Deputy prime minister Musalia Mudavadi,Bonny Khalwale,Charles Kilonzo and Soita Shitanda at the Serena hotel after a meeting with vice president Kalonzo Musyoka.Photo/HEZRON NJOROGE
DEPUTY Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta is determined not sign a coalition agreement with any party or individual before December 4.
That date, three months prior to the election date of March 4, is the last day by which parties must deposit their pre-election pacts with the Registrar of Political Parties.
Uhuru is apparently worried that signing a deal too early might lock out potential partners who could decide to join TNA or agree to a coalition.
Uhuru has been working hard to build a pre-election coalition deal that could bring him victory in the first round. Uhuru is also said to be unsure of the support some of the people his team has been negotiating with can bring to his coalition.
Uhuru's TNA party has so far informally entered into an alliance with President Kibaki's PNU, although it is now virtually non-existent, Eugene Wamalwa's New Ford-Kenya, Eldoret North MP William Ruto's URP, Charity Ngilu's Narc and Najib Balala's Republican Party of Kenya.
The entry of Balala into Uhuru's team this month drew protests at the Coast from URP's assistant Medical Services minister Kambi Kazungu and Environment minister Chirau Mwakwere who have threatened to quit the alliance.
Uhuru is also keen to see if his main rival for the presidency, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, can pull off a coalition with Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi.
Kalonzo and Musalia have also been exploring the possibility of forming their own alliance and Uhuru's team is worried that it could complicate their game plan if the two should run together.
"We want to get as many people as we can to enter into deals with us. We realise that once the proposed deal between Uhuru and Ruto was leaked a few weeks ago, it has become a little difficult to convince other potential partners to join us because they have been asking what positions are available for them," said an MP involved in the negotiations.
Uhuru also wants, according to another TNA official, to avoid a situation where he signs a deal with a leader or a party only for them to bolt out just before December 4.
Uhuru's fears were strengthened last week when Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi, formerly a staunch supporter of TNA, decided to withdraw his National Alliance Party from negotiations with TNA citing bad faith and intimidation by Uhuru.
"We have decided that once we sign with all the partners on the morning of December 4, we will then go straight to the Registrar so that all our partners are locked in," said the TNA official.
The TNA reticence to finalise any pre-election pact has been influenced by the disagreement between Uhuru and Ruto on how to share out government positions if they become President and Deputy President.
Uhuru wants to make Ruto his running mate but Justice minister Eugene Wamalwa is adamant that he will only join the coalition if he is named as the candidate for Deputy President.
Ruto also wants Uhuru to allocate his URP party the positions of Leader of Majority and Speaker of Parliament that he can then offer to Kalonzo and Musalia to tempt them into joining the coalition. However Team Uhuru wants to hang on to Majority Leader and Senate Speaker.
Ruto and URP are also demanding at least 11 of the 22 Cabinet positions stipulated in the constitution. Team Uhuru believes this is excessive as they are not sure that Ruto will deliver the Rift Valley vote.
"If you put that arrangement in writing now and Ruto does not deliver the numbers after elections, how will you tell him that he does not deserve 11 positions yet the agreement will be deemed legal by law? We are being careful and will continue consulting until the last minute," said another MP associated with TNA.
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