Why Uhuru snub of ‘bus’ party disappointed Kiraitu

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Updated 6 hrs 21 mins ago

By Francis Ngige and James Munyeki

For South Imenti MP Kiraitu Murungi, the perfect plan was to create a party, corner the Meru vote and coax Uhuru Kenyatta to be its presidential candidate.

The Energy Minister strongly believed Uhuru would gravitate to his Alliance Party of Kenya “bus”, and acknowledge Murungi as a key powerbroker in Mount Kenya with APK as the party of choice.

Instead Uhuru launched his own outfit, leaving behind plenty of wounded egos and hurt feelings among the Meru who now feel slighted at once again being the bridesmaid and never the bride in a major political contest.

Those closest to Murungi have not made matters easier, with North Imenti MP Cyrus Muriuki accusing the Kikuyu of taking advantage of the Meru for political expediency.

 “The Ameru have been taken for a ride for a very long time. We need to support a candidate who will take care of our interests,” said Muriuki.

Apparently, Murungi did not bet on the DPM’s determination to have a party over which he has full control. Uhuru’s closest aides were convinced that joining the APK bus would bog him down in negotiations for party positions and hold him hostage to Murungi.

They convinced him to use his own party and negotiate from a position of strength with the various voting blocs in Mount Kenya region, including the Meru. Since Uhuru launched The National Alliance (TNA) as his preferred political vehicle, APK is now in danger of being dubbed the “Meru bus”. Murungi has not hidden his disappointment and has vowed to soldier on with his “bus” crusade.

Murungi’s APK was established from the PNU Alliance after a protocol signed between Uhuru, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka,  PNU’s Prof George Saitoti, and Kinangop MP David Ngugi representing smaller parties.

Indeed Murungi and a cabal of MPs under the PNU flag convinced many that APK was Uhuru’s final destination. It was renamed to distinguish it from PNU, the vehicle through which Internal Security minister Prof Saitoti is gunning for the presidency.

Uhuru’s decision to launch TNA stunned Murungi and many established MPs in Central Kenya who were left bewildered and calculating future political moves.

And the talks of behind-the-scenes manoeuvres by some Uhuru supporters to have other political parties with roots in Mt Kenya region to dissolve in favour of TNA has not helped the situation.

At the weekend, a visibly angry Kiraitu told an APK meeting in Meru that there is no way the party is giving up, insisting that the “bus” remains open for the ideal “driver” (presidential candidate) to take the wheel.

‘Vote for dogs’

“Those interested in our (Meru) vote should come for us, not the other way round. We are not going to look for those interested in our support. It is them who should come and talk to us as APK. We are not going to compromise on this position,” Kiraitu thundered at the meeting.

“APK members are the ones who will decide who to support. We will look at each presidential aspirant and back the one who impresses the most with his vision for the country,” said Murungi.

During the APK national delegates convention, Kiraitu said the “driver” of the party would be picked from Uhuru, himself and Saitoti who signed the protocol to work together.

All has not been well since Uhuru launched TNA as there have been attempts by some of his supporters to insist on the dissolution of some outfits in favour of TNA.

Remarks by Kikuyu MP Lewis Nguyai that the region “would better vote for dogs rather than leaders who belonged to small parties” has not gone well with leaders in other political parties.

A barrage of criticism has greeted the declaration by Nguyai that all parties in the region should be dissolved to ensure that TNA is the dominant party. Some MPs have asked the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to investigate the local Government assistant minster over remarks he made in Ol-Kalou last week.

But an aide of Uhuru denied there was any fallout, saying the support for the DPM is still intact.

“Those are difference in ideas and this is very healthy. It is not in  Uhuru’s interest that all the political parties be dissolved,” said the aide. TNA officials have described Nguyai’s sentiments as personal and unfortunate.

“We respect other parties and are ready to work with like-minded parties,” said TNA chairman Johnson Sakaja. Cracks have emerged in the political leadership of the region with dissatisfied politicians accusing some Uhuru followers of practising dictatorship. Yesterday, Ol-Kalou MP Erastus Mureithi said the statements were ill advised and Nguyai should be asked to explain.

Insult leaders

Nguyai was also criticised by Mukurweini MP Kabando wa Kabando and former Cabinet Minister Mutahi Kagwe who described his sentiments as self-defeatist.

Assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri and former Mathira MP Nderitu Gachagua has also been up in arms over the proposal for herding the region into one party. In his statement yesterday, Mureithi said the remarks by Nguyai were meant to divide the leaders from Central region.

He regretted that instead of leaders from Mt Kenya region uniting and rallying behind Uhuru, they were dividing the votes by trying to show that they are closer to Uhuru than others.

“This should not be the case and we should come together and support one of us despite us being from different parties. As long as we have the same focus, parties should not divide us,” he said.

He added: “The assistant minister should be investigated for demeaning people from the region by the saying that they can vote for dogs. We are respectable leaders who should be respected.”

Kiunjuri, a supporter of Uhuru and GNU party leader, has also disagreed with the proposal to have parties dissolved despite having said in the recent past that people from the region should belong to one party so as to command better bargaining power for Government positions.

“We should have a party that has the focus of all people from central region. That is how we can benefit as people from central whenever it comes to Government appointments. That is the main reason why we formed GNU,” he said.

Assistant minister Lee Kinyanjui said: “Assuming that he (Nguyai) was not misquoted, I find it to be most unfortunate that while the country is looking for leadership to drive the country to the next level, we want to place party loyalty before merit.

Power is vested on parliament, and all the key decisions will be made there. TNA is a great party, why can’t we strive to attract the best brains and not dogs?”