Wiper ready for mergers with like-minded parties

OKA principal and Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka addressing wananchi in Huruma after attending a Church service at Redeemed Gospel Church, Nairobi on February 6, 2022. [Dennis Kavisu, Standard]

Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka has said the party is ready to enter coalition agreements with other parties ahead of the April 9 deadline.

However, Kalonzo, whose party is in the One Kenya Alliance (OKA), said the precondition for negotiating any such coalition agreements was that the parties negotiate as equals.

While he appeared to suggest that his party and OKA were not decided on whether Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja was their destination, he made it clear that they would not join Deputy President William Ruto, the UDA leader whose party has partnered with ANC and Ford Kenya.

“The nature of Kenyan politics is in coalition building. There are others who were against it but are now on the front line and taking some of our former partners,” Kalonzo said, referring to Ruto, who spoke against coalitions in the past but has since teamed up with ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi and Ford-Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula to form the Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

Kalonzo said while he wished Mudavadi and Ruto the best, Wiper would go in a different direction. He said the party was intent on offering leadership without corruption; values some parties did not have.

At the same time, he said Wiper wanted to deal with what was registered, and Azimio was not. He revealed that the party was under pressure to go it alone, but was coalescing with others of like mind.

Political parties willing to register coalitions have up to April 9 to do so.

“We are ready to discuss with leaders who are open, whose character, philosophy and ideology we know,” said Kalonzo, who was still rankled by the acrimonious split from the National Super Alliance (NASA), which also included Raila’s ODM party.

“You can understand why people are also very careful to go into coalitions where you do not end up suffering, really from trust deficit,” he said.

“You sacrifice your political ambition for your country and they call you names and attack you and show no commitment to what you had agreed on.”

He said they would sit with all cards on the table ahead of the polls.

“You cannot negotiate with a weapon in your hands or in your pocket. So this is what it is: Sincere, open, transparent negotiations in good faith... negotiating without any pressure or any ill will, only guided by that which is in the best national interests,” said Kalonzo.

OKA has planned a series of rallies this week, including one in Tharaka Nithi on Thursday, where Narc-Kenya’s Martha Karua and Kalonzo are expected. 

Wiper Secretary General Shakila Abdalla Mohammed said the party and its partners in OKA were still in the process of consulting and considering possible coalitions.

“We will negotiate as equal partners and nothing less. As we do so, we will negotiate with partners in good faith and will engage in structured dialogue devoid of any machinations,” she said.

She said the party had not agreed that it would work with Azimio la Umoja. “Azimio is something that is not even known... So we don’t want to say that we are going to Azimio,” she said.