Kalonzo: I will be Raila's deputy
President Kenyatta faces a fresh headache in his bid to craft a mega coalition following rising tensions between ODM leader Raila Odinga (left) and his Wiper counterpart Kalonzo Musyoka (right).
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka revealed on Friday that he is angling for the Deputy President’s post if Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga wins the August 9 elections.
But the former vice-president, widely seen as the Ukambani political kingpin, said he was ready to forfeit that post for any other provided the community he represents gets a third of the plum positions in the government.
“Talks on power-sharing are still underway. We want to ensure that the Kamba community gets the respect it deserves," he said on Musyi FM, a vernacular radio station.
Mr Musyoka faulted Mr Odinga’s campaign for saying that Wiper had joined Azimio la Umoja as a party rather than a member of the One Kenya Alliance (OKA).
He said he was among three key decision-makers in the grand coalition, whose other member is President Uhuru Kenyatta, who represents the Jubilee Party.
“As OKA, we shall be at the ballot because we have created a coalition agreement modelled around the three-legged stool known as Azimio-One Kenya Alliance,” he said.
“The three-legged stool arrangement is designed to rule out betrayal. We have left an exit route. Once talks on the Azimio-OKA power-sharing matrix begin, you will hear me insist that nothing is agreed until it is agreed so that no one will betray us again.”
Shedding light on the intrigues that surrounded the making of the grand coalition on Saturday, Mr Musyoka lamented that President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga had kept him waiting at State House for more than three hours.
He accused Ukambani governors of undercutting him in a bid to ensure that he does not become Mr Odinga’s presidential running mate.
Meanwhile, Mr Musyoka ruled out holding joint rallies with governors Alfred Mutua (Machakos), Charity Ngilu (Kitui) and Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni) to popularise Mr Odinga’s presidential bid, insisting he was the region’s political kingpin.
“When Mr Odinga visits Ukambani, we will leave to campaign for him in Kisumu and other parts of the country and let him be hosted by the governors,” he said.
He took a swipe at Deputy President William Ruto, portraying him as selfish and insisting he should have resigned after officially joining the United Democratic Alliance.
