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We were waiting for Raila, only to see him on TV being sworn in- Musalia Mudavadi

What really happened the day Tinga was sworn in? Will the varsity rugby star nicknamed Phantom come charging back? ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi spoke to The Nairobian

There are too many stories flying around. What really happened on the day ODM leader Raila Odinga was sworn in as the ‘People’s President?’

My colleagues and I were waiting for Raila where we had agreed to meet so that we could go through the final finer details and then head to Uhuru Park.

I received a call from Raila that he was marooned, but he did not indicate where, or by whom. The next thing we knew he was being sworn him at Uhuru Park.

Do you think absconding the swearing in ceremony could have fatally cost you your support base in Western Kenya and Nyanza?

From my explanation, we did not abscond. But it’s true our predetermined absence was used to try and bully us. That sent signals that the whole event was choreographed to enable create room for mudslinging.

It was political mugging!

There are rumours that you and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka met President Uhuru Kenyatta in secret at the State House two days later...

True, those are rumours na uongo tupu!

Unless you’re also fishing and wish to publish rumours. Show me the evidence. We can’t be asking for an open, all-inclusive process if we know we’ve skeletons of secret meetings in our wardrobes.

There are newspaper reports that the ANC, Wiper and Fork-Kenya leadership was trying to strike a deal with DP William Ruto before Raila met President Uhuru...

Now where were we supposed to be meeting Uhuru or Ruto?  This is the problem with publishing rumours and fake news.

Nasa is for all practical purposes dead. What is your next move?

From where do you get that ridiculousnotion that Nasa is dead? And why would Nasa be dead, because we’re asking for accountability amongst us?

Did the Summit not just hold a retreat at Stoni Athi Resort and your media house was well-represented?

The media need to guard against making wild conclusions about evolving events, as this can mislead Kenyans.

In the run up to the elections, Kenyans saw a more combative Mudavadi, very different from the gentleman of old. What motivated this change? Do we expect to see more of that fire-spitting Mudavadi?

I was the campaign chairman and a lot depended on how I motivated the troops during the campaigns. I simply put my all into the campaign, which I knew was ours to lose.

That MDvD of the campaign is still around.

Do you ever regret not running for governor in 2013?

If you weren’t my friend, I wouldn’t take that in jest! I hope it isn’t your political world view of me.

What was the rationale behind the opposition refusing to vet Cabinet nominees in parliament? Don’t you think you might have saddled your followers with certain people who are incompetent?

Nasa didn’t recognise the election of Uhuru, therefore helping him form a Cabinet would have been contradictory and symbolic recognition.

Your ‘enemies’ say you would probably make a good president, but the problem is that you want the presidency to be given to you on a silver platter...

You’ve just praised me for the passion and dedication with which I campaigned in 2017, then now you eat your words?

Which is the Mudavadi you know? But maybe you mean I am waiting for Kenyans to give me the opportunity to serve, which is correct.

Why did you and Ford-Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula allow so many politicians affiliated to Jubilee to get elected in your backyard? Does that reflect a lack of clout on your part?

Your questions are cheeky! You don’t seem to appreciate the history of voting in western region at all.

Neither do you want to give credit to free choice. Some were elected in their own right. Others were filtered by the computer.

Based on history, can we assume that achieving Luhya unity is an impossible feat?

What is that? What is your definition of unity?

How many times must the Luhya demonstrate they’re united and to whom? For whom did they vote to a man in 2017? We should desist from this narrative that belittles a community through perpetual demeaning by media.

Kenya is broke. As a former Finance minister, how did we get here?

Spending what we don’t have on grandiose projects that cannot repay themselves, plus a festival of high-end corruption for the last six years. If you doubt me ask, the Auditor-General Edward Ouko.

If you were sitting in State House, what would you do to remedy the situation?

Cut corruption to zero by jailing the perpetrators and recovering the money looted from public coffers; allocate resources to production through counties and create them economic incubators; define youth agenda in the context of health, education and employment.

I need to lend you the ANC 2017 manifesto for the full focus. Incidentally, I was ready, and it is only ANC that had a manifesto amongst the Nasa parties.

Why are you always getting played and outmanoeuvred politically?

Again, I don’t want to give you the benefit of engaging in character assassination.

It is still early days, but how do you envisage the presidential election of 2022 to look like?

With the new developments, 2022 isn’t cast in stone.

Do you realise that as long as the Kikuyu and Kalenjin are together, their combined voting bloc is virtually impossible to beat?

I don’t want to descend into an ethnic discussion. But purely on numbers, whether population or registered voters, your assumption crumbles.

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