By Geoffrey Mosoku
Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi has hit out at Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto after the two rushed to announce that they had agreed to part ways with him.
Musalia angrily reacted to the announcement by Uhuru and Ruto that they had ‘mutually’ agreed by consent to part ways and allow the UDF leader continue with his presidential campaigns after collapse of their negotiations.
The DPM through his spokesman’s Kibisu Kabatesi said he had already severed ties with the two; a decision he was to announce in Nyeri but they rushed to pre-empt the announcement.
Musalia says he decided to quit since he cannot work with leaders who cannot honour simple commitments but chose to live in ‘deceit and deception’.
“We would like the public to know that the hurried announcement is a feeble attempt to pre-empt Hon. Mudavadi’s announcement today Nyeri severing a partnership that has been characterised by endless comedy of errors rather than serious leadership,” Kibisu said.
The statement accused the TNA and URP leaders of dishonesty adding that the Sabatia MP had already informed the couple of his decision to severe ties on serious grounds of dishonour, and lack integrity and commitment by the couple.
“Reports that Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta and Hon. William Ruto have purportedly “dropped” Hon. Musalia Mudavadi from the Jubilee Coalition paint the couple as dishonourable heartless and cheeky to the extreme. Their claim is impolite and an abuse of the collective intelligence of Jubilee Coalition supporters and Kenyans who are aware of legal provisions governing political coalitions,”Kibisu said.
Uhuru and Ruto had earlier on told journalists at the URP presidential campaign secretariat that the UDF leader was no longer part of their jubilee coalition.
Ruto said; “We have had intense consultations from yesterday which extended to this morning and have resolved by mutual consent to let our partners UDF proceed with their campaigns and us (TNA and URP) proceed with our programmes.”
"Given our inability to agree on the way forward, we have agreed as gentlemen not to distract our plans as we disengage and allow our brothers in UDF to continue on their own," Uhuru added.
The two were addressing journalists at URP Presidential secretariat moments after receiving assistant ministers Mohamed Mohamed (Energy) and Mohamed Gabow (Special Programmes) who quit ODM for URP. The leaders who defected were joined by former Mandera central MP Billow Kerrow and a host of aspirants mainly drawn from Mandera County.
Musalia is said to have told off Ruto and Uhuru on Thursday evening saying he was willing to take a gamble and be on his own instead of working with ‘people who are dishonesty and lack integrity’ even after they sought to convince him that they can choreograph the NDC to nominate him as the coalition candidate.
The two had met him on Thursday evening at a private apartment in Westlands area but failed to convince him to stay in the alliance. They parted ways after failing to strike a balance and requested for another meeting yesterday morning to try and unlock the stalemate.
However, yesterday morning the DPM refused to meet them and insisted he was heading to Nyeri for a UDF rally. Uhuru then got wind that he was going to announce the ‘divorce’ but rushed to Ruto’s office to make the announcement jointly.
A public standoff between Musalia and Uhuru over how to pick a Jubilee Alliance presidential candidate has been in the media headlines with secret deals between the two coming to light.
Uhuru had agreed to back Musalia for the ticket, but rescinded his decision insisting that the two face each other at joint nominations while claiming he was coerced by dark forces to make the commitment.
This was in reference to Uhuru’s arm-twisting after he beat about-turn and rescinded a promise what the UDF team considers flimsy grounds; the devil’s influence.
Yesterday’s announcement ended a political engagement between TNA/URP and UDF which lasted exactly sixteen days having begun on the evening of 4th December 2012.
Uhuru and Ruto had days earlier unveiled their alliance which was cemented on 3rd December with their pact deposited at the office of the Registrar of Political parties.
However, the following day Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Trade Minister Moses Wetamg’ula announced their Cord alliance; which appears to have sent panic in the Jubilee alliance with the two leaders accompanied by MPs Chirau Mwakwere and Najib Balala dashing to Musalia’s Riverside Drive home.
Unknown to his peers, Uhuru had a ready written document committing himself to drop out of the race and support Musalia as the jubilee candidate. The DPM later disowned the document claiming it was the work of evil forces that sought to undermine the UP/TNA agreement.
During yesterday’s press briefing, the Gatundu south MP defended his actions saying he meant well for the country and its unity when promising to step aside for the Sabatia MP.
“Because our principal calling is not about individuals and we were willing to concede positions for the sake of unity and reconciliation but we now sincerely wish him well,” he added.
The DPM refused to answer a straight question of whether he had duped Musalia and only answered to the affirmative when asked another question of whether the ‘devil that misled’ him has been overcome.
The Gatundu South MP took a swipe at main rivals Cord alliance saying ‘the ODM ship was sinking and no Cord can hold it together.”
The jubilee leaders announced that they will be in Tononoka, Mombasa today for a rally before returning to Nairobi where they will have a delegate’s conference to endorse their line up tomorrow (Sunday).
“If the issue was “democratic” for Mudavadi to be nominated through “delegates”, how democratic is it to “endorse” Uhuru at a makeshift unknown delegates’ conference?” Musalia scoffed at the planed NDC.
