Moses Wetang’ula a coward, Orange party now hits back

ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna addresses a past news conference at Orange House, Nairobi. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • ODM said it was dishonest for Mr Wetang’ula’s party to claim to be out of Nasa, yet hold on to seats in Parliament given to their members by virtue of being members of the coalition.
  • Mr Wetang'ula had on Monday termed the coalition a “history” which cannot be repeated as he took issue with ODM leader Raila Odinga for betraying Kenyans.

Mr Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) on Tuesday asked Ford-Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula to relinquish House leadership and parliamentary committee positions in an escalation of the war of words in the crumbling National Super Alliance (Nasa).

ODM said it was dishonest for Mr Wetang’ula’s party to claim to be out of Nasa, yet hold on to seats in Parliament given to their members by virtue of being members of the coalition.

The statement by ODM secretary-general Edwin Sifuna came just a day after Mr Wetang’ula said the coalition was dead, and that the Ford-Kenya party was courting new partners ahead of the 2022 State House race.

And, in an interview with the Nation, Mr Sifuna termed the Bungoma Senator a “coward” who wants to continue riding on conversations surrounding the opposition coalition.

“He has time and again said Nasa is dead but why doesn’t he send his official communication to the Registrar of Political Parties? What we know is that Nasa died after the January 30 swearing-in when the cowards could not turn up for the occasion, so seeing him bringing the issue each time he speaks is a clear indication that he cannot survive on his own,” said Mr Sifuna.

COUNTER ACCUSATIONS

Mr Wetang’ula, Wiper Party’s Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi of the Amani National Congress skipped the January 30 mock swearing-in of Mr Odinga as the people’s president, kicking in a series of accusations and counter-accusations that reached a crescendo when Mr Odinga shook hands with President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 9, without consulting his colleagues.

The problems facing Nasa were further escalated after Kitui leaders met Deputy President William Ruto, affirming remarks made by Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua that Wiper, another member of the Nasa coalition, might be seeking new partnerships to win the 2022 race.

FORM NEW ALLIANCE

“We are ready to work with any like-minded leader in the country. The Deputy President is a very senior politician in the nation being the deputy party leader of the Jubilee Party. There is no way we can wish him away in our efforts to form a new alliance towards the 2022 General Election,” Mr Wambua had said on Saturday in Kitui, two days before the Monday meeting.

In the meeting with the DP, Mr Wambua was accompanied by MPs Makali Mulu (Kitui Central), Rachael Kaki Nyamai (Kitui South), Nimrod Mbai (Kitui East), Paul Nzengu (Mwingi North), Vethi Nyenze (Kitui West), Dr Gideon Mulyungi (Mwingi Central) and Kitui Women Representative Irene Kasalu.

IGNORE HISTORY
Mr Wetang'ula had on Monday termed the coalition a “history” which cannot be repeated as he took issue with ODM leader Raila Odinga for betraying Kenyans.

“Nasa is a moribund organisation. It is history and we always say that those who ignore history run the risk of repeating it. We were in Nasa but suffered a massive betrayal by our presidential candidate and, as a party, we are now focused on how to strengthen our grassroots support,” said Mr Wetang'ula.

The Bungoma senator accused Mr Odinga of tribalism. “We have seen that since he got the chance to join the government, the issue of inclusivity is nothing to him. Those who are given top positions are people from his community. What about other Kenyans who supported him? That is not the way to go,” said Mr Wetang'ula.

By Patrick Lang’at, Mohamed Ahmed and Boniface Mwaniki