Uhuru rules out ethnic alliance

Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta at the weekend ruled out an alliance between the Kikuyu and the Kalenjin communities as politicians begun taking positions in preparation for the next General Elections. 

At the same time, allies of Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka  and Mr Kenyatta used the meeting in Molo to push for their leader as the best placed politician to lead the PNU team in 2012.         

The thanks giving ceremony for the election of Molo MP Joseph Kiuna was turned to a fierce political showdown with Kikuyu MPs from the Rift Valley warning that they will not automatically side with their counterparts from Central Kenya in future elections.

Mr Kenyatta’s position on the political cohabitation between the two committees was prompted by a remark by Nominated MP Musa Sirma who proposed that they should craft structures that will drive people of the Rift Valley to vote for a leader without tribal prejudices.

It was the only way, argued Mr Sirma, that the two communities can avoid the ugly scenes of ethnic clashes every election year.

“I am looking for a future that would allow voters in Rift Valley to rally behind a candidate without questioning his ethnic identity so that whoever leader we elect he/she will be held accountable for our political destiny,” said the ODM nominated MP.

However, Mr Kenyatta who is also the Trade minister dismissed the proposal of Mr Sirma on grounds that the Kalenjin MPs were not sincere.

“Such kind of arrangement cannot work because whereas some of us are sincere, our brothers on the other side are not. We have seeen this before,” he said. He said that the bad blood that featured in the region following the disputed Presidential election results showed the insincerity.

Speaking during the ceremony in Molo Township, VP Musyoka condemned the post election flare-up in Rift Valley and assured the residents to stay put in the region and despite the losses incurred, should invest back in their former legally acquired land.

“The law is very clear as stipulated in the constitution everyone has a right to own property in every part of the country and no one should threaten you to vacate the area,” said Mr Musyoka.

Mr Kiuna and his counterparts made it clear to their colleagues from the Central Province that the 1.5million Kikuyu vote in Rift Valley would not be “misused” as had happened since 1992 General Election “where we have been punished every five years to or after polls.”

“Our voters have learnt a lesson not to follow blindly their Central Province counterparts and instead come the 2012 elections we shall make a wise decision by unanimously deciding who to back so that no more displacements are witnessed in the politically instigated violence,” he said.

The Molo MP regretted that his constituency was the first casualty of the post election violence because of the assumption that PNU had rigged the outcome of the Presidential vote due to the delay in tallying process.

“When other regions were celebrating because President Kibaki had won last year elections, we we mourning because that is when the violence flared up because we were being accused of having rigged the outcome in his favour,” he said.

He was supported by Roads assistant minister Lee Kinyanjui , MPs John Mututho (Naivasha), Subukia’s Nelson Gaichuhie (Subukia), Musa Sirma (nominated) and Subukia parliamentary looser Kimani Ngunjiri protesting against forming alliance with their Central province counterparts.

Mr Ngunjiri-said they had resolved top forge for a political unity to stem out the rivalry brought about by tribalism and dismissed the “sympathy” potrayed by Central Province MPs on the victims of tribal clashes in Rift Valley.

“Where were you (Central Province MPs) when our people were fighting because of the political utterances and incitements that we witnessed during the campaigns and today we are seated here trying to mend the fences that may take ages before we reconcile the conflicting communities,” said Mr Ngunjiri.

Earlier, Mr Musyoka and Mr Kenyatta and their allies caused a stir when they landed at the venue in three choppers while others drove by road after keeping the audience waiting for more than six hours in what was attributed to political mistrust on who should address the crowd first.

The Trade minister’s allies among them the PNU chief Whip George Thuo and the VP’s ally deputy Chief Whip Joseph Muthama issued conflicting statements on the political way forward with each drumming support for their favourite candidate.

The meeting ended prematurely with Mr Kenyatta and his group leaving early even before the VP could address the tens of hundreds of their supporters who turned up during the Saturday meeting that ended at 6.30 pm despite having been scheduled to start at 11 am.

Mr Kenyatta who is the Kanu chairman, VP Musyoka of ODM-K, Cabinet ministers Martha Karua and George Saitoti are eyeing the State House seat in 2012.

The VP said the suspicion created by the media on the government day to day running was likely to jeopardize the national healing process through press reports highlighted about the prevailing rifts in President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

The circulars being issued from both the Prime Minister and President, he said should not be an object that can divide the nation because “the constitution was clear that President was head of State and Government.’

“The media is part of the government and what you write must not contribute in dividing the nation as witnessed early this year but instead we should all think positively as was the case when our country was a focus during the Beijing Olympics,’ said Mr Kalonzo.

The MPs who were in attendance vowed to oppose any constitutional amendments until the current constituency boundaries were reviewed to pave way for equal representation noting that some of the administrative areas were so large to allow equitable distribution of resources such as the devolved funds.

Among those present were MPs Ferdinand Waititu (Embakasi), Jamleck Kamau(Kigumo), Elias Mbau (Maragua), Ephraim Maina(Karatina), Lewis Nguyai(Kikuyu), David Ngugi(Kinangop), Nderitu Mureithi(Laikipia West), and Njeru Githae (Ndia).