal town had been postponed.
All the players in the G7 alliance have promised their supporters that they will work together in the upcoming elections in a bid to lock out Mr Odinga out of the presidency.
But they have retreated to strengthen their own parties before coming together as a single unit.
“You have seen Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka strengthening his Wiper party and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru (Kenyatta) has gone to Naivasha to do the same with Kanu. What is wrong with me strengthening UDM?” Mr Ruto asked last Wednesday.
Each of the G7 Alliance players appears keen on ensuring he has an edge over the others when they start proper negotiations for an alliance.
The Elections Act allows parties to form coalitions either ahead of elections or afterwards.
The Elections Act allows parties to form coalitions either ahead of elections or afterwards.
Coalition agreement
“Once all the parties are properly constituted according to the law, we will then come together and draw up a coalition agreement,” Mr Murungi said.
Mr Ruto, Mr Kenyatta, Mr Musyoka and Prof Saitoti, while not ruling out the need to hold joint nominations, have all declared that their respective parties would be going into the elections as individual entities.
The four, who have declared an interest in running for the presidency, are already running individual secretariats and teams that are preparing their campaigns.
But while Mr Kenyatta, Mr Musyoka and Prof Saitoti insist they are working together, they appear to have a lot of mistrust ahead of their planned joint nominations.
Last week, Mr Musyoka and Prof Saitoti have separately visited central Kenya without Mr Kenyatta. Earlier this week, Mr Musyoka unveiled his presidential campaign team which includes lawyers and scholars. (READ: Kalonzo unveils campaign team)
Public Health minister Beth Mugo and Water assistant minister Ferdinand Waititu argue that the composite members PNU and Kanu were signatories of a memorandum of understanding to strengthen their own parties but let the alliance recruit members.Mr Kenyatta also has a team working on his brand, while Prof Saitoti has concentrated on recruiting members for his PNU.
“There is no confusion as far as the memorandum of understanding is concerned between Kalonzo, Uhuru and Saitoti that they strengthen their own parties and then come for joint nominations later.
“Kanu is recruiting, the Wiper is recruiting, PNU is recruiting but the PNU Alliance will also recruit as a separate party,” Mr Waititu said.
Mrs Mugo said the PNU Alliance is still on course despite several parties allied to it distancing themselves from the coalition.
“PNU alliance is not dead; it is very much alive and we are even celebrating. Alliances will bring together different parties.
“Everyone is strengthening. Then at the end of the day, we come together,” she said.
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