Aspirants race to beat December alliance timeline

By ALEX NDEGWA and MARTIN MUTUA

This Sunday, political parties and their preferred presidential aspirants start a race against the clock to lock up pre-election alliances.

Parties must sign such pacts and deposit the documents with the Registrar of Political Parties by December 4 or go it alone, according to the Political Parties Act.

Signs the alliance landscape would be firmed up well before this date is evident in the body language and coded messages being  delivered by allies of presidential aspirants.

Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP Ruto and their parties have virtually sealed a deal and Prime Minister Raila Odinga is looking elsewhere after his apology to the Kalenjin community was rubbished by MPs allied to Ruto.

And even as Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and his Wiper Democratic Movement party continues to deny they were  in talks with Raila, the VP’s long-time ally, Kangundo MP Johnstone Muthama and some of his colleagues in the party, are headed to Nyanza Province to join the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) MPs in a rally at Kendu Bay, Homa Bay County.

This was revealed in statement from the PM’s office.

Parties are going full throttle to popularise alliances while others are keen to conclude pending negotiations.

For the first time, Rift Valley MPs allied to Ruto’s United Republican Party (URP) persuaded the audience of a regional radio show to support Eldoret North MP William Ruto’s alliance with Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.

They launched the passionate defence of the Uhuru-Ruto ticket Thursday on the eve of a series of rallies URP has spread over four days in the Rift Valley.

The last of the meetings on Monday will coincide with Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s meeting with elders and grassroots leaders from the North Rift in Eldoret Town.

Given up

Raila is believed to have given up on a deal with Ruto, and has set off to appeal to the Rift Valley voters directly. The ODM leader’s engagement with the leaders drawn from 21 constituencies in the North Rift on Monday builds on this strategy.

But even as Ruto’s allies sought to market the alliance, focus turns today on another pact that Uhuru’s The National Alliance (TNA) is expected to sign with New Ford-Kenya’s Eugene Wamalwa.

With Ruto tipped to be Uhuru’s running mate, questions linger as to what the deal with Wamalwa, who for long had been expected to run on a joint ticket with Uhuru, means.

Thursday, the Uhuru camp indicated that TNA and New Ford-Kenya’s agreement is due to be signed “anytime before next week”.

Uhuru is also understood to have held several meetings with Water minister Charity Ngilu since early last month, when the Kitui Central MP invited him to her graduation party.

Their latest meeting is believed to have taken place on Tuesday, with a view to signing a pact involving Narc and TNA.

Thursday, Uhuru’s team explained the DPM will negotiate with as many leaders as possible and that the talks do not jeopardise any other deal.

Allies of the TNA leader told The Standard that the entry of Ngilu in the TNA negotiations would not affect his relationship with Kalonzo.

But even as the Gatundu South MP sought out allies farther afield, he signaled determination to consolidate his support in Central Province.

Slim margin

Uhuru will head to Nyeri today for a series of meetings to contain Assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri’s Grand National Unity (GNU) party.

GNU has gained considerable ground in Central Province and gave PNU, now in alliance with TNA, a scare during the by-election of the Karima ward in Nyeri that forced President Kibaki to pitch tent in area to campaign. The PNU candidate won, but with a slim margin against GNU.

Uhuru is expected to receive councillors from Laikipia and Nyeri counties today at the Outspan Hotel in Nyeri Town.

Kiunjuri, the GNU party leader, met aspirants on Wednesday and was emphatic the party would field candidates against TNA.

Planning Assistant Minister Peter Kenneth will officially launch his presidential bid on Sunday, at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi.

“On Sunday, I will offer myself to the Kenyan people for president of our great nation,” Kenneth told The Standard Thursday.

The formal declaration by the Gatanga MP, who intends to contest on a Kenya National Congress party ticket, will put to rest speculation he is being considered as Raila’s running mate.

Thursday, Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni, who backs Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi’s presidential bid, said the United Democratic Forum party has stepped up talks with parties he declined to divulge.

“We are busy behind the scenes in talks to further our political objectives. When you are negotiating you don’t shout from the rooftops,” Kioni said. Mudavadi has planned meetings in Eastern Province this weekend.

The Vice-President will take his campaigns to Upper Eastern where the Wiper party has scheduled meetings until Wednesday.

Thursday, Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto and his Cherangany counterpart Joshua Kuttuny confirmed that they are keen on working with Uhuru to ensure a first-round victory.

Speaking on Kass FM radio’s morning show, Ruto and Kuttuny appealed to the Kalenjin community to back the Uhuru-Ruto ticket, arguing it would not only guarantee victory, but also deliver a majority in the Senate and Parliament.

“Why go to round two if we can make it in round one? We do not want to take the long route,” said Ruto.

And they declared there was nothing wrong with Ruto becoming Uhuru’s running mate. But they pointed out that a deal was still being worked out.

“It is possible and there is nothing wrong with it. Besides, the pact will be for five years and not 10 years. It would be deposited with the IEBC because it would be binding,” said Ruto.

Kuttuny said Rift MPs were “highly skeptical” about a union with the Prime Minister’s party.

“There is no guarantee in ODM that he (Raila) would not sacrifice Ruto once he gets to State House. At least for Uhuru, they share the same predicament with William (Ruto),” said Kuttuny.