CORD in trouble over primaries as Moses Wetang'ula party gives new demands

Focus is now on Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula over his uneasy relationship with fellow CORD co-principals Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka.

Mr Wetang'ula's Ford Kenya party yesterday made new demands on power sharing within the opposition coalition, adding to his earlier statements that Raila should not vie for the presidency next year, and that the ODM leader should keep off western Kenya.

The senator took a different stand on the coalition's way of fielding candidates in next year's elections; he wants the coalition to field only one candidate for the presidential and Nairobi governor's seats.

This goes against what his co-principals are agitating for. Raila of ODM and Kalonzo of Wiper are rooting for sole candidates under the coalition and following joint nominations.

The senator's party also made new demands on the coalition's power-sharing deal ahead of the 2017 polls.

The party wants the coalition to reserve a powerful post of Prime Minister or Chief Minister for any of the three co-principals who miss out as either a presidential candidate or running-mate.

The demands announced by the newly installed deputy party leader, Boni Khalwale, will further stoke the power struggle in CORD where Raila, Kalonzo and Wetang'ula are tussling for the presidential ticket.

Shortly after Dr Khalwale delivered the new demands at Parliament Buildings, CORD's management committee co-chairmen, senators James Orengo (Siaya) and Johnstone Muthama (Machakos), said the coalition would ensure that it fielded one candidate for various elective seats as it had learned hard lessons in the last elections.

But it now appears that Ford Kenya is reading from a different script on the nomination and fielding of candidates for the coalition.

Khalwale insisted that the coalition would conduct a joint nomination for the presidential ticket and for the Nairobi governor position but leave other positions free for the constituent parties to field candidates.

According to Khalwale, Nairobi is unique to other counties and the candidate to run for the governor's position should be subjected to a joint nomination.

Ford Kenya is also proposing that the coalition, while drafting the memorandum of understanding to guide them in the 2017 polls, should create a powerful position equal to that of Prime Minister in the former Grand Coalition government, to accommodate any of the three co-principals who will miss out on the positions of flag bearer and running mate.

"Ford Kenya proposes that the coalition reserves a negotiated position within CORD government for the third co-principal including his party's shares in all government appointments. The position can be Prime Minister or Chief Minister or somebody above the other ministers," said the Kakamega senator.

He argued that the CORD constituent parties should be allowed to field candidates in all elective positions to avoid voter apathy during the elections.

He explained that if a candidate is stopped from vying for a particular seat, then his or her supporters may not see the need to go and vote for the presidential candidate.

"If you bar a particular candidate from contesting, it will lead to voter apathy on election day. The candidate's supporters might not turn up to vote for the presidential candidate. We want all our supporters to vote for the presidential candidate," he said.

However, he warned that any of the CORD co-principals who walks out following failure to get the ticket "will do it alone".

He said the method of consensus, use of delegates, boardroom endorsement and universal suffrage had been identified and could be applied.

"If any of the three principals decides to walk out of the coalition after losing in the nominations, he will walk out alone. The coalition will remain intact," he said.