By Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- Kuria looked smart. He had formed a party called Chama Cha Kazi, and as the chairman he would use it as a platform of negotiating and brokering political deals. This time, he was widely viewed as Ruto’s emissary and his main assignment was to play all tricks in the book that would eventually help the DP secure the support of OKA leaders.
- During the Azimio National Delegates Conference [NDC], Karua did not turn up. The rest of OKA leaders attended the NDC and this is where Kalonzo announced he will support Raila’s presidential bid. Karua had earlier snubbed Jubilee and ODM NDCs that were held on the same day.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka took a long time to decide on whether to join the Azimio La Umoja movement or not. During this period, I would ask this question. Did Martha Karua, the leader of Narc Kenya and one of her partner in One Kenya Alliance [OKA], have a hand in this?
Before I explained this, allow me to say. The Azimio’s two principals-President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga-did not want to leave Kalonzo behind. This is because they were considering him to be a key player in the journey of transformation of this country that Kenyans yearned for.
So, whenever Kalonzo held joint or separate talks with the duo, he would always express his willingness to work with them. “As national leaders, we shall be judged very harshly by the history if we allow the DP Ruto, who is too tainted with his name being associated with mega corruption scandals and other social ills, to take over power”, he would openly reiterate.
But in a swift turn of events that would seemingly even leave Uhuru and Raila baffled, Kalonzo would change the tune and harden his position. This would happen moment after holding a meeting with OKA principals.
Going by the remarks and body language of the two OKA leaders-Gideon Moi and Cyrus Jirongo, one thing was however clear. They were willing to work with Raila Odinga and have their respective parties sign coalition agreements with the Azimio. What does this tell you? The two had nothing to do with the hardening of Kalonzo’s position.
So, who was pulling them down? Obviously, many reasoned that it was Martha Karua, the only remaining partner. Karua’s previous sentiments and body language would be cited. At one point, she came out gun-blazing to denounce the reports that OKA was planning to join Azimio. OKA is a coalition just like Azimio. If we opt to join any of the existing coalitions, we will do that without looking at past records of its principals. We will only consider one thing: The coalition that will accommodate our interests.
Here, many believed she was warming up for Ruto’s UDA and his Kenya Kwanza coalition. To justify this, they would cite Karua’s new-found friendship with MP Moses Kuria. The media reports indicated that she was holding frequent meetings with him.
Kuria looked smart. He had formed a party called Chama Cha Kazi, and as the chairman he would use it as a platform of negotiating and brokering political deals. This time, he was widely viewed as Ruto’s emissary and his main assignment was to play all tricks in the book that would eventually help the DP secure the support of OKA leaders.
During the Azimio National Delegates Conference [NDC], Karua did not turn up. The rest of OKA leaders attended the NDC and this is where Kalonzo announced he will support Raila’s presidential bid. Karua had earlier snubbed Jubilee and ODM NDCs that were held on the same day.
Given this scenario, one may ask. Is Karua heading to Kenya Kwanza or she will go it alone?
I would not expect her to join Ruto’s bandwagon if she truly believed in the gospel she has been preaching to Kenyans. She is known to be a no-nonsense woman when it comes to fight against corruption. Ruto and top allies had been adversely mentioned in mega cases of graft that had rocked the country since the era of President Daniel Arap Moi.
She was also a key player during the clamor for multi-party democracy and the new constitutional dispensation. Ruto, on the other, was totally opposed to these agitations. He was a true follower of Moi’s Nyayo and would not shy from defending his dictatorial regime at all cost.
So I doubt Karua will go that low to a point of allowing politics of survival and stomach to enter to her head. A number of elected from Mountain have been playing these politics. If Karua joins them, this would ruin her well-documented track record.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a Political Analyst and Blogger Based in Nairobi
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