By Peter Orengo and Moses Njagih

Justice minister Eugene Wamalwa occupied a special place at Mr Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidential bid launch. He was the one called to speak first then welcome the Deputy Prime Minister to give his speech.

Both called each other ‘brother’, and spoke kindly of each other. When the time to dance came, they mounted the stage, the sleeves of their white shirts rolled up, and with matching trousers, danced to the tune of old popular UB40 song I got you babe.

One part of the song that captures the dream of a love-struck lad runs in part:

They say we’re young and we don’t know

Won’t find out until we grow

Well I don’t know, maybe that is true

Because you got me and baby I’ve got you

But if you thought the song was specially chosen as a tribute to their newfound political romance, you may just have to hold your horses, at least for now.

Why? Because Wamalwa made it clear on Tuesday that he is not Uhuru’s running mate as is being perceived, and he insists he too will be in the big race.

But what is not clear is what kind of enthusiasm would drag a Presidential candidate to an opponent’s big-day, play the central role, endorse him, and even deliver one of the most eloquent ‘I Believe’ speeches of the day. And his “belief’ was that Uhuru fits the bill and in his hands, the future of Kenya can only be brighter!

Western vote basket

But despite even having found time to dress up identically to Uhuru, and at a later part of the show, simultaneously drop the jackets and in the style perfected by Mr Barack Obama and Mr Joe Biden in America in 2008, Wamalwa now insists he isn’t Uhuru’s running mate in new The National Alliance! 

He neither stopped there nor explained why of all the leaders who graced the occasion, including Mr William Ruto and his running mate Mr Ali Chirau Mwakwere, he mounted the dance stage with Uhuru and played the role of his ‘chaperon’ at the ceremony beamed live on national television.

It, however, seems the perception of Wamalwa being just a running mate to Uhuru gave a kick to the presidential bid of his rival for the Western vote basket Mr Musalia Mudavadi. It is perceived this could be what rattled Wamalwa: the fear that his stature had nose-dived and that of Mudavadi improved by Sunday’s show.

“I am not Uhuru’s running mate because I have declared that I will be running for the presidency,” declared Wamalwa after attending a breakfast meeting in Nairobi.

He told journalists that at the moment the leaders in G7 Alliance all belong to political parties where they are the presidential candidates, even though again this does not explain the absence of Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and other top leaders of the alliance.  “Therefore, the issue of being a running mate for anyone does not arise,” he said adding that when the time comes they would sit down and come up with a formula of forming the coalition.

He, however, said that currently, they were working hard to strengthen their various parties by reaching out to all communities so that peace is maintained during the campaign and voting periods.

“I have not considered being anyone’s running mate,” Mr Wamalwa insisted.  It was also curious that though the function was graced by many Cabinet ministers, including Mr Amos Kimunya, Prof Sam Ongeri, Mr Yusuf Haji, Mrs Beth Mugo, Dr Mohammed Kuti, Mr Chirau Mwakwere, Mr Samuel Poghisio and Dr Naomi Shabaan, all of whom have served in the Cabinet longer than Wamalwa, it was only the Justice Minister who was allowed to address the gathering.

Even Ruto, a key ally of Uhuru whom together they have been accused of serious international crimes arising from the 2007 post-election violence was not granted an opportunity to address the gathering.

tribal blinkers

Though Wamalwa had indicated from the beginning that he had come to the launch as “a friend” of the party, as he belonged to New Ford Kenya, his role at the ceremony dashed his self-introduction as a friend of Uhuru and his party.  Unlike other ‘friends’ of the party who joined Uhuru later when the programme had long started and left immediately after the launch, Wamalwa accompanied the Gatundu South MP and remained with him to the end.

Throughout his address, Wamalwa exemplified Uhuru’s virtues and ideals with kind words that undoubtedly portrayed him not as a competitor but more as a collaborator, if not a supporter.

Even the sitting arrangement at the launch left no doubt that the Justice Minister, was a highly regarded personality by those who were in charge of protocol as he sat to Uhuru’s immediate right while to the left sat Uhuru’s wife.

Throughout the launch, Wamalwa kept close conversation with the DPM.  “I know as my brother Uhuru launches his Presidential bid there are those who will want us all to look at him through tribal blinkers and see just another Kikuyu,” Wamalwa said. His parting shot spoke volumes too: “I see another young man just like myself who is capable of being the next President of the Republic of Kenya and I ask why not?”