Murungi announced the turn of events at the APK offices in Nairobi after a National Executive Council meeting on Friday/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 16 – Kiraitu Murungi’s Alliance Party of Kenya (APK) has now pulled out of coalition talks with The National Alliance party of Uhuru Kenyatta, citing lack of good faith.
Murungi announced the turn of events at the APK offices in Nairobi after a National Executive Council meeting on Friday. He said the negotiations between the two parties started six months ago after they were launched.
“These negotiations have turned out to be a wild goose chase, of endless and interminable talks, discussions and negotiations – in quotes. It has now become obvious that TNA has not been negotiating in good faith. The so-called negotiations were a mere cover-up of ill motives, political intrigues and under-hand deals intended to weaken and fold up the APK,” he added.
However, Murungi said APK would not field a presidential candidate and it would still support Kenyatta’s bid for the top seat.
Kenyatta is reported to have said his mission was to bring all politicians in Central Kenya to his party to avoid going to the next elections a divided lot.
Murungi said he hoped the talks would create a strong coalition with shared structures that would ensure free and fair joint nominations, equitable sharing of positions, roles and responsibilities and protection and promotion of mutual interests of coalition partners.
“APK will no longer be part of this Trojan Horse. We have been betrayed, humiliated and stabbed in the back, not once or twice, but many times by TNA and its leadership. Enough is enough; we are fed up with these machinations!”
APK and Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA were working towards a deal that would see them hold joint nominations under a “TNA Coalition”.
Murungi had told party delegates at the APK offices on Sunday that the negotiating teams were crafting a coalition deal that would protect APK from being eclipsed by TNA.
But on Friday, the APK leader accused the Kenyatta-led team of plotting to weaken his party. He insisted that APK wanted TNA not to field candidates where the ‘bus party’ was stronger.
However, media reports say Kenyatta declared that all MPs seeking re-election in areas he enjoyed mass following must be in TNA “and if they are not known, they are not one of us and must be shown the door.”
Murungi stated that the party whose symbol is a bus will move on as an independent identity ahead of 2013 elections.
“From now henceforth we shall go it alone. The ‘bus’ shall be unstoppable in its journey into March 2013 General Election and beyond.”
The party officials also turned down an invite by ODM presidential aspirant Prime Minister Raila Odinga who on Sunday urged Murungi to join the Orange Democratic Movement so that they can finish the journey of reforms they started together in early 1990s.
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