What is cutting between Raila and Wamalwa?
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Updated 6 hrs 22 mins ago
By Standard Team
What could have prompted Justice minister Eugene Wamalwa’s threat to quit G7 Alliance if its purpose is to stop Prime Minister Raila Odinga?
Was it to placate the people of Oyugis in Nyanza Province who he was addressing? Or was he throwing a jibe at some G7 Alliance leaders who he believes are building bridges with his rival— Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi — in the battle to control Western Province’s vote basket?
These are the burning questions dominating the political scene, especially given that the Saboti MP is reportedly fighting hard to reclaim loses suffered following the entry of Mudavadi into the presidential ring.
Despite these questions, what is certain is that Wamalwa is unhappy with the meeting between Eldoret North MP William Ruto, who is a key G7 Alliance member, and Mudavadi, and the fact that Mr Uhuru Kenyatta who is another key plank of the alliance, sent his confidants to Mudavadi’s rally in Kakamega last weekend.
It is widely believed that Wamalwa’s calculation was to become Uhuru’s running mate, if the International Criminal Court’s case does not stop him from running. Sources around the minister revealed his reasoning was that in a G7 Alliance primary, Uhuru would clinch the presidential ticket.
Alternatively, and which he now believes is a strategy threatened by the rapport building up between Ruto, Uhuru and Mudavadi, he would be the ‘compromise’ candidate the two leaders would support were they to be forced out of the race by their upcoming cases at ICC.
When he was appointed Justice minister to replace Mr Mutula Kilonzo who had embraced a pro-ICC approach, there were reports that President Kibaki gave him the position because it is believed that Wamalwa would be more enthusiastic to stop the case against Uhuru and Ruto given the two are his political allies.
During the Kakamega rally, Ruto and Uhuru — through Cabinet minister Jamleck Kamau and MPs Lewis Nguyai and Fred Kapondi — told the crowd they were ready to forge an alliance with Mudavadi with the view to selecting a single presidential candidate in the next General Elections.
This message must have sounded like a wake up call to Wamalwa who all along felt his place in the alliance was assured. It was therefore not surprising that he immediately talked of abandoning Ruto and Uhuru if their only mission is to stop Raila. His sentiments also came in the wake of reports that he is being isolated in the alliance. Mudavadi’s spokesman Mr Kibisu Kabatesi argues that Wamalwa should not blame his boss for ‘isolation in G7 Alliance’.
Gun for top seat
“If the G7 has ditched him because he has lost value, the Saboti MP should be honest and tell the public the truth instead,” explained Kabatesi. New Ford Kenya leaders, Housing Minister Soita Shitanda and Dr Bonny Khalwale, in whose party Wamalwa was seeking to gun for the top seat, have since dropped him and declared support for Mudavadi.
However, Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba, who is the PM’s new point man in Western, thanked Wamalwa for “seeing the light” before it was too late.
“I want to thank Wamalwa for deciding to walk on the right side of history. It is very encouraging of him to play mature politics and not Stone Age politics,” added the Budalangi MP in reference to the minister’s change of stand on Raila.
Inside Raila camp, there has since been speculation that Wamalwa could be approached because he may just deliver the fragment of Western Kenya’s vote that won’t go to Mudavadi.
Indeed, sources close to Wamalwa told The Standard that Luhya elders allied to him are said to have launched talks with the PM aimed at selling the idea of picking Wamalwa as his running mate. But the Prime Minister’s spokesman Dennis Onyango said the PM’s office was not aware of such a move, just as Wamalwa too denied reports that the PM was courting him. The minster maintained he was in the race for President and he had no plans of being anyone’s running mate.
Shitanda advised Wamalwa to bear in mind the fact that G7 Alliance was set up as a platform to pick a single candidate to face off with Raila in coming elections.
Shitanda as the New Ford Kenya party leader had earlier endorsed Wamalwa for presidency but changed tune when Mudavadi left ODM to join UDF, the party on whose ticket he will fight to succeed Kibaki.
Luhya elders
He, however, told the Saboti MP to be accommodative of others who have the same interests.
Shitanda wondered why Wamalwa was opposed to the blocking of Raila when he too was in the race in which one of the contestants is the PM. “As a presidential hopeful, Wamalwa should come out clearly this issue,” warned Shitanda.
It is also reported that ODM has mandated a section of Luhya elders to commence talks with Wamalwa because of perception he can deliver a sizeable number of Bukusu votes, which they believe won’t go to Mudavadi’s. The move started two weeks ago when some elders and a section of councilors from Bungoma County Council met new Local Government Minister Fred Gumo in Nairobi.
Mr Gumo together with Assistant Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister and Kanduyi MP, Alfred Khang’ati and Namwamba were tasked with countering Mudavadi’s influence in the region.
–Story by Peter Atsiaya, Robert Wanyonyi and Allan Kisia
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