Ford-K now says will work with ODM

PNU affiliate Ford Kenya now says it will be working with the ODM to push for a new constitution.

Party leader Musikari Kombo announced in Bondo during a visit to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s home that the current political dispensation had been riddled by insecurity, corruption and impunity.

He said: “We have reached a point where we have to be frank and work with like minded Kenyans”.

The announcement is likely to cause ripples within the PNU internal order, with Narc Kenya the other affiliate, already operating on its own.

The loosely cobbled outfit which the President Kibaki used to get a second term has been disintegrating as the various parties seek more influence in the government.

Earlier, ODM Secretary General Prof Anyang’ Nyongo on Monday extended an olive branch to the party, hinting they could work together in future elections.

Mr Kombo, Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa and Raphael Wanjala attended a church service in Bondo after which the visited the mausoleum of the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

They were later hosted for lunch by Dr Oburu Oginga. Mr Kombo said that they had earlier met Prime Minister Raila Odinga who gave them the go ahead with the visit.

Prof Nyong’o said that the current crop of leadership in ODM and Ford Kenya were united in 2002 and a reunion was still a possibility.

“We were together in 2002 and if we come together, we can achieve the dream of taking Kenyans to the Promised Land in 2012,” he said.

Dr Oburu said that said that ODM was ready to work with Ford Kenya in pursuit of change.

He added that he was happy that they had renewed the vigour for change which is the party’s rallying call.

Mr Kombo said he led a party delegation to Bondo to “seek guidance from the spirit of Jaramogi on where the party had gone wrong”.

“Nothing else brought us here we just came to try and find a way forward”.

He said however that all parties had to work together to deliver a new constitution.

Mr Wamalwa said that Ford Kenya was willing to work with leaders who are reciprocal saying that some people had used them.

Mr Wanjala, a former Budalang’i MP, made the strongest hint of a possible joint onslaught at the presidency between the two parties by saying they would jointly strategise for the 2012 elections.

Mr Kombo said that their visit to Bondo was not an attempt to seek a tribal alliance with the Luo community but an effort to foster harmony and create an environment where all Kenyans respect democracy and diversity of ethnicity.

The visit came at a time when the party leadership is seeking to revive the fortunes of a party which was once the official opposition party.

Over the years, the fortunes of the party have waned from the nearly 40 MPs in 1992 to a single seat in the last elections.

Mr Kombo and Mr Wamalwa told leaders to keep off their selfish interests in the constitutional debate.

“The country will not move forward if leaders from different political divides will not unite as a team towards achieving constitutional reforms,” Mr Kombo warned.

The Ford Kenya delegation later hoisted a new party flag at the Jaramogi’s mausoleum, to replace an old one that had been put in place earlier.