Real agenda behind ‘Mau’ fundraiser

By Standard Team

A political plot to elbow Prime Minister Raila Odinga aside from power in the 2012 General Election has finally come to the fore.

While it may have been on cards for some time now, the apparent scheme came to light on Wednesday night during a funds drive in aid of Mau evictees. Each of the speakers, who included 10 Cabinet ministers, singled out the PM as the target for attack.

Members of Raila’s own ODM party unleashed the hardest blows, with his deputy party leader, Agriculture Minister William Ruto, leading the onslaught.

"When a senior Government official goes public to claim poor Kenyans crying out in the cold are shedding crocodile tears and are criminals, that tells you that that individual’s leadership is wanting," kicked off Ruto.

Taking cue, Tourism Minister and Pentagon member Najib Balala dismissed the PM as a political tourist out to destabilise other leaders.

"He was recently in Chepalungu and you should not be surprised to see tourists in your area soon, without your invitation," said the Mvita MP.

Perhaps owing to the heat generated by the events of Wednesday night, ODM’s National Executive Council meeting destined for yesterday was called off at the eleventh hour. The timing was bad and it was reportedly feared the Raila-Ruto cracks would have exploded at the meeting, where party functionaries were to discuss the draft constitution and take a common stand.

ODM’s secretariat later explained move was due to requests by Muslim faithful who wanted to travel to their rural homes to join family during today’s Idd-ul-Hajj celebrations.

Seat of power

Although guised as a noble harambee event, the MPs gathered at Panafric Hotel gave themselves away when they veered off to politics, confessing Raila was a common enemy whose activities must be checked.

In an emotional prayer, Kangundo MP and ODM-Kenya’s Chief Whip Johnstone Muthama implored God to "ensure this very man does not move anywhere near any seat of power in 2012", to which those in attendance thundered in unison, "Amen".

However, it is Balala — the man who stepped down in favour of Raila during ODM’s 2007 presidential primaries at Kasarani Gymnasium — who left no doubt about the real mission of the event.

"This is a team to watch. We have just started and we will remain as you have seen us today until we give this country a fresh leadership come 2012," he declared.

Ruto’s assistant at the Agriculture ministry, Kareke Mbiuki, concurred: "This team is united and is here to stay. We will all be in the next government come 2013."

Curiously, Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi, who a couple of days ago praised the PM at an international forum "for leading from the front even at the expense of his political career", was also among those present.

Said he: "My presence here should speak for itself. We are here for a cause and we will remain united to the end."

That the Wednesday event was a pointer to a 2012 elections scheme was demonstrated by speeches hinged on a possible Ruto-Uhuru Kenyatta-Kalonzo Musyoka political alliance.

Insincere and selfish

Most speakers heaped praise on the triple "K" (Kalenjin, Kikuyu and Kamba) political alliance.

Hard positions were taken at the function presided over by Uhuru.

And as if to confirm he had been subjected to pressure from high office to skip the function touted as a means to painting Government negatively, the DPM reminded his audience that anybody opposed the harambee spirit was insincere and selfish.

Uhuru conceded he had been under pressure to skip the function "because majority of our people (Kikuyu) were uprooted from their homes during post-election violence and are yet to be resettled".

But even as the leaders rooted for the triple ‘K’ alliance, some MPs from Central castigated Uhuru for attending the fundraiser.

Mr Mbau claimed Uhuru was attempting to enter into an alliance with the Kalenjin and Kamba without the blessing of Central Kenya people.

"Uhuru should know that while Ruto commands the Rift Valley Province and Kalonzo the Kamba, he has no following in Central," said Mbau.

He said Uhuru had failed in uniting his people and yet "he is purporting to be their de facto leader".