Mistrust stands in the way of political coalitions — Mudavadi
ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi addressing journalists in Nyeri when he met with Governor Mutahi Kahiga (right). Mr Mudavadi said mistrust and dishonesty remain the biggest hurdles in formation of political alliances.
Mistrust and dishonesty remain the biggest hurdles in formation of political alliances ahead of 2022 elections, Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi has said.
While coalitions have been touted to be the key to the formation of the next government, most of the alliances find themselves on shaky grounds, some on the verge of collapse.
The National Super Alliance (Nasa) and One Kenya Alliance (OKA) are two political unions that are facing uncertainty and the ANC party is part of both.
Speaking in Nyeri over the weekend, the ANC party leader said the turmoil in the coalitions has been as a result of mistrust and dishonesty, adding that Nasa has suffered breach of trust.
“The truth is, there is a trust deficit in Nasa. That is the truth and we cannot hide from it,” Mr Mudavadi said.
Political parties’ funds
According to Mr Mudavadi, the mistrust has played out in the recent impasse on sharing of millions of shillings from the political parties’ funds. This is after Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga ruled out sharing out of the money between his party and coalition members ANC, Wiper Democratic Movement and Ford Kenya.
The impasse has seen the Nasa coalition, which took on the Jubilee Party in the 2017 election, split even further, spelling doom for its survival into the next political season.
But Mr Mudavadi said that a resolution is in the works, with Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka spearheading the move to bridge the differences.
Meanwhile, a super alliance is still in the works, with the ANC leader seemingly seeking to bring on board more parties onto the One Kenya Alliance, a formation of ANC, Wiper, Kanu and Ford Kenya, which is a breakaway from the now crumbling Nasa coalition.
Keep an open mind
Nevertheless, Mr Mudavadi says it is going to take trust and a drive towards a common set of goals for an ideal political formation to be formed.
To this effect he maintains that the ideal coalition is yet to be fully formed, asking Kenyans to keep an open mind.
“Kenyans should keep an open mind because political formations are yet to be completed,” Mr Mudavadi said.
He said that founding members of the OKA coalition are working to iron out outstanding issues with the sole aim of building trust.
“Once we have agreed on common values and trust is established, the coalition agreement will be signed and submitted to the Registrar of Political Parties. But the coalition must be anchored on trust,” Mr Mudavadi said.
The ANC party leader was speaking in Nyeri when he kicked off a two-day tour of the county as he seeks to solidify and build on his following for the 2022 presidential bid.
Mr Mudavadi will be meeting with local leaders, technocrats and the business community.
