NASA launches joint onslaught against Uhuru in August elections

NASA Principles Musalia Mudavadi(left)Raila Odinga (centre)Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula during the signing of Power sharing . (Photo: Beverlyne Musili/Standard)

The team that crafted the coalition agreement for the National Super Alliance (NASA) will retreat for three days to tackle the thorny issue of the joint Opposition presidential candidate. It also emerged that the NASA leaders have ruled out nomination as a formula for picking the flag bearer. They will settle for boardroom negotiation and consensus.

NASA did not name its presidential candidate yesterday when the four co-principals signed the pact that legally binds them to the coalition; apparently to give them room for more negotiations on power-sharing.

It also emerged that the 12-member committee that crafted the agreement whose members include economist David Ndii, Senators James Orengo and Johnson Muthama will now move to the next phase of crafting the actual pecking order and power sharing in case they win.

The committee is mandated to come up with the best method to select the coalition's presidential candidate.

"What we have been doing is working on an agreement. But from Sunday, our team will have three days to see how best to choose our candidate. But the principals have ruled out nominations. They will agree through consensus on whom their leader will be," the source revealed.

The committee will also work on the finer details of a power-sharing formula among the four parties that make up NASA for the slots available in Government, should the coalition win the elections.

Yesterday, CORD co-principals Raila Odinga (Orange Democratic Movement), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Moses Wetang'ula (Ford Kenya) and Musalia Mudavadi (Amani National Congress) signed the NASA coalition agreement at the Okoa Kenya headquarters in Nairobi.

Tthe four agreed to cooperate and work together, before, during and after the August 8 General Election and in case of victory, formation of the coalition national and county governments.

Secretary generals of the four NASA parties later in the day deposited the agreement with the Registrar of Political Parties. The coalition will hold its first public rally in Eldoret on Saturday.

According to the agreement, CORD will stand dissolved upon the expiry of the current parliamentary term.

The newly-formed NASA shall be in existence before and after election and through the term of the next parliament.

The coalition will dissolve at the expiry of the next Parliament, that is 2022, or if any of the three parties decide to leave. The NASA pact can be amended by agreement of the coalition parties and may include other agreements with other political parties and organisations who share their vision.

The four parties will share power based on, "founder-member status, portfolio balance and equity and performance".

Positions eligible for power-sharing are Executive appointments, Legislative offices, national government executive appointments and leadership positions in the National Assembly and Senate that the coalition is entitled to or eligible for.

Constitutional and independent offices will not be subjected to power-sharing. The coalition parties will enter into power-sharing agreements in each of the counties where more than one coalition party is participating in any of the elective seats.

"The team is also tasked with coming up with a formula for  sharing money given out to the political parties after the August 8 elections," the source said.

The coalition will field a single presidential candidate and running mate who shall be agreed upon in consultation with the newly formed Summit and National Coordinating Committee (NCC).

 

The principals also agreed to form a coalition government whose power-sharing formula would be governed by a number of principles. Key among them are the national aspiration for an inclusive, democratic and participatory governance.

The institutions and organs of NASA consist of the Summit, National Coordinating Committee (NCC), National Technical and Strategy Committee and National Secretariat.

Others are County Coordinating Committees (CCCs), Coalition Parliamentary and County Assemblies Groups and General Assembly of the Coalition.

The Summit will be formed by the four party leaders and shall be the supreme organ of the coalition to which governance matters shall be subject.

NCC will have equal representation from the four parties. As part of NASA's nomination rules, the coalition will field a single candidate for each parliamentary, gubernatorial and county assembly seat.