Jubilee leaders trash alliance talks

From left: Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, CORD co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka, Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, Isaac Ruto’s wife, Esther, ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi and Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma during Ruto’s homecoming rally in Bomet. [PHOTO: KIPSANG JOSEPH/STANDARD]

Opposition figures insisted talks to form a broad-based alliance are ongoing as Jubilee branded the planned outfit a unity of the minority vote that lost in the last elections.

Amani National Congress Leader Musalia Mudavadi, who has pushed the National Super Alliance (Nasa), said background talks were ongoing to form the alliance that he said would bring together ODM, Wiper, Ford-Kenya, ANC, Kanu and any other Opposition party.

The ANC leader said the structure of the new outfit would be unveiled soon.

"I can confirm to you that the talks are ongoing. There are serious background discussions," Mudavadi said yesterday.

He spoke a day after Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto hosted him, Kanu chairman Gideon Moi, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka among other leaders in Bomet where the leaders rooted for the alliance.

Yesterday, Kanu Secretary General Nick Salat said there were ongoing political realignments aimed at bringing Opposition leaders together.

Mr Salat said the Jubilee regime had failed and the only way the Opposition could save the country is by joining hands.

"The ongoing realignments are natural as we approach elections. So I am not surprised that like-minded individuals are coming together to come up with a workable formula. People are finding what can be the alternative to the existing structures," Salat said.

ODM National Treasurer Timothy Bosire said the structure of the super alliance would be made public soon.

"We will ultimately come together, the formation is inevitable and the structure is taking shape. There comes a time when we realise that we are pursuing the same goal with divided energy and the sooner we realise that, the better. We are realising that and the mood is good; we are talking softly to each other," Bosire said.

But in an earlier interview, Kalonzo, who also attended the Bomet rally, denied any formal talks about the outfit.

"I don't know about the super alliance thing. I have read about it in the papers but we have never sat anywhere to discuss it," Kalonzo said.

Yesterday, the ruling coalition MPs argued the touted alliance reflected the strength of Jubilee rivals who only garnered 49 per cent of the votes in the 2013 General Election.

Jubilee leaders said the formation of Nasa posed no threat to President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto's re-election on a Jubilee Party ticket.

 RULING COALITION

There was caution, however, that the ruling coalition should be wary of factors that could stoke voter apathy in Jubilee strongholds particularly central and Rift Valley regions.

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale led ruling coalition leaders in dismissing the Opposition's clamour, saying Jubilee government had made inroads in the Opposition strongholds.

"We have made inroads in their strongholds and we are sure of getting a million plus in Kisii, Ukambani and western which voted Raila in the last election," Duale said.

He said some of the leaders being touted as members of the yet to be formed outfit managed less than a half a million votes in the last polls.

"There is nothing called Nasa. The race is a two-horse race between President Uhuru and Raila. The rest are donkeys and they are no threat to us," said Duale.

"Our competitor is Raila and since we beat him in 2013 polls when he had issues we are sure of winning the polls. Those who are talking about Nasa are people who got less than 500,000 votes in the last polls," Duale mocked.

Duale claimed that Rift Valley was still strongly in Jubilee, adding that agitation by some leaders in the South Rift is not giving them any worry.

He said Governor Ruto was way below the Deputy President politically and cannot compete with him.

Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria said Nasa would be undermined by JP's infiltration of Western, Nyanza, Rift Valley and Eastern regions.

"Of the group, it is only the Bomet Governor who was in Jubilee Coalition during the 2013 elections, and I do not think they will perform any better even if they come together. That is a minority vote that is coming together and they will not do any better than they did in 2013," said Kuria.

Thika Town MP Ms Alice Ng'ang'a , who heads Jubilee presidential campaigns in Kiambu, said President Uhuru's administration is running on development record.

"Jubilee has spread its wings far and wide to all corners of the country. We now have more people from Nyanza, Coast and Western on board, which has given the president more support across the board than he had in 2013 elections," said Ms Ng'ang'a.

The MP said major fallout in the opposition was inevitable in the near future since some of the disgruntled leaders will quit in protest if they are not picked to fly Nasa flag.

"If Nasa settles on Mudavadi as the presidential candidate, there will be the fallout between him and (Moses) Wetang'ula. On the other side, if the party settles on Kalonzo Musyoka, there may be fallout with Raila Odinga and vice-versa. This will eventually work for us and so we have nothing to worry about," she said.

Gatundu North MP Kigo Njenga said what should worry Jubilee strategists is the possibility of voter apathy in Jubilee strongholds particularly in Mt Kenya and Rift valley regions.

 Marakwet East MP Kangogo Bowen said: "The alliance is made up of old guards who competed and lost in 2013 and they have nothing new to offer to Kenyans.

Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Eusilah Ngeny said Nasa is a non-starter.