Kiraitu: I’II not abandon the ‘bus’

Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi says he has no plans to abandon the Alliance Party of Kenya (APK) to join Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta’s The National Alliance (TNA).

In the first interview about his view of TNA and the future of the his ‘Bus’, Mr Kiraitu says APK had gone too far in recruitment and preparation for the General Election to change course.

“We do not understand the logic of TNA. Uhuru signed a Protocol in 2010 committing himself to seek presidential nomination through the Alliance with Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, and late George Saitoti. He joined us at the Co-operative College in Karen to launch the joint nomination rules. He was present at the Alliance headquarters during the launch of the party symbol, the ‘Bus’ with Kalonzo last January. Then he bolted to re-activate old Kanu, and then he bolts from cockerel party to launch TNA. In a space of six months he has been through three different outfits. We do not understand,” he said.

Falling out

The Energy minister and a group of PNU and ODM-Kenya MPs allied to Kalonzo, have been left in an awkward position after spending two years selling the Alliance as a political platform for Kalonzo, Uhuru and Saitoti, only for the DPM perceived as the glue that held the ‘Bus’ to leave and form his own outfit.

The Alliance party won South Mugirango, Kirinyaga Central, and Kamukunji by-elections and many thought it was evolving into a common front, until it suddenly splintered after the three leaders bolted and left Kiraitu in the ‘Bus’ alone.

To Kiraitu’s consolation, several senior players in central Kenya politics have rejected TNA, and it remains to be seen what options Uhuru takes to reach out and mollify those opposed to his party, or engage them in popularity contest.

Several MPs in the region have expressed fears TNA was overtly hostile to them and was displaying undisguised contempt to serving leaders at parliamentary and local authority levels.

 Worse for them, the falling out between Uhuru and MPs has made Narc-Kenya leader and presidential aspirant, Martha Karua, and Gatanga MP, Peter Kenneth, seem visionary and prophetic for bolting earlier from Uhuru’s political orbit.

Some say in its desperate need to be perceived as a party for the youth, TNA had alienated Uhuru’s traditional support base that may be uncomfortable with the likes of colourful city politician, Gideon Mbuvi alias Sonko.

Kiraitu, who is the gunning for the Meru County senator’s position cautioned, “If Uhuru needs our support, we will support him from the ‘Bus’, not TNA. But if he wished to take central Kenya back to 2007 where it was everyone for himself and Kibaki for us all, it is up to him.”

Collective front

The region has the largest concentration of small political outfits, almost a party per county, in some places two or three.

He claimed the people in the Alliance feel duped by Uhuru and have no intentions of joining TNA.

“We have done so much to build the Alliance Party in the last two years. The logic of the Alliance party as a collective front for central Kenya has not changed. Regional blocs are the reality of the layout of national politics, with Raila Odinga and William Ruto, Kalonzo and Musalia Mudavadi coming from solid regional blocs. This is the region that propelled President Kibaki to power and even lobbied for support from other blocs. Is Uhuru saying his home base does not count any more, while everyone else is going flat out to woo the region’s support?” Kiraitu posed.