ODM polls pits sociologist versus lawyer

Dr. Agnes Zani                   PHOTO: COURTESY

By Standard Reporter

Dr. Agnes Zani

Question: “Inexperienced, ignorant and unknown” – this is how some of your rivals refer to you. Do these adjectives aptly describe Dr Zani?

Answer: Of course not. I have been around much longer, mobilizing for ODM and at various levels and laying down the strategy for the party.

Q: So just who are you and when and where did you get your first brush with politics?

A: I am a woman from Kwale County, a university lecturer who in March 2013 was nominated as a Member of Parliament to the Senate of Kenya by the Orange party. I have been very active in the Senate making valuable contribution including bringing to the Floor of the House various motions and bills and articulating the position of my party and the common Kenyan. I have brought their dream of living a life of dignity to the very fore of my arguments and presentations.

Q: For two decades you have been a university lecturer of sociology. What persuaded you to ditch the noble profession for the dirty game of politics?

A: Politics is what we make it and remember politics is life. It is a dream for all Kenyans to live an equitable life where their social and economic welfare is catered for. Any person, therefore, who wants this actualized, will have to be part of a political process.

Q: Talking about the dirty game, how hard, tough or filthy do you find the campaign trail so far?

A: The ODM delegates have received me very warmly in all the regions that I have been able to visit. They share a dream where equitable distribution of wealth will enable them to realise their hope to live as Kenyans with dignity. It is that dignity that Kenyans seek and through ODM ideals, vision and mission and it is that dream that we want to achieve for Kenyans.

Q: Excuse me for asking this again. Are you, as is the perception out there, a preferred candidate of the ODM leadership?

A: Putting tags on people’s candidature is one way of attempting to pull down strong candidates and overlooking the strengths that such candidates bring to the positions they have offered themselves for. This mischief only hurts our party.

Q: Budalang’i MP, Ababu Namwamba, is easily your strongest challenger. What are your thoughts on his capabilities and/or shortcomings? 

A: Ababu, like me, seeks to build the party. He brings capabilities that he has articulated in various forums and I bring in abilities including organizational skills, strategic approaches, mobilization abilities and insights about how to strengthen and actualize the ODM vision, mission and ethos concretized in a 20 point agenda on complete party revival and revitalization.

Q: Separately, are you in support of, or opposed to, the decision by the NGC to create more national party positions?

A: This is a decision that has been taken at NGC and sets the process for the direction that the party takes.

 Q: Besides you, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho seeks another equally senior position of Deputy Party Leader, as well as other coastal region politicians including Suleiman Dori and Zulekha Hassan. Are you concerned that coastal region is staking a giant claim of the available seats?

A: Coast has a stake in ODM like any other region. What is of great essence is that ODM gets able candidates across the country, since diverse and rich candidature is to the advantage of the party.

Q: Let us turn to your candidature. What gives you the advantage over other aspirants?    

A: My diverse background both in the political field and in my professional field as a sociologist and statistician. I bring to the table, the practical experiences in the field and the abilities to mobilize, be analytical, apply new and fresh ideas to steer the party to the next level.

Q: Briefly state your key set goals as ODM’s Secretary General, if elected?

A: I will continue with efforts of professionalizing the secretariat, coordination and streamlining of party structures, roles and responsibilities to enhance maximization of human and financial resources. I plan to position the party for mass mobilization and recruitment ahead of 2017. I will also endeavor to strengthen ODM data bases, research units and grassroots mechanisms.

Q: What will you do differently to revatilise the party and ensure its eventual victory at the 2017 polls?

A: All the stated above and especially watch out for time lines and logistical issues and address these sufficiently and in good time to ensure success in the process.

 Finally, what next for Dr Zani, in the event she fails to capture the SG’s seat? 

I will continue to build the party and strategize for 2017. ODM will remain united

Ababu Namwamba

 

Question: “Jubilee mole, arrogant and selfish” – this is how some of your rivals refer to you. Do these adjectives aptly describe Ababu Namwamba?

A: I always take solace from the experiences of my political father and mentor, Raila Amolo Odinga. His rivals have branded him all sorts of things: Anarchist, communist, coup plotter, vindictive, dictator, sore loser, party hopper, name it. Is he any of those things? Of course not! When your rivals fear you, they resort to the cowardly route of cheap branding and name calling.

Q: For some time you served actively as a lawyer and a member of the civil society. What persuaded you to join the dirty game of politics?

A: The desire to be part of Kenya’s historic constitutional transformation and the urgent need to raise the bar of leadership in Budalang’i Constituency served as the primary magnet. That is why co-chairing the parliamentary select committee on constitution review and rebranding the image of Budalang’i remain the key highlights in my political career this far.

Q: Talking about the dirty game, how hard, tough or filthy do you find the campaign trail so far?

A: I enjoy the campaign trail because of the people; Kenyans across the length and breadth of our country are amazing. From Loitoktok to Todonyang, Hola to Budalang’i and beyond, we are a great people. And because I am not the pretentious type, I don’t believe in cheap dirty politics.

Q: Excuse me for asking this again. Are you, as is the perception out there among some, a mole within ODM and a confidant of Deputy President William Ruto? 

A: As Mahatma Gandhi would put it, my life is my story. All of us in ODM who have been in ODM since it’s founding have a shared history with the Deputy President. My relationship with him today is that he is in government and I am in the opposition. I will do everything possible to turn tables on him.

Q: Nominated senator, Agnes Zani, is easily your strongest challenger. What are your thoughts on her capabilities and/or shortcomings?  

Answer: Agnes is my friend and I have the greatest respect for her. I believe she is a fantastic addition to the Orange ranks. With regard to our contest, all I can say is that however great a storyteller you may be, you cannot tell a story you do not know, or a story you have never lived! In football, you do not join a team as a new signing today and demand the captain’s armband right away.

Q: Separately, are you in support of, or opposed to, the decision by the NGC to create more national party positions?

Answer: My reservations are borne out of two factors: one, it is so KANUsque, and gives the impression that this elections are about individuals. Two, we have walked that path before, and the consequences have certainly not been best for the party. A proliferation of positions takes away the strong sense of responsibility; it kills that leadership philosophy made famous by America’s 33rd President, Harry Truman: “the buck stops here!” 

Q:  Besides you, Mombasa Governor Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya seeks another equally senior position of Deputy Party Leader, as well as other western Kenya region politicians including Paul Otuoma and George Aladwa. Are you concerned that western region is staking a giant claim of the available seats?

A: ODM is a democratic party and everyone must be accorded equal opportunity to pursue their ambitions within the party. And while regional balance is important, it must not be at the expense of the free expression of the democratic will of the people. Furthermore, we are not running to be regional officials.

Q: Let us turn to your candidature. What gives you the advantage over other aspirants?   

A: My exemplary service to the party and its social democracy cause. I have been a fearless, loyal and consistent warrior for ODM since it was forged from the furnace of the November 2005 constitutional referendum. I have lived the ODM soul and story, I know the Orange story intimately, and I can tell it with passion, valour and honour I have led several campaign war formations, like ODM Reloaded and CORD-Effect, which accounts for some invaluable field experience.

Q: Briefly state your key set goals as ODM’s Secretary General, if elected?

A: ODM is a mass movement…I want the people to reconnect with the party in similar manner as in 2007. I want to end this rhetoric of “the party has its owners” and make all ODM followers feel they belong. I want to initiate a program to woo back our people the party has lost over the years, and to tightly hold onto what we already have. Nomination time is normally a nightmare for ODM, the moment when our momentum is badly sabotaged. I want to end the impunity that aids this nightmare during our party primaries. Above all else, I want to help drive ODM to power in 2017, with Raila Amolo Odinga as president.

Q: What will you do differently to revitalise the party and ensure its eventual victory at the 2017 polls?

A: Battle 2017 must be anchored on the people themselves, not a few individuals. Our youth and women will be my frontline forces. I want them motivated and properly armed. But first, I want to raise the spirits of the party rank and file by sorting out the errors that disappoint and dispirit them. I want to end the culture of botched party primaries. Above all else, we must rebrand the party, give it fresh vitality and transform it into one unstoppable juggernaut when we unleash the Orange blitz.