Will the real Ma-Dvd rise up? ANC chief’s ‘tusijidanganye’ kick flying between defending and striking

When he professed himself to be Kenya’s Lionel Messi in 2012, ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi, famous as Ma-Dvd, promised to score goals of unity, stability and investment.

At the time, he firmly fixed his sights on the presidency. The son of Mululu had just ditched ODM after the party declared its leader Raila Odinga the sole striker. By declaring himself Messi, Ma-Dvd hoped to dribble the ball past Raila and outclass the self-acclaimed icon of Kenya’s political soccer. But matching up to Messi required alacrity in footwork as well as longer staying power for the rugby player transitioning into football.

And contrary to expectations, scoring goals was not going to be as easy as bagging tries. Two elections later, Ma-Dvd has excelled at shooting off target.

In 2013, he came a distant third in the presidential election, failing to secure a paltry 10 per cent of either President Uhuru Kenyatta or Raila’s votes.

Resigned to the reality that he wouldn’t score any goals, he assumed the role of playmaker, the political tiki-taka of delivering short crisp well timed passes.

But the ANC leader lacked timing, holding onto the ball when it should be tapped to the striker for the killer volley. Messi has won accolades courtesy of his deep well of goals that never runs dry; goals most notable for being spectacular.

The football god has, however, earned the affection of fans more for his ability to keep the ball glued to his feet and for weaving through defenders with refined ease. Like Messi, Ma-Dvd has proved to possess unmatched grace with his footwork. So mesmerizing he has been over the years that his movements have left everyone wondering whether he is an attacker or a defender.

Even Messi, who can’t defend to save his life, would be jealous of how the ANC leader keeps his feet on halves of the pitch. Typical Ma-Dvd. Always dithering.

But the Argentinian legend needn’t beat himself too hard for coming second-best to Ma-Dvd. The former vice president, and deputy prime minister, has, arguably, had more practice.

God-fathered into politics after the death of his father, Moses Mudavadi, in 1989, the Tusidanganyane hitmaker who has scripted the earthquake and holds the copyright to ‘Nasa hawa’ has spent a significant part of his political life sampling views atop different fences.

He discovered his love for fences in 2002, in the wake of an earthquake that propped President Kenyatta as Kanu’s presidential candidate in that year’s election.

After dithering, announcing he would seek the presidency and later developing cold feet, Ma-Dvd threw his weight behind Uhuru’s candidature.

The Narc earthquake, which decimated Uhuru, did not spare the former mheshimiwa for Sabatia, who was fried by a newbie, Moses Akaranga.

Ma-Dvd would spend years on another fence, debating whether he should rejoin politics or live out his days in the warm company of family.

And Raila would later sensationally claim it was Ma-Dvd’s better half who had made the decision, rejoining politics, for him after he had “become a nuisance in the kitchen.”

Then came 2012, before he bolted out of ODM. As the rest of his colleagues, led by Deputy President William Ruto, left the Orange party, Ma-Dvd was, naturally, weighing his options.

He kept a foot inside ODM and another outside, finally leaving when the orange party closed doors for his presidential candidature.

The same script played out in the run-up to the 2017 polls as he toyed with the idea of backing Raila’s candidature. His past four years have seen more of his mantra play out. He has shifted goalposts (on his position on the Huduma Number), dithered on national issues (like the Building Bridges Initiative), and swallowed his words (never working with Ruto).

But the masterstroke is his ability to champion his candidature for the presidency on one side of the mouth and campaign for Ruto on the other. His favourite line now is “tusidanganyane”, meaning let’s not lie to ourselves. While his former supporters – currently defecting from his party – may not be amused by his flip-flopping ways, his current partner, Ruto, loves Ma-Dvd’s talents.

Out of a former attacker, Ruto has earned a defender, who now attacks those he (Ma-Dvd) once defended, like the president, who Ruto hesitates to attack.