Senator Omar: Wiper’s deadline for coalition presidential candidate is Christmas

Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka (left) chats with Mombasa senator Hassan Omar during leader-members meeting at the Wiper secretariat offices in Lavington,Nairobi on 07/10/2016 [PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE/Standard]

CORD co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka‘s Wiper Democratic Movement will not budge on its December 25 deadline for the coalition to pick a joint presidential candidate, Secretary General Hassan Omar told The Standard on Sunday writer NZAU MUSAU.

In a candid interview on the state of the coalition, intrigues surrounding the Mombasa County governor race and role of youthful leaders in politics, Omar bared it all. He says his party cannot wait any further than December 25, demands a more structured process to pick a joint candidate and dismisses the euphoric rise of Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho as fleeting.

In the interview, he vowed to vanquish Joho and accused him of attempting to short-circuit the demands for accountability in Mombasa. Full interview below:

Q: There is a lot of confusion in CORD as we go to 2017. As the Wiper SG, what is the true status of the coalition and what is Wiper’s actual place in the coalition?

A: As per our declaration in Tononoka, the coalition is strong. CORD is potentially the only political grouping that can remove Jubilee from power. Definitely we need to choose our flagbearer. It was anybody’s guess that this was going to be a very emotive area of discussion.

Q: You have been in this situation before. What lessons have you learnt as a party which you want addressed this time round?

A: I am a good student of my chairman in terms of coalition building. We have been in this situation several times. So first, we want a structured process. It’s not a question of “let’s go to Kisumu today and Mombasa tomorrow, that we make big pronouncements” without strategy. Our considered view is that there must be a framework and a strategy, and based on those experiences that we have learnt that the candidate be agreed on in good time to stem any potential fallout.

Q: While the confusion abounds in CORD, things look a bit steady in Jubilee with a clear ticket of “UhuRuto”. When will CORD name its ticket?

A: The thing is; we have given the December 25 deadline. Jubilee is in a much easier position. It could never have been expected that Uhuru was not going to seek re-election. They enjoy this unique position while we have to navigate a lot of interests to come up with the best formula for victory.

Q: Is the December 25 deadline a Wiper or CORD position?

A: It is a Wiper position and like every other party, we must state that our candidate is best placed based on various scenarios that are available with respect to what is the most practical way of beating Jubilee.

Q: Do you foresee the possibility of your party going it alone or playing in a different coalition?

A: Some of our partners believe in postponement; that the later the better. Everybody wants to pick from experiences that have informed their personal political development. Like I said, Wiper has been in this position three times in the past; in 2002, 2007 and 2013. It will be wrong for us as a party to think outside our partners, but we are also conscious that we need to broaden our coalition base and therefore the party is open to a greater partnership to strengthen the coalition.

Q: Your party has been making public appeals to ODM leader to return the favour you accorded him in 2013. How do you reconcile this plea with the fact that you are originally an ODM and Raila supporter who crossed over for purposes of an electoral ticket?

A: Listen: Everybody, including my party leader, knows that my love for Raila is unshakeable. He continues to be my political inspiration and mentor. Everybody knows that for me and Raila it is extremely personal in terms of a relationship that I hold dearly, a relationship that I do not think any politics can extinguish. But I am also open to advise him where I think we need to cross to Canaan. And when I look at the formula around Kalonzo Musyoka, it is a formula that Raila Odinga is either the centre or right in the centre. It is not a formula that necessarily looks outside.

Q: Some people say you have lost political fire in your belly; that the radical views and expression of your student and KNCHR days have diminished. Have you mellowed or what have you learnt in public life?

A: I also have opinions that tell me that I have fairly kept the faith, that I have resisted the temptation of being an ordinary politician – glamorous, flamboyant and almost a socialite; that I have not acquired preference of arrogance and corruption.

Q: Your erstwhile ally in CORD politics, Hassan Joho, appears to have burst into national limelight, and is causing political shock-waves. What does all this mean for CORD and for the Mombasa governor contest?

A: I wish him well. I always celebrate the successes of others. But those successes become subject of public audit when their implication is for the present and the future, when the excitement dies. There will be a robust conversation as to the capability, suitability and eligibility. You cannot short-circuit the hopes and demands of the people of Mombasa by building euphoria around yourself. That does not help them in any way and it is guaranteed to come crushing hard on you. You will also remember this excitement is just a one-month excitement; from 10th of last month, and that it was borne out of the pressure he felt on the ground and therefore the need to circumvent. I certainly do believe that Joho can fundamentally affect the health of the coalition.

Q: If the Mombasa governor contest is reduced to the two of you – Omar versus Joho – are you sure you can beat him? If yes, how?

A: It’s a clear contest between ideology and money. As far as I am concerned, this is one of the challenges that I know I will overcome with distinction. You know everybody tells me that Joho has money, Joho has this thing, you know, the hooliganism. But no one has ever told me that Joho has great ideas, or Joho has made big pronouncements, or Joho has made certain contributions or sacrifices in the process of democratic struggles. And so for me, I know, the tide of money and hype is far much easier to overturn than the tide of ideas and vision.

Q: The Governor has publicly pronounced himself to be financially endowed. And money plays a huge role in Kenyan politics. How do you plan to counter him, what’s your budget?

A: I have been blessed that I live in an urban county. It is the same urban county that voted for me over and above ex-ODM pentagon member Najib Balala and ODM Vice Chairman at the time of election Ramadhan Kajembe. So, there is a way in which people respond to ideology. I have already commissioned an audit of the governor’s performance based on his manifesto and we are doing a report on the status of the county. I can tell you I have a voice that I thank God is fairly able to reach and resonate with masses when we speak.

Q: What would you want to do in Mombasa County which the Governor hasn’t done?

A: I will ensure that we bring down the politics of Mombasa from euphoria base to issue base. Over and above his personal failings, there is a general failing of most governors in the country to embrace the true spirit of devolution. My whole intent is to implement Article 174 of the Constitution which touches on the objects of devolution. In doing so, I intend to return the county back to the citizens. Right now the county has been personalised; it has become a franchise, it’s captive to invisible interests, captive to an invisible governor, captive to cartels, nepotism, driven by acute greed and exclusion. How I intend to do it is to implement a four-point plan of building a model of citizen engagement on development, reorganise priorities of county budgeting, build strong oversight mechanism and imbibe values of justice and fair play in terms of equity.

Q: What is the one assurance you can offer if Mombasa people were to entrust you with the seat?

A: I can tell you, in one year, Mombasa would be a model county. You will not have to go to Europe, Asia or America to benchmark. County governments will only need to come to Mombasa to see strong institutions, strong systems, that will be a reference point even for the national government. You will immediately begin to see a county that is responsive to problems of insecurity, radicalisation and drug abuse in a manner that appreciates the value of collective security for all and through offering our young people meaningful economic opportunities and openings.

Q: A lot of senators are running for governorship. Why are people running away from the Senate?

A: A lot might be an over-statement. There are just about 10. It’s just that their profiles are such that one can easily confuse them for the entire Senate.

Q: Some people collectively blame the first Senate for failing to claim its space and ceding its ground to the National Assembly, do you take the blame?

A: If you do an audit of function vis a vis the impact, I think the Senate did well. People had hoped that we could do more; unfortunately, the Constitution limited us. This country is agreed that there is need for constitutional amendment to upload the Senate into an upper House, and give it more functions. It is there in the Okoa Kenya Bill. It has not been disputed by Jubilee, it is in the governors’ Pesa Mashinani initiative. There is a general appreciation that the Senate was snookered by a National Assembly that bore the Constitution in its own terms.

Q: The mental picture of the Senate that you had before you went in there, is it the same picture you found? Where you disappointed?

A: I went in with a singular mind to defend devolution, and knowing that Senate was there to defend devolution and that devolution was the best idea. I was not disappointed.

Q: One senator recently told me that senators who are competing against current crop of governors will be in for a rude shock because the latter are moneyed, are more mobile and are in touch with the ground.

A: We appreciate that our politics has been monetised, and that incumbents, especially executive ones have certain advantages that you cannot take away. There is also a general feeling that Jubilee has won the election, I get it every other day. Does that mean that we lose hope? No! The fact of the matter is that the dynamics of election shift fundamentally closer to the polling. Kenyans become extremely ruthless closer to the calling. And so the whole idea is put there to discourage people. You are told governments are so strong and they have resources so that you develop cold feet.

Q: Senate has also been accused of doing little to strengthen devolution. Have you brought any Bill yourself or when do you plan to do it?

A: First, you will appreciate that most legislation that the executive brought to Parliament did not go through the Senate. The Senate is not a rubber stamp, it is more bipartisan, more critical in its debate and will not rig itself to accept a bad law. They found the National Assembly an easier entry point in terms of their legislative agenda. Secondly, they looked for every way of ousting the mandate of the Senate. Thirdly, from the first year we got to the Senate, the National Assembly has deliberately refused to give the Senate the oversight capacity through the oversight fund. In fact, it is only now that the oversight fund has been allocated only a few months to the General Election. So you even ask yourself was it is supposed to be a rope for one to hang themselves?

Q: What about the Member’s private Bills?

A: I am the author of a Bill that is almost at the point of being passed by the Senate before it goes to the National Assembly for concurrence. It’s called the Dignity Bill and it’s about giving dignity to the poor, to the marginalised of our society. And I can tell you with authority, because we looked for authority worldwide, there is no Bill of that nature worldwide. If enacted, it would be a flagship for most countries to emulate in delivery of social economic rights. That Bill is the cutting edge, a flagship, and one that the Senate legal department agrees they authored each and every section, word for word because they did not have any other precedence to follow worldwide.

Q: There appears to be an emerging young set of leaders across all major political parties, yourself, Mutula Junior, Johnson Sakaja, Ababu Namwamba and the like who have taken strategic positions in your respective political parties. What is their role in the 2017 General Election?

A: For me, I look at it as a historical opportunity to steer a national political party differently. First and foremost, I embarked on the process of putting ideology into politics. Therefore, we have branded ourselves. I sought membership in the global social democratic movement. We also realise that this cannot be achieved, if we want complete overhaul of this country, unless we take full charge of Article 10 and Chapter 6 on leadership and integrity. For us it’s about anchoring these important provisions in the overall framework of our political order. If we need to have a clean country, we must start getting rid of people who have amassed wealth through corruption, people of doubtful character, people who fail the integrity test, people of renowned notoriety. In fact, as Wiper we made a commitment in Tononoka that we shall bar candidates who fail the integrity test.

Q: But this is exactly the confusion in this country — all talk on integrity and little action. How do you intend to go about it?

A: We have created a committee. We have given it a very big name, the Vanguard Committee. It will prepare documentation that reflects party ideals pursuant to Article 10 and social democratic tenets. Secondly, we will ensure we have a template on credibility that will set our own threshold as a party.

Q: There has been talk that this group of emergent leaders could form a strong third force in a transitional moment. Comment.

A: In my assessment, 2017 would be between CORD and Jubilee. However, if this group can coalesce its interests upon the election then it can create an extremely powerful force that will ensure merit, integrity, programme become the basis for ascension to office as opposed to tribe, resources and other mechanical variables.

Q: Wiper appears to have pulled quite an impressive show in Mombasa last weekend. What statement were you seeking to make?

A: It was a culmination of many struggles. It was demonstrable that the people of Mombasa are fed up. The Mombasa event and the kind of popular embrace we got demonstrated yearning for change, and people willing to embrace an alternative. It was not us making a statement; it was the people making their statement.