I did my best for Raila, Mudavadi says as he fully embraces Ruto

Amani National Congress (ANC) leader, Wycliffe Mudavadi, has brushed aside his supporters’ demands to be unconditionally declared as Deputy President William Ruto’s running mate, maintaining the presidential race was not principally about him.       

“Whether I will be this or that is not the most important matter on my mind for now. We have mechanisms in place for addressing such matters and I have confidence that the right decision will be consultatively made and we shall stand by it,” he told The Standard in an exclusive interview. 

The reaction by the 62-year old politician follows sustained pressure by politicians allied to his ANC party, led by Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala, who recently warned they would not settle for anything less than Musalia deputising Ruto in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance and at the ballot.

On Saturday, the former Vice President sought to clear the air on the running mate question, explaining that the coalition agreement was still a work in progress and that it would culminate in the unveiling of either Ruto or Musalia as the flag bearer.

The ANC leader’s assertion comes in the wake of unconfirmed reports that he had already hammered out a power-sharing deal with United Democratic Alliance’s (UDA) and Ford-Kenya counterparts, Ruto and Moses Wetangula.

According to the plot, the DP has been allocated a 60 per cent share as compared to 40 per cent to be shared out between Musalia and Wetangula.

Confronted over the same, Musalia was cagey on the alleged report, which also states that the DP will select a running mate from the populous Mt Kenya region. 

Malala, who kicked off the storm over the running mate slot mid last month, has since gone quiet over the same, as well as colleagues from ANC and Ford-Kenya.

The Kakamega Senator has since been selected to fly the Kenya Kwanza flag as Governor for Kakamega County.   

In the interview covering a wide range of issues, Musalia who served as Deputy Prime Minister in the 2008-2013 Grand Coalition Government, also seeks to shake off the tag of an either-neither man and a flip-flopper, especially with regard to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) question.

While he endorsed the exercise by personally appending his signature to the document, Musalia who has since shifted allegiance to the DP, was among those who celebrated the Supreme Court’s recent ruling ultimately halting the exercise kicked off by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Since teaming up with the DP in late January this year, Musalia appears to have made a near 360 degrees turn on his beliefs and attacks on his newfound partner – a trend that has increasingly become the norm among the political class.

On Saturday, Musalia described Ruto as a suitable leader for Kenya and rubbished other considerations being bandied around about the DP as “irrelevant and tendentious”.

Below are excerpts of the interview:  

Mheshimiwa, you conceived the Earthquake mantra. Why? And in your opinion, is it still reverberating on the political scene?

The Earthquake intonation was a timely call for a paradigm shift in our politics. It was a conscious effort and passionate appeal for a change in our body politic.

Our political discourse has for too long been characterized by deceit, falsehoods and political cannibalism, and this needed to change!

Earthquake is a turning point towards re-engineering our politics and an attempt to inculcate a new approach to building consensus in a novel way based on a sound vision, ideology and honest leadership.

Are some politicians and political formations still experiencing the effects of the so-called “Earthquake”?  

Oh yes. Since, the advent of the Earthquake, the politics of the country have changed for the better. Some politicians are still restless while others are yet to find their footing. Thus, the earthquake has had a positive impact in many ways.And teaming up with DP Ruto, a hitherto political nemesis, was truly a political earthquake. Has this been a challenging experience for you?

On the contrary, my party and that of the Deputy President complement each other. We both focus on the economic needs of those at the bottom of the pyramid.

Even hustlers need pesa mfukoni (cash) There’s no discordance on this. We are in the process of formulating a comprehensive manifesto to underpin our public policies and programmes when we form the next government as Kenya Kwanza.

Probably because of the partnership with Ruto, you have lately been accused of flip-flopping on a number of issues, including your stand on the BBI, which you initially supported. Is this an accurate assessment?

Right from the beginning, I expressed reservations about certain clauses in BBI. I was unhappy with the proposal to have the Judiciary Ombudsman appointed by the Executive, and I said so.

I insisted that we underpin the need to tame our public debt in the Constitution but I was ignored. Back in August after the Court of Appeal ruling, I said the long-drawn BBI process was taxing to Kenyans and that we should now focus on more pressing matters that are crying out for attention. How come nobody accused me of flip-flopping at the time?

I insist that the most beneficial clauses in BBI, such as the increase in county funding and the creation of the Ward Fund, can still be achieved without getting into the laborious process of changing the Constitution.

Briefly share with Kenyans why you – as Kenya Kwanza – deserve the vote for the top seat on August 9

The difference between what we are offering and what our competitors are proposing is as clear as night and day. We have very clear and practical plans to economically empower Kenyans, particularly the common man who is struggling to eke out a living due to the poor policies of the current regime.

Poverty is man-made. It has no dignity and our people need a break from its suffocating stranglehold.   

Kenyans are yearning for a conducive environment where they can thrive without waiting for handouts and useless tokenism. They need a break from economic policies that are designed to maintain the status quo. Who doesn’t want pesa mfukoni?

How would you describe your relations with Deputy President William Ruto, and what is the political health of your new KKA outfit?

The DP is not a stranger to me. We have worked together very amicably in the past, such as during the 2002 and 2007 elections.

Our main area of convergence is the practical proposals for economic emancipation of Kenyans, a majority of whom are poor.

Thus, we get on very well. Kenya Kwanza is a viable outfit that is based on mutual respect and a serious concern for the economic plight of Kenyans.

Is the DP suitable for the top job?

Of course, he is suitable like the rest of us nominated for the presidential ticket for the 2022 General Elections by our respective parties.

The Kenya Constitution is very clear on the requirements for a person to qualify to contest for the top seat. Other considerations being bandied around about the DP are irrelevant and tendentious, to say the very least.

How about yourself – are you still in the race for the presidency?

You will recall that during the Earthquake event at the Bomas of Kenya I was endorsed as the presidential candidate for the Amani National Congress.

At the same time, my party mandated I seek out friends for coalition building. The two-party resolutions are not mutually exclusive.

For now, we are engaged in creating the Kenya Kwanza Coalition comprising UDA, Ford-Kenya and ANC.

The coalition agreement is still a work in progress that will culminate in unveiling one of us as the flag bearer for Kenya Kwanza.

Some of your supporters, including MPs allied to ANC, were highly opposed to your decision to work with the DP and accordingly decamped. What do you have to say to them?

They misunderstood our intentions and looked at the event at face value without fathoming the deeper meaning and political implications.

We shall ultimately be vindicated when the gains realized become apparent.

In hindsight, their decision to decamp was done in a haste and probably some may be regretting but too embarrassed to retrace their steps.

In fact, some of them may have presumed they were jumping from the frying pan but may have ended in the fire itself as underscored by how a few have changed parties twice in a short time span since they left ANC.

That speaks volumes about that poor judgement when they made imprudent decisions to leave ANC without deep reflection.

The good thing is that we have soldiered on without them, and we have credible aspirants that will compete with them for their parliamentary seats in the forthcoming elections.

Some of your allies have maintained that the running mate slot should be reserved for you. Comment

Let me remind you that I was mandated on January 23, 2022, by the ANC NDC to contest for president.

Simultaneously, the party authorised me to form alliances with friendly parties.

ANC made a deliberate decision to team up with UDA, Ford_Kenya and others.

We are participating in the ongoing process of forming the Kenya Kwanza Coalition with an open mind.

Whether I will be this or that is not the most important matter on my mind for now.

We have mechanisms in place for addressing such matters and I have confidence that the right decision will be consultatively made and we shall stand by it.

But as I have said before, Kenyans need to look at the bigger picture about the Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

It is not principally about me or any other particular leader getting positions. Our quest is to come up with a movement that will make Kenya a better place for all, politically and economically.

Just after teaming up with the DP, President Uhuru pointed out that he was deeply disappointed by your action. What is your reaction?

What does the President have to do with such political decisions I make? It would be presumptuous for the President to purport to choose for choose friends for me.

He has his political friends he has chosen without involving me, and similarly, I reserve the right to choose mine without consulting him. Let him hold his peace!

Any comments on OKA? And do you miss your former colleagues, Hon Kalonzo Musyoka, Gideon Moi and Martha Karua?

As the saying goes, a flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it, it just blooms. We have taken different routes with my brothers and sister, but I wish them well.

How about Raila Odinga – whose bid you have previously supported? Are you in touch and do you consider him suitable for the top seat?

I’ve done my best in the past to help his bid for the presidency. We are now on different teams and I do not spend time thinking about him.