Fresh cracks emerge in G7 alliance

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 Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka. Photo: File/Standard

By ISAAC ONGIRI

The go-getter attitude of Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto is causing ripples in the G7 Alliance as the election year beckons.

Uhuru and Ruto pull out all the stops in their campaigns for the top seat, causing jitters in G7 as none of them is ready to play second fiddle in the political alliance [Graphics/Standard]

Boosted by the declaration by an International Criminal Court (ICC) official that The Hague will not seek to block them from contesting the Presidency next year, Uhuru and Ruto have been busy sharpening their campaign plans.

In a move signaling a possibility of a ruthless battle for the G7 Alliance ticket, the two presidential aspirants have begun to separate their campaign plans from that of the Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and others in the alliance.

An ICC official on Saturday told The Standard On Sunday that whether the crimes against humanity cases Uhuru and Ruto face are confirmed next month, the court has no intention of blocking their candidatures.

"The ICC is a judicial institution; not a political one. The conditions for elections in countries are set by national laws, not by international criminal law," said Michelle Johnson, ICC’s public affairs assistant.

The fate of the two is now dependent on a local decision and interpretation of the Constitution on the effect of the confirmation of their crimes against humanity cases.

But Attorney General Githu Muigai said his office would advise the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission on the status of the matter after the verdict on the confirmation of charges hearings are made.

"It is true that the ICC has no jurisdiction over that matter according to the statutes. My office will research on it after the declarations for presidency are made by the two and the verdict of the confirmation of cases known, a clear guidance will be provided in accordance with the law," Prof Githu said.

Chapter six of the Constitution sets threshold for the character of individuals seeking public office, though legislation to define the boundaries is yet to be developed.

Kenya is a signatory to the Rome Statute that establishes the ICC. Cases prosecutable at The Hague also constitute a crime in Kenya, and, therefore, linked to the integrity questions in Chapter six of the new Constitution.

But enjoying the relief of the ICC statement, Uhuru and Ruto have embarked on heavy campaigns that are sending shivers down the spine of their competitors in the alliance.

Little known party

Uhuru’s allies are streaming to the little known United Democratic Front, while Ruto’s supporters are passionate about United Democratic Movement (UDM).

Although Kalonzo has also rebranded his party ODM-Kenya and renamed it ‘Wiper Democratic Movement’, he has become the face of the PNU Alliance. The Wiper leader was in London last week to sell PNU Alliance to the Diaspora. He opened a PNU Alliance office in London.

Early in the week a group of 40 MPs, with a soft spot for Uhuru, indicated they are walking out of the PNU Alliance after holding a politically charged retreat in Naivasha. With opinion polls showing Uhuru would beat Prime Minister Raila Odinga in a run-off, his political allies are leaving nothing to chance.

The MPs and assistant ministers drawn from over 30 counties met under the umbrella of UDF, a party Uhuru’s political allies registered.

Interestingly Kalonzo’s supporters and those of Internal Security Minister George Saitoti were not invited.

Sources at the Naivasha retreat say the DPM could officially switch camps to the new outfit by January.

"We met as like-minded MPs with key focus being that we want to build a coalition of steadfast individuals, which can bring the whole of Kenya together," said Mandera Central MP, Abdikadir Mohamed.

The MP said Uhuru’s Naivasha team deliberated on how to initiate a new beginning in the country’s ethnicity-centred politics.

Denying that supporters of the other PNU Alliance presidential aspirants were not invited to the Naivasha event, nominated MP George Nyamweya said the meeting was the beginning of a grand plan to reform local politics.

"We want to break the idea of the politics of one person. We are coming up with a style that would shape the destiny of this country," Nyamweya said.

Uhuru’s intention to initiate another political party outside the PNU Alliance has caused uncertainty in the coalition. Cabinet minister Njeru Githae said that parties have been scrambling for Uhuru’s name. He described the confusion over the DPM’s political vehicle as a minor issue.

"Parties are scrambling for Uhuru; we in PNU have offered him space. PNU Alliance also wants him. United Democratic Forum also want him to be their candidate," Githae said.

Asked whether they were shaken by the increasing assertivenss of the Uhuru campaigns outside the PNU Alliance formation, Kangundo MP Johnstone Muthama described the introduction of UDF as merely strange rumours."We are waiting to see if Uhuru will move to that party and if he will be its presidential candidate unless we see that we can’t say more," he stated.

That tension has been slowly building within the PNU Alliance itself is not hidden. Both Uhuru and Internal Security Minister Prof. George Saitoti have never mentioned the party throughout their political appearances.

Assistant Minister Kareke Mbiuki, one of Uhuru’s most trusted allies revealed the discomfort in the alliance saying the DPM was uncomfortable in the alliance.

"To be frank, we are moving out of that alliance into our own party, that is the party Uhuru will belong to. The intelligence we have is that Saitoti has made his mind he will be running in his PNU party while the VP is already running away with the PNU Alliance together with his ODM-K party and Ruto is in UDM. We also need our own party so we can be able to negotiate in future alliances from a strong position," he said.

The minister further added: "Some people within the alliance are also busy spreading tribal propaganda that Uhuru is Kikuyu and therefore cannot run, for the avoidance of doubt we are telling them, let us meet at the ballot box."

Last week Uhuru flew to Dubai where he met Kenyans living in the United Arabs Emirates at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the sidelines of an official visit, which also involved President Kibaki.

On the same night Ruto also flew to the same Asian city. The Eldoret North MP, however, told The Standard On Sunday that his Dubai trip was private.

"I was in Dubai for my own businesses, I didn’t even know Uhuru was in town," said Ruto. The Eldoret North MP further explained that nothing about his campaign should worry anyone as he had indicated he was running for president.

But Rift Valley politician, Mark Too, a Ruto ally, said the MP’s supporters are alive to the fact that it will be difficult to form a government without a coalition after the 2012 General Elections and, therefore, the need to build UDM.

Political manifestos

"Everybody believes there will be a coalition government. You cannot have a say in government if you do not have a strong political party and national influence. We have told Ruto to compete," Mr Too said.

The former nominated MP revealed that a team of technocrats is working on Ruto’s political manifesto to be unveiled later next year.

Cherengany MP Joshua Kuttuny also confirmed there is pressure on Ruto to run, adding that only the people of Kenya will decide the former minister’s fate.

"Though we are in G7 there is increasing pressure to have William (Ruto) on the ballot and he has taken it upon himself not to disappoint," Mr Kuttuny said.

Uhuru and Ruto boast of huge ethnic support from their home regions though it is the former whose popularity, according to opinion polls, has been rising.

"There is a lot of propaganda in opinion polls. We do not believe in them," Uhuru’s aide, Munyori Buku, said.

The presence of the two in the 2012 race could grossly hurt Kalonzo’s 2012 plan, which pundits believe is largely dependent on Uhuru and Ruto’s favour. But Mwala MP Daniel Muoki said the VP would not spend sleepless nights over the activities and drama by the two.

"If they are planning to go all the way to the ballot, so would the VP. Kalonzo’s support is not dependent on tribal backing. Having been in politics for over 20 years he has cultivated national support and can move on without Uhuru and Ruto," Muoki said.