Kalonzo, Ruto and Uhuru in fresh unity bid

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Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka (left) with Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta (right) and Eldoret North MP William Ruto address a press conference after a meeting at The Norfolk hotel in Nairobi on October 4, 2012. They said they would work together to forge a common political front. Photo/STEPHEN MUDIARI  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By PETER LEFTIE pmutibo@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Thursday, October 4  2012 at  22:30

IN SUMMARY

• The meeting was convened by Mr Ruto of the United Republican Party, who is said to have pushed for a post-election coalition

Three presidential aspirants in the G7 Alliance on Thursday met to broker a coalition agreement. Read (Parties gear up for pre-poll pacts)

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto held two-and-a-half-hour-long talks on working together ahead of the March 4 elections.

The meeting was convened by Mr Ruto of the United Republican Party, who is said to have pushed for a post-election coalition.

Mr Kenyatta (The National Alliance), backs him in preferring a post-election one, but Mr Musyoka (Wiper Democratic Party) is for a pre-election deal.

Addressing journalists, Mr Ruto said they had discussed the General Election.

“We have been consulting among various political players and looking at the various timelines before the General Election.

‘‘We want to take these consultations to the next level. Together with others who are not here with us today, we want to chart a political course as we go into the elections,” he said.

He declined to name the other leaders, only saying: “You will see them, just keep your eyes wide open.”

The meeting followed a series of private sessions attended by the party leaders and their advisers.

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Justice Minister Eugene Wamalwa (New Ford Kenya), who was not at the talks, is said to have been aware of them.

Sources said Mr Wamalwa was held up in Parliament where MPs were pushing for an amendment to the Elections Act to give defectors two more months to pick new parties.

“He is with them only that he is held up in Parliament because of the amendment by Ruto,” said one aide, referring to a change to the Act sponsored by Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto.

The United Republican Party leader and Mr Kenyatta are also said to have separately reached out to United Democratic Forum presidential hopeful Musalia Mudavadi to join the loose network of parties.

Mr Mudavadi is reported to have welcomed the idea and promised to attend future meetings as he had already scheduled campaign rallies in Coast Province starting yesterday, sources said.

The DPM, like Mr Musyoka, favours a pre-poll pact. Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto support a post-election deal because it would be easier to forge as it only entails agreeing on who becomes the leader of the coalition of parties in Parliament.

Running mate

A pre-election pact will force them to pick the coalition’s presidential candidate, running mate and the leader of the majority party in Parliament.

Sources said the aspirants were weighing their popularity to come up with a strategy of winning the poll in the first round.

Their aim is to beat Prime Minister Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement.

The Eldoret North MP said they had resolved to push for issue-based political campaigns to foster peace.

“We are committed to ensuring that we go to the General Election on the basis of issues so that we keep the country united,” he added.