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Working with Kalonzo is a
betrayal, ex-MPs tell Kibaki
Saturday Nation
Story by KITAVI MUTUA
16. 02. 2008
President Kibaki’s former key allies in Ukambani are crying foul
over his Party of National Unity (PNU)’s coalition with ODM Kenya
of Mr Kalonzo Musyoka.
Having campaigned for the President in the region and beyond in
the last elections, they feel betrayed and short-changed by his
decision to appoint their political rivals to his government.
In separate interviews with the Saturday Nation, the group which
comprises former Cabinet ministers and MPs who lost in the
December 27 polls, said their access to State House and the
President had been restricted.
Coming hot on the heels of the disputed presidential election, the
decision to name the Mwingi North MP, who ran against President
Kibaki, as his Vice-President took them by surprise and made them
politically irrelevant both at the regional and the national
levels, they said.
New-found allies
Former MPs Kalembe Ndile (Kibwezi), Mutua Katuku (Mwala), Kivutha
Kibwana (Makueni), Joseph Munyao (Mbooni) and Adelina Mwau (nominated)
said they have now been sidelined as the President warms up to his
new-found allies.
They blamed their defeat on Mr Musyoka whose ODM-K party is the
most popular in Ukambani.
The risky decision to stick with PNU during the campaigns against
a strong ODM-K wave in their constituencies, they noted, was based
on the belief that they would be rewarded in the event that they
lost their seats.
The politicians expressed disappointment at the turn of events,
especially the President’s failure to consider their contribution
to his re-election campaigns.
They accused both President Kibaki and Mr Musyoka of hypocrisy and
lack of strength to stand for what they believe in, arguing that
the coalition was driven by political desperation and not any
ideals.
Opposition wave
Some of them said the alliance was hurriedly crafted out of fear
of the opposition majority in Parliament, selfish interests and
political survival on the part of leaders of both parties.
Mr Ndile, the former Kibwezi MP who was defeated by US-based
university don Philip Kaloki, accused the head of state of
reneging on a personal pledge to him to nominate him in case he
lost.
The politician who was the assistant minister for Wildlife, said
efforts to see President Kibaki over the matter in the past four
weeks had been fruitless.
“I was tasked with the national PNU presidential campaigns and
went round the country accompanying him (Kibaki) at the obvious
risk of losing my seat, therefore the most decent thing to do is
to honour the agreement and reward me,” he told the Saturday
Nation.
He recalled his closeness to the president and “unhindered access”
to State house during the campaigns, and said that at present he
seems to have outlived his political usefulness to him and the
party.
“Nowadays, even the Cabinet ministers who could not address
campaign meetings in their areas without me, do not answer my
phone calls because they are avoiding discussing the nomination
issue,” he added.
The Independent Party (TIP) leader complained that when he
recently sought to see the president over the matter, he was kept
waiting outside the main State House gate for more than two hours,
only to be told that he (president) was too busy to see him.
Main assignment
Said Ms Mwau who unsuccessfully sought to unseat Mr Gideon
Ndambuki in Kaiti constituency on a PNU ticket: “Our main
assignment was to rally support for the President in Ukambani and
despite the difficulty, he got at least a chunk of votes.
“All indications were that we would lose all our parliamentary
seats to ODM Kenya because voters were accusing us of betraying
the cause of the Kamba community by failing to support Mr
Musyoka’s presidential bid.”
Ms Mwau who also protested against what she termed limited access
to the president and State House and the apparent betrayal by PNU
top officials, added that she and the other members of the group
were shocked when Mr Musyoka, whom they had gone round
discrediting during the campaigns, was hurriedly co-opted into
government with his team of new political cronies.
“It is very awkward and embarrassing to us,” she said. “We feel
cheated because there was no point of supporting somebody who
would very quickly close ranks with the opponents we fought
against at the expense of our seats.”
Bone of contention
The bone of contention is not the group’s election loss in
particular, but Mr Musyoka’s alliance with PNU, which they say is
likely to jeopardise their chances in future elections.
They are yet to come to terms with the fact that the man they
tirelessly campaigned for against a strong Kalonzo wave in their
home turfs has teamed up with their opponents.
Also worrying the politicians is the fact that any future
appointment to senior government positions, including envoys and
parastatal heads, will most likely be influenced by the Kalonzo
party.
This effectively shuts the door on the group and their supporters.
They claim that they are being ridiculed all over in the region
for “blindly supporting PNU” while being fully aware of the
political hostility back home.
Although ODM-K won 14 of the 17 parliamentary seats in Ukambani,
no PNU candidate was successful.
However, Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo of ODM-K accused the group for
failing to read the mood on the ground and the party’s popularity
in the area.
“These former MPs have themselves to blame because it was clear
that political parties would form coalitions after elections, and
PNU had no chance in Ukambani,” he said.
After the elections, the president could only work with elected
leaders, he added.
But former Makueni MP Kivutha Kibwana who at one time during
President Kibaki’s first term in office ran two ministries, would
not be drawn into the matter.
However, his personal assistant, a Mr Kimanga, said the former
minister, who was beaten in the election by a former-provincial
commissioner, Mr Peter Kiilu, was also disappointment by the turn
of events.
“Prof Kibwana is deeply frustrated and has been staying indoors
since the December elections to privately monitor the changing
scenario privately, and he is not willing to discuss politics at
the moment,” Mr Kimanga told the Saturday Nation.
This, he added, had forced his boss to withdraw from public and
social life.
Mr Katuku, another significant PNU candidate who lost his Mwala
seat to the Rev Daniel Muoki, said he hoped the president would
eventually reward the group.
“President Kibaki won re-election, and our party is the main
partner in the coalition government and as a senior member of the
party, I hope things will work out soon,” said the former Water
minister.
He urged his colleagues to be patient and wait until the
post-election crisis is resolved.
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