Photo/JENNIFER MUIRURI/NATION Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka (centre) meets with Uhuru Kenyatta (right) and William Ruto at the Norfolk Hotel on February 17, 2012.
By EMEKA-MAYAKA GEKARA gmayaka@ke.nationmedia.com and JULIUS SIGEI jsigei@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Saturday, February 18 2012 at 22:30
Posted Saturday, February 18 2012 at 22:30
The altercation in the G7 political grouping, which threatens to elbow Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka out of the alliance, has exposed long-running and deepseated mistrust and suspicion among key players.
The development is likely to dramatically change the equation as the Kibaki Succession battle enters the homestretch.
The move to kick out Mr Musyoka out of the alliance, which brings together Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto, has also triggered debate on the VP’s place in the succession plan. (READ: VP left out of new Uhuru-Ruto line-up)
Although the three came out on Friday and vowed to continue working together, sources close to the three politicians said there was too much mistrust and deeprooted suspicions among the two groups with some members of the Kenyatta-Ruto axis treating the Vice-President as an outsider, more less as an unwanted guest. (READ: Kalonzo allies downplay poll setback)
Allies of Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto have packaged the tiff as revolving around Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo’s remarks that with the crimes against humanity charges hanging over their heads, the two are not qualified to run for the presidency.
The G7 alliance members have added to the circus comments by Kangundo MP Johnstone Muthama which appeared to suggest that Mr Musyoka was keen to benefit from the trial of Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto at the International Criminal Court.
However, it is increasingly clear that the Mutula stand is only an excuse that Mr Musyoka’s opponents are using to push for his exit from the group.
Mr Muthama, a staunch Kalonzo ally, on Saturday summed up the reason behind plans to isolate the VP.
Careful not to mention any names, Mr Muthama laid the blame on “two or three people holding the country at ransom”.
He said: “We don’t want two or three people holding the country at ransom. We want to be told what to do by 40 million Kenyans,” he told the Sunday Nation in an interview.
This sounded an apparent reference to Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto.
Mr Muthama spoke as the VP’s key strategists, who included former ambassador Mutuma Kathurima, lawyer Donald Kipkorir and nominated MP Mohammed Affey, were meeting in Naivasha to map out the next move.
Apparently, the Kalonzo predicament is rooted in a strong feeling amongst his supporters that the VP no longer features in the Kenyatta-Ruto election plan.
The picture emerged strongly during the ongoing prayer rallies which appeared deliberately choreographed to project Mr Musyoka as a junior partner in the alliance with little support compared with the other presidential hopefuls.
For instance, during a rally in Eldoret two weeks ago, Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny, an ally of Mr Ruto, declared in the presence of Mr Musyoka that “no yoke can accommodate three bulls”.
This is not the first time Mr Kutuny has made remarks loaded with meaning that as far as they were concerned, the G7 alliance was about two people — Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto.
A politician close to the discussion leading up to the Eldoret meeting said that it was decided that Mr Musyoka speaks last for fear that the crowd would walk away after the Uhuru and Ruto speeches.
Dujis MP Aden Duale, a close ally of Mr Ruto and Mr Kenyatta, would also make Kutuny-type remarks in subsequent rallies especially in Mombasa where he declared that the 2012 contest will be about Mr Kenyatta and Ruto, prompting shouts from a section of the gathering to include Mr Musyoka in the line up.
And on Saturday, Mr Duale castigated those seeking alternative candidates to Mr Uhuru and the Eldoret North MP over fears that they might not run for the presidency.
“We only have two leaders and that is Uhuru and Ruto. Let no one lie to you that we are holding talks to have them replaced.
"We have heard that you have some other small networks but rest assured that the only network we recognise is that led by Uhuru Kenyatta,” he said during a rally in Nyahururu which the VP skipped.
The International Criminal Court has indicted the two for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the 2007/8 post-election violence.
Justice minister Mr Kilonzo has angered the G7 group with his unequivocal stand that the two suspects will not be eligible to vie for the presidency unless cleared by the ICC.
But it is Mr Musyoka’s own remarks in last Sunday’s rally in Machakos that are said to have infuriated Mr Ruto and Mr Kenyatta.Defence assistant minister David Musila has said the discomfort over Mr Kilonzo’s stand emanates from perceptions that the minister may be articulating Mr Musyoka’s position.
Marketing his Mr Clean image, Mr Musyoka was quoted as saying that he had never engaged in any crimes such as murder or rape.
It did not help that among other counts Mr Ruto and Mr Kenyatta are charged with murder, forcible transfer of populations, rape and persecution.
Then there is the Charity Ngilu factor. It is understood that the G7 Alliance has been making overtures to the Water minister who is Mr Musyoka’s main rival in Ukambani.
Though Mrs Ngilu has not made any comments supporting the group, her allies Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo and his Yatta counterpart Charles Kilonzo have featured prominently in recent Ruto-Uhuru meetings.
In recent days the VP’s handlers have denied claims that he (Mr Musyoka) was turned away at Mr Kenyatta’s gate on the day ICC announced that it had confirmed charges against four of the six Kenyans accused at The Hague.
It had been claimed that the VP had gone to Mr Kenyatta’s residence on Dennis Pritt Road in Nairobi but was told that his would-be host had left.
His spokesman, Kaplich Barsito, dismissed the claims as rumours.
Mr Musyoka has been at pains fighting various tags including assertions that he is an opportunist, indecisive and a hard-sell.
Speaking to the Sunday Nation from Naivasha on Saturday, Mr Affey said they were in the process of developing a new strategy.
“As a party we are not worried. Our interest is to see a united and prosperous country. We have asked the VP to seek out like-minded political leaders,” he said.
“We are here (Naivasha) to encourage the VP not to lose sight of the common objective which is to form the next government.”
But former Ntonyiri MP Maoka Maore traces the genesis of Mr Musyoka’s woes to 2007.
He says when the PNU campaign realised that every opinion poll was not showing favourable results for their candidate, they approached the then ODM-Kenya candidate to step down and announce his support for the President.
“To the shock and disappointment of our campaign, Mr Musyoka arrived at Uhuru Park, looked at Wiper flags and announced he would soldier on with his bid and that he would pass in between the two,” he said.Mr Musyoka is said to have agreed to the terms whereupon the PNU campaign team helped in organising a rally at Uhuru Park where Mr Musyoka was expected to announce his withdrawal and urge his supporters to support President Kibaki.
Mr Maore says Mr Kibaki’s allies have not forgiven him despite his being appointed vice president.
“If the team trusted him do you think we would today be talking about him begging to be admitted into their group. He should have been a front runner merely by virtue of his position as vice president,” said Mr Maore.
His sentiments were supported by political analyst Kiriro wa Ngugi who said: “Kalonzo is paying for the sins of 2007. Had he supported either side or campaigned hard enough to widen the margin of defeat, there wouldn’t have been post-election violence.”
Assistant minister Kabando wa Kabando described Mr Musyoka as “great diplomat but a survivalist politician,” and asked him to alight from the Uhuru-Ruto train and directly seek support for himself.
“Unfortunately, Kenya has changed. Neither Uhuru nor Ruto has any community votes in their pockets to hand out to him. They are supported individually, which support isn’t transferable to anyone else,” he said on Saturday.
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