Did Raila betray his co-principals by meeting Uhuru without them?

The word 'betrayal' best sums up what the NASA chief, Raila Odinga, did by accepting to meet and reach a ‘deal’ with his arch rival, President Uhuru Kenyatta, without notifying his co-principals.

It would not have cost much for Raila to inform Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang'ula that he was meeting the President.

Raila not only betrayed his NASA co-principals but also the million of supporters who have fought hard, been maimed and even died trying to get him into State house. One would have expected well-structured talks and a solid deal, not a cynical, selfish, cowardly and hypocritical power-deal.

What will now become of the cause for electoral justice that NASA was pushing for as a coalition? From the start, Kalonzo was all for peaceful ways of resolving the dispute between Jubilee and NASA but ended up being branded a coward and a water melon.

Had the talks been well-planned, transparent and mediated by some respected members of society, local or international, everyone would be happy. Not secretive phone calls and night meetings, without anything substantive from other stakeholders being taken into consideration.

Has the Raila-Uhuru deal resolved electoral injustice, respect for rule of law, judicial independence and other matters that Kenya is grappling with now?

Going forward, as elected leaders we now want the coalition leaders to tell us how we shall carry out our watchdog role, especially now that the leadership of one out of the four NASA affiliate parties is in bed with the Jubilee government.

Ms Mbalu is the Kibwezi East MP and Vice Chairperson of the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee