Mudavadi takes back seat as Amani fades from political landscape

By Francis Ontomwa

It is not mlembe (peace) for Amani coalition anymore. The former Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi’s presidential vehicle in the last General Election is grounded.

Could this have been a result of marriages of convenience or marriages of ideals in the run up to the last General Election?

Political parties stretched tentacles reaching out to possible ‘friends’ that would play ‘ladder’ in efforts to inch closer to their ambitions. Amani Coalition was one such union and was composed of United Democratic Forum (UDF), New Ford-Kenya and the country’s independence party, Kenya African National Union (Kanu).

While it appears, the two main coalitions in the last elections, Jubilee and Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord), have stuck together, the third alliance seems to have veered off the road.

Jubilee has remained a unit after taking over the Government and Cord has remained one, thanks to its role as opposition.

The story of Amani coalition on the other hand can be equated to that of a soccer player who at the start of his career lit up stadiums but after a short-lived career faded off from the scene.

Like a powerful tsunami, Amani alliance swept through Western in a dazzling fashion, but just a few months after the March 4 elections, little can be said of the outfit.

The move to team up with the Jubilee coalition in Parliament and Senate after failing to win the presidency was the first post-election miscalculation. Some observers have even called it a death sentence.

“Amani coalition is no longer relevant. Not in Western, not anywhere else. It was a desperate vehicle that carried those who had failed to get what they wanted in their ‘mother’ parties,” says Mr Okoit Lok Etyang’, a political analyst.

According to Mr Etyang’, Amani  was doomed to failure from its inception because of a lack of principles and its future is just bleak.

“It is President Uhuru Kenyatta’s The National Alliance party (TNA) that engineered Amani’s partnership in Jubilee. It was a clever deal to ensure TNA checks Deputy President William Ruto’s United Republican Party within Jubilee government on the game of numbers,” he explains.

It is Mudavadi, of UDF, and former Justice Minister Eugene Wamalwa, of New Ford-Kenya, who played architect of the Amani coalition, but after losing out in elections, they, too have gone under.

Both Mudavadi and Wamalwa have silently retreated to their personal businesses, and even Kanu’s Gideon Moi, who was actively involved in the coalition has since gone silent after he was elected Baringo Senator.

Undue pressure

Asked what he was doing, Mudavadi told The Standard on Sunday: “I am concentrating on my personal business and at the same time busy building my UDF party”. Wamalwa, on the other hand, is said to have gone back to his professional career of law practice.

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale recently challenged UDF’s leadership to hold countrywide grassroot elections to strengthen the party and prepare the ground for future elections.

At the same time, Dr Khalwale has rejected calls by a section of UDF leaders to work with Jubilee government. Instead, he wants the party leader Mudavadi to cut his own niche in politics.

“The party should not be coerced to join any association. In fact, Mudavadi still has the onus of remaining independent and not succumb to undue pressure, but work independently if he wants a future in politics,” stated Khalwale.

A strong proponent of the Amani alliance, youthful politician Mr Alex Khamasi, however, denies that Amani is dead. He says the alliance offered a rare platform to unite the Luhya community, but vested interests and disunity sent it off the rails.

“Amani might seem dead because time to yell politics ended, but it exists and what takes me aback is the fact that our community failed to use it to achieve the elusive Luhya unity. This was the opportunity,” asserts Khamasi, a UDF youth leader in Kakamega.

Mudavadi and Wamalwa, have been accused of failing to consolidate their team and cracks have started emerging as politicians ditch the alliance. Recently, a section of leaders blamed Mudavadi for failing to initiate a meeting with elected leaders and poll losers to amalgamate Amani and ensure it remains relevant politically.

Former Housing minister Soita Shitanda, who failed to capture the Kakamega governorship under the Amani umbrella, is one of the foot soldiers who have scampered.

“I am going to leave the New Ford-Kenya soon and join a political party that will carry the aspirations of our community and one that will offer real leadership,” said Mr Shitanda recently after joining former Cabinet minister Cyrus Jirongo’s new outfit.

Beneficiary

Mr Jirongo, a former Lugari lawmaker, is planning to unveil a new political vehicle and analysts portend that he could be the biggest beneficiary of the Mudavadi-Wamalwa troubles. Many politicians, elected and unelected, declined to comment on Amani’s status.

“This is sensitive, I do not know what to say because right now the house is not in order, truth be said. I may say something that may affect my relations with our top leaders,” said a Mudavadi insider, who preferred anonymity.

On the other hand, differences witnessed at the summit of the Luhya Council of elders over who to support between former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Mudavadi weakened the coalition ahead of the polls.

The division among the elders dealt a blow to efforts by opinion, political and religious leaders to rally the community behind Mudavadi. Raila shocked Mudavadi after he garnered majority votes in the Western region, even from his Vihiga County backyard.

Despite staging vigorous campaign in the region, Mudavadi did not rally the Luhya community behind Amani. The division in the community was evident during campaigns, as some top leaders from the region backed Raila, while others supported the Amani leader.

Raila’s troops were led by Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, Budalangi legislator Ababu Namwamba, Funyula MP Paul Otuoma, former Attorney General Amos Wako and Jirongo.

Mudavadi’s foot soldiers were Wamalwa, Shitanda, Khalwale, Vihiga Senator George Khaniri and former Cabinet Minister Mukhisa Kituyi. “Our politics lack principles, Mudavadi and Wamalwa ought to have provided leadership by sticking to their coalition and advance democracy instead of ending the game prematurely,” said Eliud Kizito, a political observer.