Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka greets jubilant wanainchi at Baragoi town Samburu North when he toured Samburu County yesterday Photo VPPS
Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka's mixed signals about his intentions has further alienated him from his former colleagues in the G7 Alliance.
Kalonzo's has in recent weeks sent mixed signals about his 'talks' with Prime Minister Raila Odinga while at the same time saying he is still in the G7 alliance comprising of TNA's Uhuru Kenyatta, URP's William Ruto and New Ford Kenya's Eugene Wamalwa.
Two weeks ago the VP denied that he was willing to talk to Raila about the possibility of forming an alliance. "I will only talk to like minded parties and ODM is not one of them," Kalonzo said at the time.
Last week, his close confidant Johnstone Muthama hosted Raila for a luncheon at his home and told a rally in Kangundo that Kalonzo had mandated him to receive and welcome Raila.
Muthama said the joint rally was a sign of the close partnership between Raila and Kalonzo who have both declared their intention to run for the presidency.
On Saturday, Kalonzo denied he had started any pre-election coalition talks with Raila as had been indicated by Muthama, two days earlier. He however expressed his willingness to hold discussions with Raila on the possibility of forming an alliance.
Yesterday, it emerged that Kalonzo and Raila had been in contact on phone several times but they did not discuss any of the pre-election coalition issues as implied by Muthama.
As a signal of the growing rapport between Raila and Kalonzo and the Wiper Democratic Party's 'partnership efforts,' Muthama yesterday ferried some of his constituents to the City Stadium to support Gor Mahia who were playing against Tusker FC.
Kalonzo's interest in seeking alternative alliances comes at a time when he has been gradually isolated by the G7 alliances members who have gone ahead to carve out their niches and discussed possible pre-poll alliances where he does not feature at all.
His erstwhile colleagues in the alliance have instead been warming up to his rival for the Ukambani vote, Water minister Charity Ngilu who recently relaunched her Narc party with the assistance of Uhuru. Ngilu, previously a pro-Raila ally, has since been expressed her interest in working with Team Uhuru.
Yesterday Ngilu claimed the Alliance had isolated Kalonzo because of his poor development record. She accused the VP of 'forcing himself'' onto the G7 Alliance even though Uhuru and Ruto had already indicated they had no interest in working with him.
“The G7 leaders are reluctant to take Kalonzo in because of his poor development record in his Mwingi North constituency. They have a lot to show in terms of developing their constituencies but Kalonzo does not. That’s why they are holding him at a distance,"said Ngilu.
Uhuru has in the recent weeks sent clear signals that he is ready to work with Ngilu’s Narc. Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo, who was once Kalonzo’s staunch ally, confirmed that Narc under Ngilu was negotiating an alliance with Uhuru’s TNA.
“The TNA share the five pillars of the Narc leadership manifesto. That is why we are negotiating and are ready to enter into an alliance with the party for the good of the country,” said Kiema.
Uhuru and Ruto allies say the VP has been blowing hot and cold on unity talks and they no longer understand where he stood on the issue of alliances.
They were also concerned that Kalonzo had been approaching possible alliance negotiations on the sole premise that he would be the presidential candidate irrespective of whatever pre-poll deal the three struck.
Sources in the Kalonzo and Raila camps indicated that the two had been holding 'serious discussions' behind the scenes and that the public posturing denying such talks was to divert attention until they were ready to announce a deal.
Team Uhuru said Muthama's statement last Thursday was a confirmation of suspicions they have been holding that Kalonzo was considering other options especially after Uhuru and Ruto refused to strike a deal which would have seen them surrender their presidential ambitions and back the VP for the presidency.
“The perception we have is that Muthama speaks for the VP. It is good the VP has now confirmed the ODM story instead of the two playing good cop and bad cop in perpetuity. Now the G7 alliance can travel in the light,” said a source close to TNA
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