Musalia Mudavadi doesn’t have the backbone to become president

NAIROBI: Musalia Mudavadi, who has spent significant moments of his career serving as number two to Kenya’s political kingpins, is at it again. Although the quiet, soft-spoken politician is often, not without basis, accused of being spineless, he has recently come out with guns blazing presenting himself as the ‘third force’, supposedly the voice of reason. In the realm of cognitive featherweights, this “Katikati Yao” philosophy has been tried before with dismal results. Mudavadi is taking no prisoners this time. He has gone as far as asking President Uhuru Kenyatta to step aside and call for elections to pave way for capable leaders to stabilise the country. For avoidance of doubt, the capable leaders he is talking about include him. He says the economy is now driven through “habitual management by default” and there is widespread graft driven by unaccountable officers. I agree. He should know a thing or two about grand corruption.

He claims he steered the country through the tumultuous 1990s when it had been made a pariah as a result of Goldenberg looting. “You have two choices to make come 2017: You can choose my team to restore sanity and give Kenyans a decent life because I know what to do or choose an incompetent Jubilee or a decaying CORD,” he said.
Mudavadi, an operative who has neither built nor invested in any significant political party or movement, seems to have a larger than life air of self-entitlement common in hereditary kingdoms.

He has been steadfastly dogmatic in his unshakable belief that he is predestined to lead this nation. He thought vindication was at hand in 2002 when for 60 days he was the Vice-President. Alas, the project ran aground. He was thrown out of parliament beaten by a political green horn Moses Akaranga. Dejected, he sunk into an abyss of irrelevance.
His political career was only rejuvenated in 2005 when he aligned himself with Raila Odinga, who later in 2007 picked him as his “running mate”. In the same polls he reclaimed his parliamentary seat and was subsequently appointed Deputy Prime Minister. His sense of entitlement however meant that he presumed his presidential fantasies could not wait. He was “furious” about a clause in the ODM Constitution which gave party chairman Mr Odinga, the automatic right to be the presidential candidate. He left ODM with the indignation of a man who would not be denied his rightful coronation by rascals.

Little wonder that he cemented his reputation for gullibility when he was wooed by Mr Kenyatta’s Jubilee Alliance ostensibly to be anointed flag bearer. Ignoring the many Kenyans who were cynical that he appeared to believe Mr Kenyatta would step down in his favour, a smug Mudavadi was smiling ear to ear at the press conference.

As one commentator put it at the time, he had all the puffed up, primed and set-up delusional haughtiness of the candidate with “strategic” but hidden wind assistance that had nothing to do with actual voters. When reality hit him that he had been duped, he announced that he would be running for president himself, aided only by his birthright to the throne. We all know how he fared. Since 2013, and despite genuine attempts, I have been unable to find any solid policy on alternative governance that I can associate him with.

Other than Senator Khalwale, his Amani coalition has been anything but useful during times of our country’s greatest need both inside and outside Parliament.

Between Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta, a Mudavadi “Third Horse” bid in 2017 will be ground to a fine dust. The time for power to be served on platters is long gone. It now takes significant amounts of charisma, skill, spine and agility. His Excellency Musalia Mudavadi may, much to his chagrin, find himself at a debilitating deficit of all four.