OKA trio to miss Kasarani fete
Three One Kenya Alliance (OKA) principals will miss today’s Azimio la Umoja rally where ODM party leader Raila Odinga, is widely expected to declare his 2022 State House bid.
Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi, his Wiper counterpart Kalonzo Musyoka and Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula, are among the OKA principals set to miss the event to be held at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani.
Kanu chairman Gideon Moi and former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo are however expected to grace the event.
Mudavadi was categorical that he would not attend the event as he was engaged elsewhere.
“I have just received an official invitation to Azimio la Umoja Convention. As noted herein, the invitation was addressed in my personal capacity as ANC Party leader and not OKA principal. Regrettably, I will not be able to attend because of personal engagements,” Mudavadi tweeted.
“Raila Odinga is a worthy competitor, I wish him well because tomorrow will clearly be his day in the sun,” he added, suggesting that he was treating Raila as an opponent come 2022.
Wide berth
It also emerged that the body of his mother; Mama Rosebella Mudavadi is expected in the country from the US this afternoon.
Kalonzo on the other hand is away in South Sudan on official business.
“I was welcomed by Amb Barnaba Marial Benjamin; South Sudan’s minister for Presidential Affairs to the State House, Juba, for talks with H.E President Salva Kiir on the peace process in South Sudan,” Kalonzo stated on his facebook page.
Sources close Wetang’ula also disclosed that he would give today’s event a wide berth.
Speaking to People Daily earlier in the week, Wetang’ula had remained largely non-committal on whether he would attend the event, as he had not received any invitation.
“I cannot attend an event to which I have not been invited. I can only comment on my attendance or otherwise, once I get the invitation,” he said.
But Kanu Secretary-General Nick Salat confirmed that Gideon would be in attendance.
“Si lazima turudishe mkono (we must reciprocate),” Salat said, referring to Raila’s attendance of the Kanu delegates conference held at the Bomas of Kenya recently. Salat confirmed that the Kanu supremo had received the invitation and would honour it.
“Raila came to ours, so it is only in order that we attend his. We will be there to ensure the event is successful,” Salat said, adding that he expected other OKA principals to be there as well.
Jirongo, who recently joined the OKA team also confirmed that he would attend the event.
“Yes, I will be there. I was invited and I will honour the invitation,” he stated.
Sources close to the organisers revealed that they had invited all the OKA principals to the event as “like minded partners.”
The source was however, categorical that Deputy President William Ruto was unwelcome.
“We consider him an opponent so we cannot invite him,” said the source.
There has been confusion among the OKA leaders all through the week on whether or not to grace today’s event, with Mudavadi expressing discomfort that their attendance may be misconstrued to suggest they are backing Raila’s presidential bid.
Kalonzo and Gideon on the other hand felt obliged to attend the event to reciprocate Raila’s gesture to grace their parties’ National Delegates Conference.
Raila graced the launch of Kalonzo and Gideon’s presidential endorsements, a gesture that has triggered discomfort in the Mudavadi-Wetang’ula camps.
Presidential campaign
Matters are aggravated with Raila’s latest dalliance with Ford Kenya rebel MPs Wafula Wamunyinyi and Eseli Simiyu; who at the weekend declared that they had quit the Simba party.
Wetang’ula had accused a senior National Supper Alliance (Nasa) leader of assisting Wamunyinyi and Eseli, to stage a failed coup in Ford Kenya. It was believed, he was pointing fingers at Raila.
The OKA team had also poured cold water on Wednesday’s luncheon where Raila was hosted by the Mt Kenya Foundation to officially endorse his 2022 candidature.
The event appeared well choreographed to build momentum around Raila’s presidential campaign, coming only two days before today’s event.
The Central Kenya leaders had previously hosted the OKA team as it shopped around for the right candidate to back in next year’s election.
“For us we honored the invitation from the foundation to engage with them, as to how they settled on Raila, we don’t know, maybe there were other parameters they considered,” said Salat.
“But that does not stop us from engaging with the populace in the region, we will continue engaging with the people of Mt Kenya, the endorsement of Raila does not stop us from engaging, not at all,” he added.
Ford Kenya national organising secretary Chris Mandu Mandu and close ally of Wetangula also poured cold water on the endorsement, saying it would not translate into votes.
“Their endorsement of Raila does not translate to 100 per cent votes, they may offer him financial resources but that does not necessarily mean votes, we will continue reaching out to the voters in the region,” he said.
