Wiper, CCM pact with Jubilee Party signals Nasa slow natural death

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has revealed that a coalition agreement with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee party will be concluded soon, in what could be the start of the end of the Nasa coalition.

This comes after Wiper and former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto’s Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM), both members of Nasa coalition, signed a cooperation agreement with Jubilee Party yesterday and pledged to support President Kenyatta’s agenda for the country “fully”.

Both Wiper and CCM entered into a coalition agreement with Raila Odinga’s ODM, Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC and Ford-Kenya of Moses Wetang’ula to compete against Jubilee Party ahead of the 2017 General Election.

But Wednesday, Mr Musyoka, who spoke at the Jubilee Party Secretariat after the signing of the agreement, said the National Executive Council (NEC) had given a green light to the party to start coalition talks with the ruling party.

“Our main intention is to form a coalition agreement with Jubilee. We have no doubts in our minds of the direction we have taken,” Mr Musyoka said, noting that his party is consulting the other Nasa affiliates “in a very friendly manner.”

During the cooperation agreements signing, Jubilee party was represented by Secretary-General Raphael Tuju and party chairman Nelson Dzuya. The outspoken and former Gatanga MP David Murathe, Jubilee’s vice chairman was also present.

A pointer that things are not working in Nasa is the admission by Mr Kalonzo that the coalition’s organs are not working.

“The Nasa summit has never met since the 2017 election. The National Coordination Committee has also never met. We need to ask ourselves, why are we holding back our members? We cannot hold our members to ransom,” he said.

Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, who is also Wiper Party’s vice chairman, said Wiper’s cooperation with Jubilee started last year.

“Mr Kenyatta and Mr Musyoka formed a committee last year, so that the two parties could work together. And today, we have just ratified the first phase of the talks,” Mr Kilonzo Jnr said.

According to Mr Musyoka, President Kenyatta’s gracing of the event yesterday had been hampered by the reported Covid-19 cases at State House where about four of his staff have tested positive for the disease.

“Were it not for Covid-19, the President would be here. But we have told him to put the State House under lockdown in a similar manner he did to the counties of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale. This is not a disease to take lightly,” he said.

The independence party- Kanu led by Baringo Senator Gideon Moi has already signed a pact with Jubilee.

ODM and ANC have announced that they will support President Kenyatta’s agenda but are yet to pen any working arrangement.

The change in political behaviour could be a sign of emboldening the push for Constitution change through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

The 14-member BBI steering committee’s mandate was extended early this year by President Kenyatta to distil the report and establish areas that can be implemented through administrative action, policy, legislation as it leaves constitutional issues to go to the referendum.

Mr Ruto noted that even as his party works with Jubilee, it will not abandon its ideals neither does it mean dissolution.

“We were the first party to do a handshake with Jubilee for the peace of this country. We will continue to push for a better governance because we have seen what happens when leaders refuse to work together,” said Mr Ruto.

According to the Nasa coalition agreement, the coalition shall stand dissolved either at the end of the life of the current Parliament or if three partners formally write to the Office of Registrar of Political Parties announcing disengagement.

Mr Odinga has previously unequivocally said that the coalition could be existing on paper when he admitted that its main objective was to form the government.

But because it did not form the government, according to Mr Odinga, every party was free to chart its political course.

Mr Wetangúla recently said: “ODM is doing everything possible to try and force the collapse of Nasa. But there is the issue of assets and liabilities before we can pronounce Nasa as dissolved.”

But ODM, through its National Treasurer Mr Timothy Bosire, questioned the assets Mr Wetangúla was referring to.

He said Nasa affiliates were not party to their Sh4 billion political parties’ windfall since that was courtesy of ODM’s numerical strength in Parliament.

Mr Mudavadi on the other hand has been clear that his party will not pull out of the coalition.

Mr Musyoka said that he fully supports the BBI process “because it will unite the country.”

Asked if he was warming up for a Cabinet slot, Mr Kalonzo said; “I cannot resign from my party position to join the Cabinet two years to a General Election.”