G7’s two-pronged plan against Raila

Leaders in the G7 Alliance will lodge their power-sharing agreement with the electoral commission and the registrar of political parties in order to insure it against manipulation.

The plan is part of the proposals the group’s leaders are considering as they prepare to rally their supporters and launch their campaigns against ODM’s Raila Odinga.

The plan formed part of the discussions at a meeting in Dubai attended by Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Eldoret North MP William Ruto, Saboti’s Eugene Wamalwa and presidential aspirant Raphael Tuju.

The plan contains two main strategies. The first is to conduct primaries to determine the presidential candidate and running mate.

The plan would include a pre-election pact on how the parties under the G7 banner would nominate candidates for various positions in government.

The outstanding positions include the Majority Leader and the speakers of the Lower House and the Senate.

The second strategy is to have two or three teams running on different party tickets to make it difficult for ODM to make inroads in many areas across the country and eventually force a runoff.

Should they agree to split ways in the first round, Mr Kenyatta would pair with Mr Wamalwa while Mr Ruto would pair with Trade minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere, sources familiar with the draft proposals told the Sunday Nation.

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and Internal Security minister Prof George Saitoti would be encouraged to pick running mates and run in the first round. The results of the first round would determine what kind of alliance they would craft for the runoff.

The leaders and their political parties will sign an agreement that they will stick to the plan.

Dujis MP Aden Duale, a close ally of Mr Ruto, said they plan to deposit any negotiation with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to “give the agreement some insurance”.

Mr Kenyatta has called a meeting of the Kanu National Executive Council next weekend as he seeks to put his party in order like the other presidential hopefuls in the PNU Alliance.

The retreat at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha will also be attended by PNU MPs originally from Kanu

Aides and political allies of Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto confirmed that the leaders had held a number of meetings, culminating in the November 24 talks in Dubai.

The meeting was held a day after President Kibaki completed a four-day tour of the United Arab Emirates.

It is not clear whether the Head of State was aware of the deliberations, but he has in the past urged PNU leaders who aspire to State House to choose a single candidate to run on the party’s ticket.

The meeting was held at The Monarch Hotel at Number One Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai.

Mr Tuju would not directly confirm the Dubai trip but said: “It is true that there are engagements going on, and this has been happening all the time. You will find me with different persons engaging on different issues, especially those issues affecting the youth.”

Mr Kenyatta had travelled to Dubai as part of the presidential entourage on official business but was left behind to meet with Kenyans living and working in the UAE when the President returned home.

Mr Ruto and Mr Wamalwa had flown to the city a day after the presidential entourage left Nairobi. Mr Tuju is said to have cancelled a planned trip to South Africa to attend the Dubai meeting.

Neither Mr Musyoka nor Prof Saitoti attended the meeting. But Dujis MP Aden Duale said the two had been consulted.

“We in UDM have held talks with the Kalonzo, Saitoti and Uhuru teams since mid last month to try and craft a winning formula,” Mr Duale said.

Nominated MP Mohammed Affey, speaking for Mr Musyoka’s team, confirmed they had participated in the series of talks.

Broad mandate

“Our side believes that the next government will have the huge task of completing the implementation of the new Constitution and fast tracking the realisation of Vision 2030. We must therefore craft a major alliance that will win broad mandate from across the country in order to move the country forward. We will continuously engage our allies to ensure that by the time we form government we will reading from one script on all issue that matter to Kenyans,” Mr Affey told the Sunday Nation.

Mr Musyoka is the ODM-K leader, and his party, Mr Kenyatta’s Kanu, Prof Saitoti’s PNU and other smaller parties are part of the PNU coalition that forms one wing of the grand coalition government.

They are all key players in President Kibaki’s wing of the coalition and are jostling to succeed him.

They have lately been joined – at least in political opposition to Mr Odinga – by Mr Ruto who has been heading a rebellion of a section of MPs in the Orange party and has said he is running for the presidency.

The Dubai meeting dwelt largely on the formula that the leaders will adopt. The leaders have been working on political alliances but have yet to knit together a political vehicle capable of drawing in their supporters and retaining momentum until the elections.

They have previously tried out the G7 banner which was supposed to be representative of the seven leaders coming together, and, hopefully, drawing in support from their backyards in creating a national outfit.

The latest entrant in the group is Mr Tuju who in his campaigns has attempted to reach out to the youth and the “tribeless.”

But as they lay plans, the decision by the International Criminal Court whether to commit six Kenyans charged with crimes against humanity to trial is very much on their minds.

The six include Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto. Should the judges commit Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto to trial, it might turn out to be a hurdle.

First, it would take their time and attention as they fight off the accusations in an election year. Second, their opponents might find ready political fodder.

A three-judge bench is to decide by January 20, 2012 whether to commit the six Kenyans, who also include suspended Industrialisation minister Henry Kosgey, Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura, former police commissioner Hussein Ali and radio journalist Joshua Sang to full trial or drop their cases.

Contacted by the Sunday Nation, Mr Ruto said in his view, there is nothing in law that would stop him from running in the elections next year.

“I will be going to the ballot,” he said.