Sunday, February 10, 2013

Raila plans another trip to Nyanza amid internal rivalry in Cord


CORD Coalition Principals Raila Odinga (Center), Kalonzo Musyoka (Left) and Moses Wetanguala at Uhuru Park on January 30, 2013 when they launched countrywide campaign trail.  Photo/BILLY MUTAI.
By PETER LEFTIE pmutibo@ke.nationmedia.com AND ISAAC ONGIRI iongiri@ke.nationmedia.com  ( email the author)

Posted  Sunday, February 10  2013 at  00:30
In Summary
  • Battles of affiliate parties threaten to derail campaigns in key strongholds
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An intense struggle between parties in the Cord alliance to secure a majority of MPs and senators is presenting a new headache to its presidential candidate Raila Odinga with only three weeks to the March 4 election.
The battle has seen the main principals in the alliance – Mr Odinga, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula – stage separate rallies to campaign for their parties’ candidates as opposed to the earlier days when they would hold joint rallies.
Last week, Mr Odinga led a high-powered ODM team in campaigning for its candidates in Migori, Homa Bay and Siaya counties, totally sidelining candidates from other Cord-allied parties in the region.
Mr Musyoka, too, held rallies in Nyamira and Kakamega counties where he called on voters to elect Wiper candidates in the March 4 election while Mr Wetang’ula was in Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties campaigning for Ford Kenya candidates.
Under the pre-election agreement between the Cord parties, executive appointments such as Cabinet secretaries will be based on the strengths of the parties in Parliament and the Senate but will also factor in portfolio balance and equity.
This explains the vicious battles that threaten to derail the Cord campaigns in key strongholds of Nyanza, Lower Eastern, Coast and, to an extent, in Western Province and dent Mr Odinga’s chances.
Mr Odinga appeared to send out a powerful message to Nyanza residents to shun candidates from other Cord affiliate parties and elect ODM candidates only when he addressed supporters in Siaya and Homa Bay counties.
“Cord is like a polygamous family, and each party has to present its side of the bargain when sharing the Cabinet slots. You must give me my lieutenants that I will work with when I get up there,” he said. He asked voters to reject non-ODM candidates saying they had been bribed by his detractors to derail him in Luo Nyanza.
And now Mr Odinga is planning to return to Nyanza to contain an emerging rebellion against ODM in the region.
The PM has been advised to salvage his territory from a “friendly invasion” by Cord partner parties.
The PM’s close ally Public Service minister Dalmas Otieno confirmed that there were rising concerns over the anti-ODM sentiment after the chaotic party primaries.
“Yes, the PM will have to return to Nyanza because this is a serious matter,” Mr Otieno said. “There is genuine anger emanating from voters which we must deal with. It is threatening to undermine the presidential vote and we must go back home and tell our people what is at stake.”
The minister said voters appear not to have realised that by rebelling against ODM candidates the party would lose seats in the houses of Parliament and county assemblies.
“As painful as it many have been, our people must know that we have 20 nomination slots at the Senate at stake and 12 at the National Assembly, which will be shared on the basis of party strength in those houses and, most importantly, the national perception on the presidential vote as well,” Mr Otieno said.
Cabinet ministers James Orengo, Otieno Kajwang and Fred Gumo, while campaigning for Mr Odinga, recommended a six-piece voting pattern reiterating that appointments in the Cord government would be based on the strength of each party.
“Don’t give Raila an unloaded gun. There is no way you can make him president with the entire Cabinet going to a different party other than ODM,” Mr Orengo said.
“We have friends but if we are not careful, even our friends can take over our own house because each party is looking for numbers,” Mr Kajwang added.
Mr Gumo stressed that although they were in Cord, each affiliate party has a home and must be identified with the strength of parliamentary seats.
“Even if we are in Cord, we must elect ODM candidates that will give him bargaining power,” Mr Gumo said.
In Homa Bay, Mr Odinga came face to face with the post-nominations fiasco as supporters of other Cord affiliate parties like Wiper, Ford Kenya and Federal Party engaged in a shouting match right in front of him.
Mr Odinga’s six-piece suit message was echoed at another rally in neighbouring Kakamega County where Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya stated that ODM would go it alone in Western Province.
Addressing a rally in Matungu constituency, Mr Oparanya warned that ODM would not team up with Mr Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya or Federal Party of former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo.
“ODM has decided to go it alone in Western because we want to win more elective seats,” he said.
Mr Musyoka too staged his own campaigns for the Wiper candidate in Kitutu Masaba constituency, Victor Swanya Ogeto, who is locked in a bruising battle with ODM’s Timothy Bosire.
Mr Musyoka spoke highly of Mr Ogeto, asking residents to elect him due to his sound development record and down-to-earth demeanour as opposed to his rivals.
From Nyamira, Mr Musyoka went to Malava constituency in Kakamega County to campaign for the Wiper Democratic Party parliamentary candidate John Shimaka.
According to political analyst Dr Adams Oloo, the infighting among the various Cord parties as they seek to secure a majority in the next government may play into the hands of rival parties.
“The problem is that where both ODM and Ford Kenya, for example, have very strong candidates, say Western Kenya, they may split their votes and allow a UDF candidate to go through,” he said. But he said the battles would not affect Mr Odinga’s presidential votes.
In many constituencies in Nyanza and Western provinces, Cord affiliate parties have fielded separate candidates largely as a result of the ODM nominations in the region.
In Muhoroni constituency, assistant minister Ayiecho Olweny is facing his perennial opponent, James Onyango K’Oyoo, who moved to Omingo Magara’s PDP after being denied the ODM certificate.
In Kasipul constituency, outgoing MP Oyugi Magwanga is a worried man after his main opponent Charles Ongondo defected to Kalembe Ndile’s The Independent Party (TIP).
The situation is the same in Homa Bay town, Ndhiwa constituency, Karachuonyo, Mbita, and Rongo, among other constituencies

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