Sunday, January 8, 2012

Uhuru, Saitoti rivalry ahead of PNU recruitment drive



By Gakuu Mathenge

PNU Alliance enters the New Year amid great challenge of managing the burning ambitions of Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Internal Security Minister George Saitoti ahead of this week’s launch of recruitment drive.
The Alliance announced change of name from PNU Alliance to The Alliance Party of Kenya this week to avoid confusion during the recruitment launch on Tuesday at KICC, Nairobi.
Energy Minister and the Alliance Co-ordinator Kiraitu Murungi said all affiliate parties, including Kanu, Wiper Party and the Alliance must comply with the Political Parties Act before March 31 so as to be able to participate in coalitions, mergers or alliances in future.
After compliance, the principals would meet and announce the way forward.
Two weeks ago, the PNU Alliance adopted a raft of rules, key among them common membership recruitment forms and endorsement of joint nomination rules.
The strategy of creating new parties for future use and at the same time saving MPs from possible by-elections was perfected by Narc between 2002 and 2007, when National Alliance (Party) of Kenya (NAK) and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) went separate ways but retained their seats up to the end of their term.
But it is the Alliance’s nomination rules to be used to determine who among Kalonzo, Saitoti and Uhuru becomes the first among equals as presidential flag bearer that will make or break it. The rules have attracted most scrutiny by the top three and their aides and continue to generate heated debate.
Saitoti, twice in one month, publicly sounded an alarm that the rules and process must be seen to be fair, otherwise he was out of it.
"The process is as critical as the result. I will not allow myself to be humiliated like in 2002," Saitoti said in Meru mid-last month and repeated the same when he met professionals from Maa speaking groups in Nakuru last week.
With his access to high-level intelligence by the nature of his office, some think he could just be whistle blowing some mischief plotters out of their unholy designs.
It is significant the message is directed at his two rivals for the PNU ticket — Kalonzo and Kanu chairman Uhuru, who in 2002 were partial beneficiaries of demolition of his ambitions to succeed former President Moi. The three have converged again in the PNU Alliance, and part of the mistrust they suffer is rooted in their common Kanu roots.
Matters are not made easier by the battle for delegates and regional support blocs. Uhuru and Saitoti have Kikuyu links and are wooing support from the same region. While Saitoti may count the minority voting blocs for support, the Finance Minister has recently re-energised Kanu, which has maintained special appeal among minority communities over the years.
This Saitoti-Uhuru tension has been a source of unique headaches for PNU Alliance promoters, and is yet to be resolved. This delicate tension manifests itself in some older opinion shapers inside PNU, showing partiality to Saitoti’s seniority in age (67), and his high profile public service career spanning more than 25 years, 12 of them as VP.
Unknown to many, the Saitoti-Uhuru tension continues to threaten the Alliance and places unique burdens on Kalonzo, partly explaining why the VP is more publicly enthusiastic about the alliance than the two.
To their credit though, the three signed a protocol in November 12, last year witnessed by President Kibaki, and in which they pledged to promote the alliance as their joint 2012 vehicle.
The protocol followed the collapse of People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), which the three had launched in Naivasha in 2009, only to be aborted by rivalry between Uhuru and Saitoti. The alliance also faces another critical challenge it has to resolve sooner or later: Two strong schools of thought for 2012’s winning strategy have emerged, with one favouring a run off strategy, mostly popular with operatives around Uhuru, and other digging for a campaign strategy based on round one victory, popular with operatives around Kalonzo.
"We cannot afford to make political mistakes like we made in 2007," the VP declared after the joint press conference with Uhuru two weeks ago. It is not just a wish or preference, but a good thing for consolidating Kibaki legacy. A broad coalition victory gives the next Government a popular mandate. A run-off is wrought with dangers, including a Narc-like acrimonious falling of the political class that laid the foundations for post-election violence," Kalonzo’s spokesman Kaplich Barsito said.

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