G7 now plans pre-election pact

Presidential aspirants in the G7 Alliance are planning to form a pre-election coalition ahead of the General Election, it has emerged.

Details of talks between Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto emerged as United Democratic Forum (UDF) presidential aspirant Musalia Mudavadi declared he was ready to talk to the G7.

Aides said the three State House hopefuls who met at the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi on Thursday were determined to form a coalition to win the March 4, 2013 election in the first round.

A better chance

This follows a realisation they stood a better chance of beating ODM flag bearer, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, as a coalition as proved by the September 17 by-elections in Kajiado North and Kangema.

The aides said Mr Musyoka of the Wiper Democratic Party (WDP), Mr Kenyatta (The National Alliance) and Mr Ruto (United Republican Party) had dropped an earlier plan for a post-election coalition.

After the two-hour meeting, Mr Ruto said they were taking the talks to the next level.

“Together with others who are not here with us today, we want to chart a clear course as we go to the election,” he said. The pre-election alliance will reportedly include Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Eugene Wamalwa of New Ford Kenya.

Mr Ruto and Mr Kenyatta are also said to have separately reached out to Mr Mudavadi to join the loose network of parties.

Mr Mudavadi is said to have welcomed the idea and promised to attend future meetings as he had already scheduled campaign rallies in Coast Province starting on Friday, sources said.

Contacted, the UDF presidential aspirant said he was open to talks with other parties interested in ensuring that a team with aspirations to take Kenya’s development to another level forms the next government.

He, however, said he had not been invited to the Norfolk meeting. “I was not invited to the meeting because it was a G7 Alliance matter. However, we in the UDF are not averse to alliances that will help build a better Kenya. We are willing to sit down and talk with them,” he said.

The G7 Alliance revived talks on a deal that will see them field a single presidential candidate after the last month’s by-elections when Mr Musyoka and Mr Kenyatta held a meeting in the former’s office.

It was then followed by meetings between Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto on the one hand, and Mr Musyoka and Mr Ruto on the other.

Mr Ruto also held meetings with Mr Wamalwa to discuss the coalition.

It was on the basis of these meetings that Mr Ruto told reporters: “We have been consulting among various political players and looking at the various timelines before the General Election.”

He declined to name the other leaders, only saying: “You will see them, just keep your eyes wide open.”

A pre-election pact will result in the politicians choosing a single presidential candidate, running mate and the leader of the majority party in Parliament.

Sources said this is the advanced state at which the talks had reached and the leaders were expected to agree on the structure of the coalition which their technical teams have been working on.