Raila, Kalonzo out to win over Central Kenya

• The Mt Kenya region vote will play a pivotal role in the political fortunes of both Mr Musyoka and Mr Odinga as they stake claim to State House in the year 2012.
• Both men will seize any opportunity to visit the region not only to test the waters but also to woe this key and crucial voting block.
• The Kriegler report alludes to the disparities in voting populations in Kenya’s constituencies, saying they breach the equality principle of democracy.

The gathering of senior politicians from across the political divide in Karatina last Sunday, ostensibly to attend the thank-you party of Mathira MP Ephraim Maina, brought to the fore pertinent issues that will most likely determine the future of the grand coalition.

At the meeting, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka led PNU allied ministers –George Saitoti, Esther Murugi and Kiraitu Murungi.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga brought with him close allies from the ODM side, including Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Lands minister James Orengo.

Underlying facts

On the face of it, it would appear that the deep-rooted suspicions that have haunted the coalition have thawed considerably for the bigwigs from across the political divide to come together for a thank-you party.

But the underlying facts are that it is increasingly becoming clear that the Mt Kenya region vote will play a pivotal role in the political fortunes of both Mr Musyoka and Mr Odinga as they stake claim to State House in the year 2012.

It is therefore expected that both men will seize any opportunity to visit the region not only to test the waters but also to woe this key and crucial voting block.

Though both men were warmly welcomed to the podium, it was clear from the crowd that the man of the moment was Mr Musyoka who was incidentally the guest of honour.

While more than 70 MPs from the region have implied that they are not averse to forming alliances, they have also made known the rules of engagement under which they will warm up to the idea.

Their demands might have deep implications on the constitutional debate and the political landscape in the coming months.

Top on the agenda is reviewing the constituency boundaries to reflect the population, a debate that was started by Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta a few weeks ago. He was also speaking in Nyeri.

The contention is that in most constituencies in the region, the number of registered voters has risen past the 100,000 mark.

The MPs present at the meeting pointed out that many constituencies in other provinces have a quarter of this population thereby violating the principle of equal representation.

“We are saying that this has to be sorted out before we embark on the constitutional review,” said Mr David Murathe, a key aide to Mr Kenyatta.

He added that one of ODM’s claims to victory was that the party had got more MPs than PNU.