Nasa-allied politicians call for truce between principals

Nasa leaders

From left: Nasa leaders Musalia Mudavadi (Amani), Moses Wetang'ula (Ford-Kenya), Raila Odinga (ODM) and Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper) at a past event.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

A section of politicians in the National Super Alliance (Nasa) have called for a ceasefire between the coalition’s principals following their altercation over  2022 presidential bids.

The leaders said the four Nasa principals -- Raila Odinga (ODM), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Musalia Mudavadi (Amani National Congress) and Moses Wetang’ula (Ford Kenya) -- need each other in the coming election and must foster dialogue to sort out their differences.

They lamented that the principals' war of words was only giving advantage to their political rivals including Deputy President William Ruto.

Mr Odinga’s camp has been involved in a war of words with the trio over the ODM leader’s statement on Saturday that he will not endorse one of them in next year’s elections.

Mr Odinga on Saturday said that he will not heed any request by “people who want to extend their political mileage” and that he is not politically indebted to anyone.

The statement generated a lot of heat with his Nasa co-principals accusing him of perfecting the “use-and-dump” politics while his ODM lieutenants faulted the three leaders “for being cowards who cannot stand on their own feet”.

On Tuesday, Wiper vice-chairmen Mutula Kilonzo Jnr and Victor Swanya and the secretary-general of Mr Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya faction, Mr Chris Wamalwa, said they were not ruling out the possibility of the leaders working together again.

Mr Kilonzo said their altercation is a sign of unresolved issues and bitterness amongst the leaders.

“As they do so, they are unwittingly giving the DP a faultline to capitalise on. Raila, as head of the coalition, must see it fit not to scatter everyone. It will be his undoing and not to his advantage,” Mr Kilonzo told the Nation.

He said: “It is a fallacy to assume he (Mr Odinga) can replace the support from his traditional base with Central. It will be his waterloo.”

Mr Swanya said ODM should stop holding the 2022 endorsement as its last big weapon, adding that the leaders should instead seek the endorsement of Kenyans and not an individual.

“I don’t think it was necessary for Nasa leaders to propagate their differences in the public. It only depicts them as angry for power and alienates them from Kenyans who think they no longer care about their plight during these hard economic times,” Mr Swanya said.

He said Nasa supporters were not privy to the leaders’ agreement hence they cannot judge who among them is truthful on their pre-election pact.

“Therefore, engaging in a public spat only causes further division of Kenyans at the expense of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) cause which seeks  unity,” the Wiper vice-chairman added.

Mr Wamalwa said there was still an opportunity for the leaders in the coalition to work together “so long as Raila respects the partners”.

He said that in their new-found coalition bringing together Mr Musyoka, Mr Mudavadi, Mr Wetang’ula and Kanu chairman Gideon Moi, they were open to all leaders, including Mr Odinga and DP Ruto.

“We are not saying we cannot work with him (Raila); we can work with him on condition that he should count himself as one among equals and it doesn’t necessarily mean that he must be the one striking to score because he has been given an opportunity but failed to score,” Mr Wamalwa said.

He went on: “You can be a good player but when given a penalty you kick the ball out. So that is Raila Odinga for you. In a football match, you only pass the ball to a player who is less marked to score and so Raila must be ready for this.”

The Lower Eastern political caucus said that the days of small party, regional supremacy, were long gone hence the need to work together.

“We in Ukambani are going into an election that will require only big players and brave warriors. Those who seek endorsements can go to the villages and be endorsed as village heroes,” they said in a statement.

At the national level, they said: “We firmly stand behind our leader Hon Odinga, a man whose credentials and struggles for the nation are known even by children. We ask Kalonzo and Wiper to desist from mentioning Hon Odinga, or we will expose the dirty Ukambani closet to the nation. Let this be the last warning.”