One Kenya Alliance in fresh bid to bring in more leaders

One Kenya Alliance principals from left ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi, Kanu Chairman Gideon Moi, Ford Kenya Leader Moses Wetangula and Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka during a consultative meeting at Karen in Nairobi on April 20, 2021. [Courtesy]

One Kenya Alliance has hinted at bringing more key figures on board in a fresh bid to craft a strong political outfit for the 2022 presidential contest.

The alliance that brings together ANC's Musalia Mudavadi, Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, Kanu boss and Baringo Senator Gideon Moi and Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetangúla, announced plans to “strengthen and broaden” the outfit.

The four leaders held a consultative meeting yesterday where they reflected on their next step in building the new formation.

“I had a meeting this evening with Kalonzo Musyoka, Gideon Moi and Moses Wetang'ula to reflect on further steps to be undertaken in the coming weeks to strengthen and broaden the emerging political formation of One Kenya Alliance,” Mudavadi posted on Twitter.

In a telephone call, Mudavadi declined to divulge details of their deliberations.

He said that additional information on their next step in strengthening the alliance would be communicated at the right time.

Yesterday’s consultative meeting came barely a week after Senator Moi visited Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga at his Karen home.

The Kanu boss was accompanied by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s younger brother, Muhoho Kenyatta.

The visit was seen as a mission to assuage Raila's side following weeks of uneasiness over an alleged scheme to isolate him in the succession politics, which threatened the passage of the Constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill 2020 at a referendum.

The announcement to broaden the alliance comes against the backdrop of a suggestion by Mudavadi that they were open to working with the former prime minister in the 2022.

In a previous interview with The Standard, Mudavadi said the four principals in the new formation had agreed to go out and bring in more political figures to create a strong political outfit.

“This is an emerging conversation, and if Raila feels that this is a conversation he buys into, we have no problem working with him,” said Mudavadi.

“But let’s try and divorce it from the personality cult. What I have always told Kenyans is, can we grow out of a personality cult and start talking about issues," he said.