Kalonzo Musyoka under siege as fresh row rocks Nasa

National Super Alliance presidential running mate Kalonzo Musyoka is facing perhaps the toughest challenge of his political career, with the Jubilee Party circling on one side and his friends-turned-rivals threatening the survival of his Wiper Movement Party ahead of the elections.

Mr Musyoka on Monday chose to let his lieutenants fight allegations against him made by President Kenyatta and a message by his erstwhile ally Francis Nyenze to Ukambani people to elect the Jubilee candidate instead of Nasa flag-bearer Raila Odinga.

The silence of the Wiper leader, the evasive tactics employed by Mr Nyenze in telling his side of the story and Kitui Senator David Musila’s allusion that Mr Musyoka has himself to blame for the tribulations he is facing in Ukambani present an interesting puzzle to political observers.

NOMINATED

The Wiper party harshly criticised President Kenyatta for claiming that Mr Musyoka has applied to be nominated to the Senate after the General Election. 

Jared Maaka Siso, Wiper executive director, said President Kenyatta's assertion in Bungoma that Mr Musyoka is headed to the Senate was political propaganda because the law is clear.

READ: It's headache for Kalonzo in Ukambani

“It’s based either on misinformation or they did it deliberately for political expediency. I want to think positive of him (President Kenyatta).

"He knows the reality, but he also knows that politics is about perception. He might look misadvised, which I think is not the case, but it could be a deliberate political manoeuvre to get the message out there that our party leader has been nominated,” said Mr Siso.

Citing the legal requirement that a nominated senator must be either a woman, a youth or a disabled person, Wiper said it “is as clear as daylight” that Mr Musyoka does not qualify for nomination to the Senate.

JOINT TICKET

Under changes to the Elections Act prepared last year by a joint committee, a party cannot put on its list for nomination someone it has already named as a candidate. The presidency is a joint ticket.

“We find the President’s statement strange because Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya has not yet compiled — let alone submitted — its list to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, whose deadline is June 24,” said Mr Siso.

A Wiper MP, who has remained loyal to Mr Musyoka, claimed that the President’s remarks are an attempt by Jubilee to pull Mr Musyoka away from Mr Odinga to disorient the opposition. Mr Musyoka has dismissed such claims in the past.

READ: Wiper: Nyenze is a lone ranger

While campaigning in Bungoma on Sunday, President Kenyatta hit out at the Nasa team, claiming that Mr Musyoka and Ford-Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula were vying for senatorial seats since they knew their coalition would lose.

MUSYOKA'S TRIBULATIONS

Mr Musyoka’s tribulations were also highlighted at the weekend when Mr Nyenze and Mr Musila attended a function for youth empowerment presided over by Public Service CS Sicily Kariuki where the National Assembly minority leader endorsed President Kenyatta’s candidacy over the Nasa flag-bearer.

“If somebody does well to you, you can’t forget. Can you forget those who have done well like Uhuru Kenyatta?” he said at Kauwi Primary School in Kitui County.

Speaking in Kamba, he strongly defended the Jubilee government against opposition claims that its performance was poor, citing the standard gauge railway as among the ruling party’s major achievements.

“Let’s not be swayed by politics of empty rhetoric by those alleging that President Uhuru hasn’t worked well. The truth is Uhuru has done a lot and we’ll elect those whose work can be seen,” he said.

While the Jubilee attack is external, and perhaps expected during the campaigns, the party has an issue to deal with following the endorsement of President Kenyatta by Mr Nyenze.

EXISTING MECHANISMS

“Essentially, we are consulting as we speak and definitely the party will have to use existing mechanisms to deal with such and other utterances from our leaders who seem to have allegiances in other quarters that we did not know earlier,” said Mr Siso.

In Ukambani, leaders called on Mr Nyenze to step aside and relinquish the party ticket to defend his Kitui West parliamentary seat as a way of appeasing Nasa supporters who felt betrayed by his remarks.

Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr accused Mr Nyenze of being driven by selfish gains to abdicate his solemn role as the face of opposition troops in Parliament with less than two months to the election.

“Mr Nyenze is free to switch political allegiances as many times as it pleases him, but he must either apologise to Nasa supporters or relinquish the Wiper ticket without delay,” the party vice-chairman wrote on his Facebook page.  

SOLIDLY BEHIND MUSYOKA

Kitui Rural MP Charles Nyamai said the Ukambani region was solidly behind Mr Musyoka and the Nasa coalition and that this would be manifested at the ballot.

“That endorsement has instead served to embolden the Kamba community’s resolve to vote for Nasa to the last man. The outrage of voters is clear even on social media and it will have no impact,” Mr Nyamai said.

Mr Musyoka now faces the daunting task of restoring harmony in his political house if he is to make a strong contribution to Nasa fortunes.

Mr Musila denied endorsing the re-election of President Kenyatta, arguing that he supported Mr Odinga’s bid.

He explained that he went to the function because it was part of his senatorial work to Kitui people.

BASED ON MERIT

“I did not endorse the President; I said leaders should be chosen based on merit. I am fully supporting Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga,” he said.

He went on: “I am an independent candidate seeking the Kitui gubernatorial seat. Some people still don’t understand the concept of being an independent candidate.

"Some people were saying that since Meko (his nickname) has gone to the NYS meeting, I have shifted to Jubilee. I don’t discriminate against people of various political parties. I am seeking votes from all.”

However, he blamed Mr Musyoka for the crisis facing Wiper, which has seen his close friends Senator Johnson Muthama and businessmen Paul Muthoka and Chris Musau withdraw their support.

According to Jane Mwende Kibati, there is a real prospect of Wiper losing many parliamentary and governor seats in Ukambani and hence affect the overall performance of Nasa.

“The consequence of the bungled primaries and resignation of key party officials is that we are staring at the possibility of the Ukambani region moving from being a Nasa stronghold to a battleground with the Jubilee party,” said Mrs Kibati.

RESPOND TO CLAIMS

In Machakos, residents warned that the feud between Mr Musyoka and his former friends was Wiper’s Waterloo.

“Mr Musyoka has lost control of the Kamba community. Definitely a new crop of leaders will replace him,” wrote political analyst Robert Nzivo on WhatsApp.

Meanwhile, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale has challenged Mr Musyoka to publicly and directly respond to the President’s claims instead of going through his party officials.

He claimed that Jubilee received information on Saturday about the Wiper leader’s plans.

“It is Kalonzo to reply to us. We have credible information, even from his own inner cycle, which includes the likes of Nyenze, that for him to be relevant in the presidential race in 2022, he has to be ... in one of the Houses.

"[The] National Assembly was ruled out because it will have so many young people so they set eyes on the Senate,” he said.

Additional reporting by Steven Muthini