ANC leader’s calm nature may be Nasa saving grace

Mr Musalia Mudavadi is a political treasure trove that remains unexploited.

The 20th-century guru of success psychology, Napoleon Hill, once told of a frustrated man who gave away thousands of acres of his rocky land for a song.

He failed to read the signs of the diamonds beneath.

In Mudavadi, the National Super Alliance (Nasa) has its fallow political goldmine.

If Nasa does not tap into this resource, the chances of success are like the snowball’s in hell.

Mudavadi has an easy-going and likeable personality. He comes across as someone who means well and believes in the goodness of people.

His greatest weakness is that he trusts people and seeks to harm nobody, not even politically. For this, he has often paid the heavy political price.

Some have read weakness in his level-headedness, wishing that he could be more combative, controversial and disruptive.

Yet Mudavadi’s perceived weakness is also his greatest political asset. In his own words, he offers the electorate a pair of safe and stable hands.

He is a trustworthy individual with whom you could do business.

It is this trustworthiness that in 2002 saw him stand with President Moi and his chosen heir, Uhuru Kenyatta.

This was despite a clear stab in the back when Moi chose his Luhya backyard as the place to unveil his Uhuru Project.

NECESSARY ASSET

Many expected Mudavadi to join the rebellion against the project — and indeed, he did so, but only for a few days.

One lesson stands out in this gloomy political drama – you can trust Mudavadi.

If ticketed with Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, they will not only galvanise the Nasa strongholds, they are likely to cause major upsets in some perceived Jubilee zones, in such places as Meru and in significant swathes of the Rift Valley.

They are likely to sweep the entire Coast, lower and upper Eastern Kenya, as well as the Pokot and Turkana constituencies.

Indeed, Mudavadi and Kalonzo can lock in the entire Kisii, Kuria and Maasai vote as well.

In a word, put Mudavadi and Kalonzo together and you will leave Jubilee standing on very narrow and isolated thin ice.

The freshness and sobriety that they bring to the competition is just what the political doctor recommended.

Finally, without Mudavadi, Nasa will still get most of the Luhya votes. However, they will not fill up the basket.