US secret Cables claim Uhuru has edge in race

By Martin Mutua If Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta decides to pursue the presidency, he has several major strengths, but these are balanced and potentially offset by important weaknesses.
According to US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks, Uhuru is bright, charming, even charismatic, and is enormously wealthy, and, therefore, has not had to engage in corruption.
According to the classified information by ambassador Michael Ranneberger, although Uhuru’s wealth is the inheritance from his father’s corruption, the Kenyatta family still holds a special status in central Kenya. The cables add that his liabilities are at least as important as his strengths.
"He drinks too much and is not a hard worker (though he surprised everyone by the acuity of the budget, which reportedly resulted from some tough work over long hours)," claims the envoy.
The reports further allege that Uhuru has been linked to the outlawed Mungiki sect.
"The reason that Kenyatta is assumed to be on the Waki Commission list of suspected perpetrators of post-election violence is his fund-raising to support Mungiki violent actions against the Kalenjin during post-election violence," adds the reports.
According to the diplomatic cables, some reports indicate that Kenyatta has tried to distance himself from the Mungiki because the links between the Mungiki and various Kikuyu politicians are at best murky.
Extrajudicial killings
"Ironically, Kenyatta’s links to the Mungiki make him one of those who feel strongly that extrajudicial killing must stop since many of the extrajudicial killings have been carried out by the police, under Commissioner Ali’s direction, against the Mungiki," adds the reports.
Uhuru may see shifting political dynamics as opening the way for a presidential run with the PM, whom the cables have claimed is being perceived as "feckless, unable or unwilling to govern effectively and move forward the reform agenda".
The cables claim there is growing disillusionment within the PM’s camp, as conveyed to the ambassador by key players in Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.
Weakened position
But Ranneberger acknowledges that the fact that Raila seems to be in a weakened position may be "wishful thinking" given his political resilience and the fact that he could yet emerge as a reformer. But he has clearly lost significant popular support while ODM seems both directionless and less united than before, he says.
The reports say another indication that Uhuru may be preparing the ground for a presidential run is his tacit support for the creation of a national youth movement.