By Jacob Ng’etich
KENYA: Faced with ethnic realities that power Kenyan politics, a number of heavyweights that had been expected to influence the election dynamics, were forced to stand down rather than be humiliated.
Privately the MPs who announced withdrawal of the candidature admit they were fighting a losing battle, hence opted out of the race as the constituencies, are in regions where the electorate was hostile to their parties.
Bloc voting forced ministers Franklin Bett (Roads), Eugene Wamalwa (Justice), and Joseph Nyaga (Co-operatives), Mandera Central MP Abdikadir Mohamed, and to some extent Regional Development Minister Fred Gumo to throw in the towel on realising the odds were stacked against them.
The ‘drop-outs’ are expected to position themselves for plum jobs in government in the event their parties clinch the presidency.
While announcing his retiring from politics, Gumo said on Wednesday that after 38 years in the public life, he wanted to travel the world and relax.
“Not because of anything, I can contest any seat but I have decided that I need to rest. I am 67 and after 38years in politics, it is time to relax,” he said.
The Westlands MP became the sixth member of the Tenth Parliament to quit elective politics in what analyst term as a bold but painful move for a politician.
Beth Mugo was the first to call it quits followed by her Cabinet colleagues Bett, Nyaga, Wamalwa, and Mandera Central MP.
Surprise move
In December, last year, Bett surprised many when he announced he would not go for any political seat.
Bett told The Standard On Sunday there was no need to contest in his constituency when the ground had been poisoned with propaganda. Bett said people told him they were not going to elect him because he was in the wrong party and based on that information, he decided not to contest.
“Having seen the ground, I realised there was little I could do. Some leaders made their names from bashing ODM and its leader Raila Odinga. They fed people with lies. I realised I was not going to give them credibility by allowing them to defeat me in an election,” said Bett.
He said his constituents had admitted that he had performed well, but the problem was his party.
“I told my constituents that I still believed ODM was the party to beat, and Raila was the safe bet for Kenya. As a person, I have principles that I am not going to bend because of votes,” said the second-time Bureti MP. He said elections can be expensive and there was therefore no need to get involved in what seemed futile.
“When I stepped down, some people who supported me were disappointed. They believed I was the best, but I said I have a life to live. As a human being, people are not going to call me names and abuse me because of politics,” said Bett.
The former State House Comptroller in the Moi regime said he was not quitting politics, but had taken a tactical retreat before he could go for president in 2017.
Latest to quit
Before Gumo’s move, Abdikaddir was the latest MP to quit elective politics.
Abdikadir, who played a pivotal role in the making of the new Constitution, where he chaired the Parliamentary Select Committee on the new laws, said he was moving into other engagements.
“I am done with retail politics. I have done my part in politics and now I am looking forward to a more interesting undertaking,” he said.
As a first time MP, he went ahead to become one of the strong pillars of the Tenth Parliament, in regard to Constitution making. He chaired the powerful Oversight Committee on Implementation of the Constitution.
However, it emerges that the Safina MP who had gravitated to United Democratic Forum stepped down because it was becoming evident that it was hard for him to win in a constituency where politics is clan-driven.
Abdikaddir comes from the Degodia, a minority clan in Mandera, which is dominated by the Garre and Murule.
Lukoye Atwoli, a law Lecturer at Moi University, says part of the reason some of the politicians were quitting politics was because there was confusion.
“Some of these politicians are not sure what they should run for, and what it means for their political life. They have decided to take time out strategies a come back,” said Atwoli.
He said the ethnic aspect also played a big role in having some of the politicians drop their bids.
“The politics of tribe, sub- tribes and clans are entrenched, and as a politician, it is for you to decide if you want to go forward, sometimes faced with the reality of a defeat,” said Atwoli.
Adams Oloo, a political science lecturer at the University of Nairobi, said some of those who quit in the run-up to the March 4 polls are angling for ministerial appointments.
Stayed away
“Some of those who have stayed away are positioning themselves strategically for other Government jobs, which are not elective, and the positions are quite a handful and will definitely be given to them,” said Oloo.
There had been speculation that Wamalwa would vie for Senate, but the Saboti MP said he would not run for any elective office.
“After I relinquished my position as presidential aspirant in favour of Musalia Mudavadi, I will not be contesting any seat,” said Wamalwa.
But The Standard On Sunday saw the agreements penned by the Amani Coalition, which promised Wamalwa any senior seat after that of the running mate should the coalition win.
In the agreement, the move by Justice minister to back Mudavadi’s presidential bid was cushioned by four options for his political fallback.
The four scenarios agreed were that Wamalwa be given first priority when it comes to nomination to Parliament, supported to be Speaker of the National Assembly, granted first priority in the nomination of Cabinet Secretaries or be either majority or minority leader depending on the strength of MPs of the alliance.
On Mugo and Gumo, Atwoli said the challenge was that they could not sustain the rigor of the elections in Nairobi.
“You can imagine Gumo or Mugo in the campaign trail with the likes of Makadara MP Gidion Mbuvi Sonko and other young politicians,” said Atwoli.
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