President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee coalition has been linked to the political turbulence in ODM where a group of legislators are feared to be stirring a revolt in the Raila Odinga-led party, slightly over a year to the next elections.
The attempted ouster of ODM Secretary General Ababu Namwamba by some officials led by lawyer Edwin Sifuna on Friday and a series of secret meetings attended by ODM’s disgruntled MPs have put the opposition party at a crossroads.
The secret meetings go hand in hand with high profile visits to CORD strongholds by the President and Deputy President William Ruto. Two weeks ago, the President and his deputy camped in Ukambani for three days where they promised to roll out development projects. Earlier this week, Ruto was back in Ukambani with more goodies.
Recent appointments to State corporations point to a strategy to tap political support from individuals and regions believed to be opposition strongholds.
ODM leaders led by party chairman John Mbadi have accused Jubilee of trying to split the party. They have asked dissatisfied members to be patient and use internal party mechanisms to resolve any disputes.
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The Jubilee top brass led by the President have in the last three months made forays into Kisii, Ukambani and Western; regions the Jubilee party believes would give it the swing vote for re-election.
And a section of Jubilee politicians led by Leader of the Majority Aden Duale are now bubbling with excitement: “The writing is on the wall because CORD will certainly fall and disintegrate terribly. Western and North Eastern people have seen the light.”
Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a claimed the recent fallout between Raila and Senator Moses Wetang’ula during the launch of the latter’s presidential campaign in Kakamega was a boon to Jubilee.
Early in the week, seven Members of Parliament from Western Kenya region accused Raila’s party, ODM, of habitually “bullying, intimidating and wrongly profiling the Luhyia community.
“As ODM leaders from Western Kenya, we reject the persistent habit in our party to treat us as second rate members, the trend goes all the way to Ford-Kenya 20 years ago when similar tricks were employed in an attempt to derail the rise of the late Michael Kijana Wamalwa,” they said.
They claimed a similar campaign was waged against former Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi in 2012; the same machinations, they said, were being employed against party Secretary General Ababu Namwamba.
But there was a more direct insinuation that the party leader was also undermining the Western Kenya region by Jubilee politicians.
“It is true that Jubilee is making serious inroads in Western Kenya. But it has got nothing to do with money. It just coincides with the finalisation of key pledges made to the region. The revival of Pan Paper, injection of cash into the key sugar factories, commissioning of key roads as part of the 10,000 kilometres project, launch of the Last Mile Electricity connectivity programme and the ongoing NYS youth empowerment programme are not lost on voters,” Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria said.
It has since emerged that ODM’s disgruntled MPs are mobilising resources to acquire and revamp the Labour Party of Kenya (LPK) currently headed by Julia Ojiambo. They want to use the party as their political vehicle in the 2017 elections.
“Paul Otuoma (Funyula) and Ababu Namwamba (Bundalang’i) together with Wilbur Ottichilo (Emuhaya), John Waluke (Sirisia), Andayi Andola (Khwisero), Chris Omulele (Luanda) and Silverse Anami (Shinyalu) have held meetings where they met a number of aspirants and convinced them that they will be funded in the campaigns if they decide to join and run on an LPK ticket,” said a former MP. An aspirant from Webuye who attended the meeting said the leaders reported that Deputy President William Ruto had promised to bankroll their party with an initial Sh100 million for operations.
Former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo said he was aware of last Thursday’s meeting and said the MPs led by Namwamba and Otuoma were closely working with the Deputy President who was supporting them to revamp LPK ahead of next year’s polls.
“We know (Deputy President William) Ruto is helping them to jumpstart LPK in preparation for the August 2017 General Election. Maybe he (Ruto) wants to increase the support base for the Jubilee coalition in 2017, or he could be targeting a Luhyia running mate in 2022. It could well be a political strategy to just balkanise the community’s vote so that it cannot have a formidable impact in the next elections,” said Jirongo.
Yesterday, Ruto made his twentieth trip to the Western Kenya region since Jubilee took office in what is seen as a sustained political foray to endear himself to the vote-rich region that voted overwhelmingly for CORD’s Raila Odinga in the 2013 presidential elections.
Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi said it was obvious that the Jubilee coalition was eager to stoke dissent in ODM and keep it busy in a political rat race. “We know that Jubilee is not happy with the way ODM and CORD have remained intact and they will use any means possible to destabilise us,” said Wandayi.
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed said: “We in ODM are determined to stay focused on the ultimate price of taking the government from the Jubilee coalition.”
Asked if he was exiting ODM into Labour Party, Namwamba said those anticipating they would leave the party should think otherwise.
“We are part of the founder members, those claiming that we want to leave the party, could as well think of leaving themselves because we also own the party,” said Namwamba.
Responding to speculation over his absence in party events, especially the street protests, Namwamba said consultations had been lacking and that was why the demos were concentrated on Nairobi and the larger Kisumu area.
“Did you see Oparanya leading demos in Kakamega? Did you see Wetang’ula taking to the streets in Bungoma and Kitale or Kalonzo on the streets of Machakos?” he asked.
ODM chairman and Suba MP John Mbadi said Namwamba and Otuoma’s grievances would have been best handled by the party top organs. “We have the Central Management Team and the National Executive Council. These are the organs of the party where such senior politicians can lay bare their complaints,. not in the public,” said Mbadi. “I don’t take offence with what they said. ODM party has not undermined any leader. I wish they could have handled the matter differently. They are valuable members of the party.’’
Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and a close ally of the DP dismissed the allegations that Ruto was rocking the opposition’s boat. “Ruto is the Deputy President of all Kenyans and is free to interact with everyone and visit every part of the country. The opposition should know that their support base is dwindling because Kenyans now know that they have nothing to offer apart from mere rhetoric,” said Murkomen.
Political pundit Barrack Muluka said Raila needs to be careful or he will completely be isolated in Western Kenya. “Raila supporters in Western are fatigued with his same old style of political mobilisation. It is going to be very tough for him. The ground is not good,’’ he said.
He added that those speaking against Ababu don’t represent the Luhyia voice but rather exhibiting arrogance. “A man does not visit another man’s clan without his knowledge or permission. He should be careful with the utterances of those close to him,’’ advised Muluka.
ODM deputy party leader Wycliffe Oparanya wondered why the MPs were lamenting months before the 2017 polls. He maintained that the matter “is a small misunderstanding”which the party will address soon.
“I don’t see how party leader Raila Odinga can undermine his own MPs. When people want to pull out from the party, they give excuses. Why are they crying now as we approach elections,’’? asked the Kakamega Governor. Waluke said the party should take their grievances seriously. “The party has taken the Luhyia community for granted for too long. We also need to be recognised.,” said the only ODM legislator from Bungoma County.
