By Stephen Makabila                             

Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo is a man on the spotlight, fighting three-pronged political wars concurrently as he positions himself to put his name on the presidential ballot for the first time.

Mr Jirongo is at war with State House, which has dismissed his claims on ‘political projects’ and told him to focus on his presidential bid. On the other front, Jirongo is at war with Eldoret North MP William Ruto in the United Republican Party (URP), and is also in a supremacy battle with Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi in their Western home-turf.

The real war, however, seems to be in URP and Jirongo is set to bolt out from the party he joined forces with Ruto to form last year, and launch his own party.

It has also emerged the two are not in talking terms and none has called the other for months.

Even after State House dismissed his claims, amid a litany of attacks from Ruto and MPs allied to him, Jirongo has remained defiant.

In an interview with The Standard On Sunday, the Lugari MP whose relationship with Ruto dates back to their Youth for Kanu ‘YK-92 Days’ describes URP as a pale shadow of what it was meant to be. He says it is a personal outfit under the Eldoret North MP’s cronies.

“The URP’s slogan was ‘Kusema na Kutenda’, but it’s now a party of ‘Kusema na Kusema’, without any focus other than being misused in the Kibaki succession matrix,” claimed Jirongo.

On State House, Jirongo says he stands by his claims because the truth was self-manifest.

 “I am not the first one to speak about it. Mudavadi once hinted while speaking in Busia that some forces wanted him to part ways politically with Prime Minister Raila Odinga and it came to pass. Other leaders including the PM, MPs Ababu Namwamba and ministers Paul Otuoma and Eugene Wamalwa have also spoken on the issue of ethnic polarisation,” added Jirongo.

President Kibaki warned Jirongo in a statement released on Tuesday, to stop being obsessed with State House.

 A statement from the Presidential Press Service had termed Jirongo’s  ‘political project’   remarks as “careless and irresponsible”.

He, however, maintained that he would not be intimidated into silence, and would continue speaking out his mind so long as what he says is the truth.

Jirongo said he was quitting URP because the Ruto group had made it difficult for him to run for president on the party ticket.

“I have no problem with Ruto becoming president, but I cannot accept political manipulation because that is manipulating democracy. You cannot compete for presidential nomination in URP with someone hiding near the finish line when you are at the starting line,” he added.

MPs allied to Ruto had earlier challenged Jirongo to quit and join a party of his choice. They accused him of being an ODM mole in URP.

Rivalry

 “It’s clear that Jirongo is an ODM mole in URP. He should just leave. We don’t need him,” said Belgut MP Charles Keter.

But the Lugari MP dismissed the MPs’ claims saying while they ran for elections on an ODM ticket in the last General Election, he ran independently on his own party ticket, Kaddu, and has therefore no business with ODM.

 Asked whether his political relationship with Ruto was redeemable now that he was quitting URP, Jirongo said: “There are no permanent enemies in politics, but permanent interests.  If we may have to work, it cannot be within the URP format.”

In Western Province, Jirongo is not politically in synch with Mudavadi, with their rivalry being traced back to old Kanu days.

He has insisted Mudavadi is a project and does not represent the region in the presidential race.

 Jirongo and Mudavadi have fought many political wars.  At one time the Kanu regime had to prevail on the Lugari MP to step down for the Sabatia MP to secure one of the four Kanu vice-chairmanship positions that were up for grabs ahead of the 2002 General Election.

Jirongo indicated that he would launch his new party, within the next one or two weeks. “I am carrying out wide consultations and will take one of the existing parties, then develop a formidable alliance with other key partners I am in talks with,” he said.

Q…Are you in talking terms with Ruto?

I have not bothered to call Ruto and he has never bothered to call me as well. I do not know whether we are in talking terms anyway. There is nothing Ruto can tell me and he knows it.

Q…What about claims you hoped top take advantage of Ruto’s ICC cases to emerge as the URP presidential candidate?

It’s also unfortunate for some of them to argue I was hoping to capitalise on Ruto’s ICC case to become the party presidential candidate. How on earth can it be when I personally sought ministers James Orengo and Fred Gumo to convince the PM to talk to his co-principal Kibaki to back the idea of having ICC cases after elections?

Q…When are you launching your party?

Within a week or two. I am carrying out wide consultations and will take one of the already existing parties, then develop a formidable alliance with other key partners.

Q…You have equally talked of one region wanting to retain power. You have also talked of 2002 forces that wanted to cling to power and current forces with similar intentions. How are you going to resist these forces?

The best way to resist forces of darkness is to expose them and we are not going to tire in doing so.