MPs claim Jubilee out to break up ODM

ODM leader Raila Odinga and party Secretary General Ababu Namwamba at a past event. (Photo: File/Standard) 

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee coalition has been accused of stirring a revolt in the Raila Odinga led ODM ahead of the General Election.

The attempted ouster of ODM Secretary General Ababu Namwamba by some officials led by lawyer Edwin Sifuna on Friday and a series of secret meetings attended by disgruntled MPs have put the opposition party at crossroads. The President and Deputy President William Ruto have also made visits to CORD strongholds.

Early in the week, seven MPs from Western region accused ODM, of habitually “bullying, intimidating and wrongly profiling the Luhyia community” for no good reason.

“As ODM leaders from Western Kenya, we reject the persistent habit in our party to treat us as second rate members, the trend goes all the way to Ford-Kenya twenty years ago when similar tricks were employed in an attempt to derail the rise of the late Michael Kijana Wamalwa,” they said.

They claimed a similar campaign was waged against former Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi in 2012; the same machinations, they said, were being employed against party Secretary General Ababu Namwamba.

But there was a more direct insinuation that the party leader was also undermining the Western Kenya region. “It has got nothing to do with money. It just coincides with the finalisation of key pledges made to the region. The revival of Pan Paper, injection of cash into the key sugar factories, commissioning of key roads as part of the 10,000km project, launch of the Last Mile Electricity connectivity programme and the ongoing NYS youth empowerment programme are not lost on voters,” said Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria.

And a section of Jubilee leaders led by Leader of the Majority Aden Duale are now bubbling with excitement: “The writing is on the wall because CORD will certainly fall and disintegrate terribly. Western and North Eastern people have seen the light.”

Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a claimed the recent fallout between Raila and Senator Moses Wetang’ula during the launch of the latter’s presidential campaign in Kakamega was a boon to Jubilee.

ODM leaders led by Chairman John Mbadi have accused Jubilee of allegedly scheming to split the party and asked dissatisfied members to be patient and use internal mechanisms to resolve any disputes.

It has since emerged that the ODM disgruntled MPs are mobilising resources to acquire and revamp the Labour Party of Kenya (LPK) headed by Julia Ojiambo. They want to use the party as their political vehicle in the 2017 elections.

Bankroll their party

“Paul Otuoma (Funyula) and Ababu Namwamba (Bundalangi) together with Wilbur Ottichilo (Emuhaya), John Waluke (Sirisia), Andayi Andola (Khwisero), Chris Omulele (Luanda) and Silverse Anami (Shinyalu) have held meetings the most recent been on Thursday morning where they met a number of aspirants and convinced them that they will be funded in the campaigns if they decide to join and run on the LPK ticket,” said a former MP.

An aspirant from Webuye who attended the meeting said the leaders reported that the Deputy President had promised to bankroll their party with an initial Sh100 million for its operations.

Former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo said he was aware of the meeting and that the MPs led by Namwamba and Otuoma were closely working with Ruto who was supporting them to revamp LPK ahead of next year’s polls.

“We know Ruto is helping them to jumpstart LPK in preparation for the August 2017 General Election. So their allegations against ODM are just meant to distract attention from their real goal,” said Mr Jirongo.

“May be he (Ruto) wants to increase the support base for the Jubilee coalition in 2017, or he could be targeting a Luhyia running mate in 2022. It could well be a political strategy to just balkanise the community’s vote so that it cannot have a formidable impact in the next elections,” he said.

Saturday, Ruto made his twentieth trip to western Kenya since Jubilee came to power.

Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi said it was obvious that Jubilee coalition were eager to stock dissent in ODM and keep it busy in a political rat race. “We know that Jubilee is not happy with the way ODM and CORD have remained intact and they will use any means possible to distabilise us for fear that we would be a real threat next year if we remain united,” said Mr Wandayi.

Suna East MP Junet Mohamed said: “We in ODM are determined to stay focused on the ultimate price of taking the government from the Jubilee coalition. We are not going to be trapped in what happened in Kasarani Stadium during the ODM elections for five years, we have moved on and will remain true to our focus.”

Asked if he was exiting ODM to Labour Party, Namwamba said western Kenya is part of the founder members of the party and anyone claiming that they were anticipating leaving the party should think otherwise.

“We are part of the founder members, those claiming that we want to leave the party, could as well think of leaving themselves because we also own the party,” he said.

Responding to speculations why he has lately not been visible in party events especially the street protests, Namwamba said there were no proper consultations. He claimed that was why the demos were concentrated in Nairobi and the larger Kisumu.

“Did you see Oparanya leading demos in Kakamega? Did you see Wetangula taking to the streets in Bungoma and Kitale or Kalonzo on the streets of Machakos?” he asked.

Mr Mbadi said Namwamba and Otuoma’s grievances would have been best handled by the party top organs adding that their public outbursts were insincere.

“We have the Central Management Team and the National Executive Council. These are the organs of the party where such senior politicians can lay bare their complaints and hope to be addressed and not in the public,” said Mbadi. “I don’t take offence with what they said. ODM party has not undermined any leader. I wish they could have handled the matter differently. They are valuable members of the party.’’

Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and a close ally of the DP dismissed the allegations that Ruto was rocking ODM and instead said that the opposition was its own enemy.

“Ruto is the Deputy President of all Kenyans and is free to interact with everyone and visit every part of the country. The opposition should know that their support base is dwindling because Kenyans now know that they have nothing to offer apart from mere rhetoric,” said Murkomen.

Political pundit Barrack Muluka opined that Raila needs to be careful or he will completely be isolated in western Kenya.

“Raila supporters in Western are fatigued with his same old style of political mobilisation. It is going to be very tough for him. The ground is not good,’’ he said. He added that those speaking against Namwamba don’t represent the Luhya voice but rather exhibiting arrogance.

“A man does not visit another man’s clan without his knowledge or permission. He should be careful with the utterances of those close to him,” advised Mr Muluka.

ODM deputy party leader Wycliffe Oparanya wondered why the MPs were lamenting months to 2017 polls. He maintained that the matter “is a small misunderstanding”which the party will address soon.