Battles in major parties blessing to small outfits

By BEAUTTAH OMANGA

Politics being the game of numbers, the so-called smaller parties are capitalising on possible fallouts in the major parties to make a kill in the coming elections.

Already President Kibaki’s former party DP has attracted Rev Mutava Musyimi to its ranks while other presidential hopefuls are now said to be also in talking terms with the leaders of the peripheral parties with a view of sparing the tickets for them in case they fail to win nominations in the bigger parties.

Chances are also high the smaller parties will have an impact as the country races towards the election day given a new law demands all parties be given financial support by the State.

"There are all signs the so-called big parties will fragment as it happened to the original Ford. Right now everybody feels has a chance of being anointed a flag bearer of the parties with big following but when it dawns on them that they will not be the flag bearers, they will obviously turn to other parties," said Jared Ndege, a political scientist.

Ndege says chances were high the so-called small parties were also engineering fallouts in major parties to given them a national image.

MACHAGE’S CASE

"It is possible smaller party delegations are now busy in the market trying to give leaders in other parties hope that they stood better chances if the decamped from where they are to join them," said Ndege.

Rev Musyimi, who declared his interest in the country’s leadership, was among the first leaders to announce their candidature but kept his admirers guessing as to his party of choice.

Speaking in Nakuru town last July when he launched his State House bid, Musyimi said he was offering himself to Kenyans but that a party was not all that crucial then. Come last week, he joined a DP delegates meeting in Machakos where he came clear.

He declared he has all along been a silent member of the DP even when he was the voice of reason among the clergy as NCCK secretary general.

According to Musyimi, DP produced President Kibaki and he has foreseen a repeat of the same through him. Party leaders led by Chris Murungaru and Joseph Munyao welcomed him but promised him competition from other party members.

Before 2010 referendum, the party chairman Wilfred Machage, who was its only MP in Parliament, had been touted as a potential candidate whom the party wanted to market as a representative of smaller communities.

Dr Machage soon after found himself in bad books with his party that even suspended him after he was arraigned in court over allegations he made a hate speech during a referendum campaign. The Kuria MP was however in December found innocent and President Kibaki soon after reappointed him to his ministerial docket.

Machage has remained somehow silent despite having been seen as the face of the DP but with the entry of Musyimi, Machage, now an alley of Eldoret North MP William Ruto, might have to change parties or stick with his DP but offer himself as Musyimi’s running mate.

ATTRACTING ATTENTION

Other candidates jostling for the national image through their small parties include lawyer Paul Muite and Kingwa Kamenchu. While Muite is already on the campaign trail through his Safina party, Kamenchu is said to be considering either to run on Julia Ojiambo’s LPK or as an independent candidate.

Another party that has increasingly attracted attention is the newly-registered UDF whose main face is Mandera Central MP Abdikadir Mohammed.

Recently, Abdikadir was requested to brief the media after a two-hour G7 consultative meeting. It was not clear why the alliance that brought together MPs supportive of Ruto and Uhuru Kenyatta’s political camps and presidential bids left the task to Abdikadir.

The meeting discussed a number of weighty issues among them plans to exclude Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka from its Kibaki succession plans.

"It is clear Abdikadir is also being considered as a possible compromise candidate through his UDF party. He stands a chance because either of the presidential hopefuls will have no grounds to oppose or reject his nomination as the anti-Raila forces’ flag bearer," said an MP from Rift Valley on condition of anonymity.

Those advancing the Abdikadir candidature also opine that Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa also of another smaller party New Ford-Kenya or Shirikisho’s Chirau Mwakwere might be considered for support as running mates.

There is talk UDF is being wooed to join the G7 to add numbers that WMD’s Kalonzo was likely to take off with. However, after intense consultations, the Ruto-Uhuru political axis is being cautioned losing the VP from their camp will have long term political implications in case they were blocked from running for the big office.

"With the falling out with the PM, Kalonzo offers that team the only assurance that his presidency, in case he beats Raila, will be friendly to them as they fight the ICC trials. He has the necessary experience and at least he has some numbers to add to what they have in Central and Rift Valley," said an MP from Kisii.

Speaking in Nyandarua, Ruto and Uhuru seemed to tone down their criticism of Kalonzo as the VP retreated to Naivasha for intense consultations with his inner Wiper Democratic Party leaders.

Even though Abdikadir has not declared his candidature for the presidency, sources within his ‘third force’ grouping have in many occasions indicated they will be fronting him.

"It is true we are working out some arrangement within the G7 and other like minded Kenyan leaders but first we must do it through legislative agendas in parliament. If it works out first in the house, then we will see what follows," hinted nominated PNU MP George Nyamweya.

He said the most important agenda was beating all set constitution implementation deadlines but not scheming on who becomes a flag bearer of which group.

Country’s leadership

According to Nyamweya, the third force will not be sucked into premature endorsement of any politician as a preferred presidential candidate.

"If any group wants to work with us in the UDF, they are free but we are not going to rubber stamp anybody’s candidature to state house. We have stated clearly that our flag bearer will be picked through the counties and the most popular candidate will be the person to support," he said.

Even though Jeremiah Kioni and Nderitu Mureithi all key members of the UDF hosted the G7 leaders, at the weekend it is not clear yet whether are about to abandon the UDF for the Central Kenya Unity as prevailed upon to do by Ruto and other speakers.

Nyamweya who is also key member of the UDF, however, seemed to disagree with a decision by the G7 to replace a joint government whip Johnstone Muthama and his deputy Jeremiah Kioni. Kioni, sources said was unbothered with the alleged plans to replace him as a deputy whip as he went about inviting fellow MPs to a tour of his constituency by Uhuru and Ruto.

While the already established parties are engaging in modes of nominations to get the best among its membership, the smaller parties might as well hand over tickets to late comers merely to gain the national image from mere village or briefcase parties they are.

However, Muite is optimistic just like Machage that were the smaller parties to get away of pulling in one direction through a single candidate, they will easily win the presidency.