Wiper Party bigwigs have ruled out the possibility of Nasa co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka taking the oath as people’s deputy president.
Led by former Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama and former Cabinet Minister Titus Mbathi, the Wiper leaders told Mr Musyoka that it was pointless for him to take the oath as it had no political value. They instead asked him to revamp the Wiper Party in readiness for the 2022 election.
“Why would you be sworn in just for the sake of it and yet you will not bring home any State power that can help your supporters after the event?” Mr Mbathi told Mr Musyoka to his face during the leaders’ meeting held at Stoni Athi Resort in Machakos county on Thursday.
He complained that Mr Musyoka had endured public ridicule particularly from ODM supporters for skipping the January 30 “swearing-in” of Nasa leader Raila Odinga, yet there was nothing tangible to be derived from the event.
Mr Muthama expressed similar sentiments, saying he too had deliberately chosen to keep off the ceremony yet he was a member of the event’s organising committee.
SKIPPED EVENT
He maintained that he, like Mr Musyoka, skipped the event for reasons that were both valid and in the best interests of the party.
“I, Muthama, was co-chair of the swearing-in planning committee alongside Siaya Senator James Orengo of ODM and Ford Kenya’s Kimilili MP Simiyu Eseli. Why are people bashing my party leader Kalonzo Musyoka alone instead of seeking answers as to why we all stayed away,” said the flamboyant politician.
The former senator said he was pained by the kind of unwarranted abuse and name-calling Mr Musyoka had braved from their ODM partners, warning that there was a need to tell Kenyans the truth about the “oath”.
Wiper’s position to dissuade Mr Musyoka from taking the oath is likely to further strain relations between the Nasa coalition partners and intensify feelings of betrayal, given that ODM supporters have been openly calling on Mr Musyoka to take the oath.
During his address at ODM’s National Governing Council (NGC) meeting on Friday, Mr Musyoka was repeatedly met with calls of “biblia (bible)” from the delegates, asking him to take the oath.
AGITATED
At some point, a visibly agitated Musyoka hit back, saying that he had never been a coward and warned that “friendly fire kills,” a veiled caution that infighting among the Nasa constituent parties could kill the opposition coalition.
Mr Mbathi, a long serving board chairman of the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (Kengen), is part of a core team of influential Kamba elders who have been advising Mr Musyoka over the years and their stand is likely to carry the day. Mr Muthama said he will host a major leaders’ meeting at Komarock in Machakos County on March 16 to discuss the Wiper party’s future, including its engagement with coalition partners ahead of next elections.
“I’ve never quit Wiper, I am fully behind Kalonzo Musyoka and my agenda is to make sure he becomes the president of this country. We will fight it out within the Nasa family,” he stated.
The leaders, who urged Mr Musyoka to concentrate on revamping his party, fell short of declaring that the Wiper party was ready to break ranks with its partners ODM and Amani over its perceived disrespect for Mr Musyoka by Mr Odinga’s foot soldiers.
BREAK AWAY
Party executive director, Dr Jared Siso, criticised ODM leaders for threatening to break away from Nasa claiming the Orange party was just laying the stage for Mr Odinga to dishonour the coalition agreement that stipulates that he will back Mr Musyoka in 2022.
However, Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana maintained that it was not Wiper’s plan to bolt out of Nasa because of the greater coalition agenda to push for electoral reforms.
“What you are witnessing is internal restructuring and strengthening of each political party within Nasa. The agenda to push for reforms is bigger and is the glue that binds the parties,” Prof Kibwana said.
Prof Kibwana said he had been tasked to reach out to Kamba leaders who ran on a Jubilee party ticket and lost, including former Wiper MPs who missed out in the recent State appointments announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The leaders targeted include former Kitui senator David Musila who quit the Wiper party where he was the national chairman to support Mr Kenyatta, former MPs Kisoi Munyao, Joe Mutambu, Itwiku Mbai, John Munuve, Gideon Ndambuki and Philip Kaloki.
