I’m shocked Kalonzo, Mudavadi, Wetangula have left Raila over money quarrel – MP Amisi

Saboti MP Caleb Amisi has urged Wiper, ANC and Ford Kenya to negotiate with ODM for a possible reunion. [File, Standard]

Saboti Member of Parliament (MP) Caleb Amisi says he is “shocked” that Wiper, Amani National Congress (ANC) and Ford-Kenya parties are divorcing from ODM over “money squabbles”.

Speaking on KTN News’ Tuesday night programme, News Line, Amisi said the four principals of the NASA affiliate parties can still hammer out a solution without necessarily opting out.

According to Amisi, Kalonzo Musyoka (of Wiper), Musalia Mudavadi (ANC) and Moses Wetangula (Ford Kenya) left Raila Odinga after the trio had “a quarrel with ODM over the sharing of political parties’ funds”.

The youthful MP claims the NASA divorce was not anchored on other weighty grounds.

“I am perplexed that, as NASA, we are discussing about the sharing of funds. I thought when we formed the coalition, we wanted to form the Government, and not to engage in little squabbles about money from the National Treasury,” said Amisi, who was the guest on News Line alongside Wiper’s Daniel Maanzo and Ayub Savula of ANC.

“I am shocked money has become the main reason the other NASA-affiliate parties are citing for divorcing from ODM,” added Amisi, who described as “left-overs” the funds set aside for the opposition.

Amisi urged Wiper, ANC and Ford Kenya to return to the negotiating table and reach a compromise with ODM, so that they, unitedly, can face off against one major competitor – Deputy President William Ruto.

“The other brothers (Kalonzo, Mudavadi and Wetangula) should swallow their little pride and come to the table so that we negotiate. We are now faced with an enemy whom we need to tackle together,” he said.

ANC’s Ayub Savula, who is the MP for Lugari, faulted Amisi for claiming that the other NASA-affiliate parties were severing ties with ODM over money wrangles only. To Savula, ODM betrayed the trust ANC, Wiper and Ford Kenya had bestowed upon it.

“We signed a memorandum of understanding that we deposited at the Registrar of Political Parties office. The coalition agreement revolving around funding and trust should have stayed. What led to NASA’s collapse are two: mistrust and the sharing of political parties’ funds,” said Savula.

“For the last four years, our senior brothers (ODM) have been denying that they have not received any coin [from the political parties’ kitty], and they vowed never to release any funds to us.

“In the document that we shared with the Registrar of Political Parties, we documented a revenue-sharing formula. What I am seeing today, [that ODM has addressed a letter to us saying they would release the funds] are stories in the media. As ANC, we have not received any letter from Raila Odinga over how the funds would be distributed. If they give us those funds, it would just serve as alimony, because, in our minds, we have already divorced from NASA,” stated Savula.

On his part, Makueni MP Daniel Maanzo, who belongs to Wiper Party, declared NASA “dead”, and that the coalition was only waiting “to receive a death certificate from the Registrar of Political Parties”.

“We expected NASA to win in 2013 and 2017 [general elections], but it did not. To think that Wiper can support Raila [for presidency] again in 2022, would be ridiculous. We can’t do things the same way and expect different results. Jubilee’s vote could still be intact in 2022. We must change the competitor. We have pulled out of NASA. ODM triggered the divorce,” said Maanzo.

“We did not run [for presidency] for a second time [in the 2017 repeat presidential election]. So, the political parties’ funds cannot be released. We are not hoping to get the money; it’s about principle. Is ODM willing to keep the promise? For now, NASA is dead. We have launched the notification of its death, the burial certificate has been processed by ODM themselves, through their Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, and now we are only waiting for the death certificate from the Registrar of Political Parties.”

Asked why they hadn’t formally written a withdrawal notice to the Registrar of Political Parties, Maanzo said: “We held a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting that declared that we are pulling out of NASA. Soon, we will present our papers to the Registrar of Political Parties.”

On his part, Ayub Savula of ANC said: “Our documents are ready. As NASA-wantaway parties, we agreed that we hold individual NEC meetings, after that, we hold separate parliamentary group meetings and finally a joint meeting that would see the affiliate parties’ leaders jointly sign a withdrawal deal from NASA.”

According to Savula, the process is “almost done”.

Saboti MP, Amisi, said ODM’s hands were tied in the delayed disbursement of political parties’ funds due to, among others, lengthy court cases.

“We have had problems with how the consolidated funds for political parties should be shared,” he said.

“There has been a lot of goodwill from my party, ODM. If ODM was to be mischievous, we could have started [the mischief] early [after the 2017 general election]. The leadership positions in Parliament reserved for the opposition have been equitably shared among the affiliate parties; that explains how ODM has been a fair player in the coalition.”

Out of the Sh308 million allocated to the Opposition, ODM pocketed Sh187 million because of its representation muscle in Parliament. The Party sponsored 94 legislators to Parliament. Wiper had 27 lawmakers, ANC, 17; Ford Kenya, 14 and Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM), two.

On top of the Sh187 million, ODM also received Sh179.8 million from the political parties’ fund; Wiper (Sh70 million), ANC (Sh43.9 million), Ford Kenya (Sh36 million) and CCM (Sh3 million).