ISAAC WALE | NATION Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi at Chandumba Secondary School where he distributed CDF cheques to schools in his Sabatia constituency on April 20, 2012.
By Benson Amadala bamadala@ke.nationmedia.com and Julius Sigei jsigei@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Friday, April 20 2012 at 22:00
Posted Friday, April 20 2012 at 22:00
IN SUMMARY
- Public keen to know whether the Deputy Prime Minister will ditch ODM at Kakamega meeting on Saturday
Anxiety mounted on Friday over the political path Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi will take ahead of Saturday’s meeting in Kakamega, his home turf.
The region was pulsating with expectation that Mr Mudavadi would announce whether he will defect from ODM to run for the presidency on another party ticket in the next General Election.
Mr Mudavadi, who is also the Local Government minister, is set to meet councillors, party officials and delegates in Kakamega.
“Don’t expect any big announcement. The DPM is merely consulting and this consultation will take a bit longer,” said his spokesman, Mr Kibisu Kabatesi.
Mr Mudavadi is unhappy that ODM presented compliance documents to the Registrar of Political Parties without first amending the clause that says the leader of the party will be its flag bearer in the presidential race.
But even as anxiety was building up, leaders from the region are urging the Sabatia MP to navigate carefully before making the decision to abandon ODM.
Mr Zacharia Shimechero, an elder representing the Idakho sub-tribe in the Luhya Elders Forum, said should Mr Mudavadi ditch ODM for another party, he would be deemed to have betrayed Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
“The two leaders (Mr Mudavadi and Mr Odinga) have been working closely in ODM to build the party and a formidable team to win the next polls and form the government,” he said.
Mr Shimechero said Luhya elders should meet their counterparts from Nyanza to reconcile the two leaders.
The elder’s remarks echoed those of 12 ODM lawmakers from the region, led by Planning minister Wycliffe Oparanya, who on Thursday cautioned Mr Mudavadi against ditching the party.
Masinde Muliro University lecturer Egara Kabaji said Mr Mudavadi was in a dilemma after keeping his supporters guessing for long.
He said such a move was likely to work against the Sabatia MP’s strategy to emerge a credible candidate in the next polls.
Anglican Bishop Beneah Salalah Okumu of Mumias urged Mr Mudavadi to reflect carefully on his decision to leave ODM to avoid making a political gamble that could dent his political career.
In Bungoma, Kimilili ODM chairman John Chikati said the different Luhya communities had been divided for a long time and needed to come together and work as one unit under Mr Mudavadi.
Additional reporting by Linet Wafula and Erick Ngobilo
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