Political losers hibernate pondering next move

By Vincent Bartoo and Titus Too

Eldoret, Kenya: Election losers in the Rift Valley smarting from defeat in the last General Election are pondering their next move, with some contemplating retirement from active politics while others are getting set for a comeback.

The big casualties in the March 4 polls were ODM big wigs in the region including former Cabinet ministers Henry Kosgey, Sally Kosgei and Magerer Langat.

On the Jubilee side, vocal politician and former Cherangany MP Joshua Kuttuny, his Eldoret South counterpart Peris Siman and David Koech (Mosop) are among those also vanquished in the polls.

Agenda 2013 has learnt that Kuttuny may soon be appointed advisor to President Uhuru on political affairs, a position that will see him stride the corridors of power.

Kuttuny was instrumental in the creation of the Jubilee Alliance and led a strong opposition to fight attempts by some Rift Valley leaders to mend fences with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. They intended to unite Raila and Ruto for the sake of winning the March 4 elections.

Kuttuny was the first politician in Ruto’s URP to go public, vehemently opposing any alliance with Raila saying their best bet was with current President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Kuttuny’s lifeline

Sources within Uhuru’s Government say Kuttuny is “without doubt heading to Harambee House where his office will be based.”

“He was the most vocal supporter of our presidential candidate in Rift Valley. President Uhuru knows this as a fact and he and his deputy have decided to have him at Harambee House,” said a TNA top official.

When contacted, Kuttuny remained non-committal but said he was ready to serve Uhuru’s Government in any capacity.

“We believe in the pair of Uhuru and Ruto and I am ready to do anything to help them achieve the promises they made to Kenyans. For now, I will leave it to the two to decide where they want us to work,” he said.

Also waiting to serve in the Jubilee Government is Simam, although she faces corruption charges in court and this may complicate matters for her.

Burnt bridges

Koech was also a close ally of Ruto although his decision to decamp from URP after defeat in the nominations to Peter Kenneth’s Kenya National Congress is seen by political observers as having burned his bridges with the Jubilee Government.

Koech, the former Chairman of the Parliamentary Education Committee, defected to KNC and contested to recapture his Mosop seat but lost to URP’s Kirwa Bitok.

In ODM, leading lights Henry Kosgey and Dr Sally Kosgei’s intentions after their defeat has remained a close guarded secret and not even their close allies know what they are up to.

Kosgey vied for the Nandi County Senate seat while Dr Kosgei unsuccessfully attempted to recapture her Aldai parliamentary seat.

After losing in their bids, the duo has maintained a low profile, leaving many guessing on their next move.

A section of residents and some allies of the former legislators have expressed diverse sentiments over their silence. 

Some are of the opinion that the former legislators, who remained loyal to Raila and ODM despite a strong URP wave in Rift Valley, are waiting for the dust to settle before embarking on their next move.

Polls outcome shocker

Others are of the feeling that ODM and some of its supporters had not anticipated a loss in the last elections and that the leaders are yet to recover from the polls outcome.

Even though Kosgey is still the party chairman, he has never shown up in public after the elections even when the party filed a petition to contest the election of President Uhuru.

Conceding defeat

The last time he was seen in public was when he came out to concede defeat to Senator Stephen Sang who trounced him. He conceded even before the announcement of final results.

The former minister who was a senate candidate on ODM thanked those who voted for him saying that “Nandi had decided who should serve them.”

“I congratulate the senate winner who I have realised will obviously win. I concede defeat,” he said.

Augustine Chesumbai Saina, a former civic leader and a close ally of Kosgey said the former minister rarely picks his phone after the polls. 

“He has his style of maintaining silence. Even when he was rigged out in the 1988 polls, he maintained silence until he was appointed to head a government parastatal,” said Saina.

Saina says the former minister may be silent because he does not want to interfere with the activities of those who have been elected to office.

Private business

The former Tinderet MP is one of the country’s longest serving parliamentarians, giving him the advantage of political experience among other leaders in the country and in Rift Valley Province.

“He likes playing his cards close to his chest and does not come out controversially over issues,” said Saina.

Another ally, David Songok who is the ODM chairman Uasin Gishu County, says Kosgey is still in the party and that after losing in the polls, he has decided to concentrate on his private business.

Euphoric voting

“We knew we could win the elections and nobody had expected a loss. It is now time to rest and relax. The two (Kosgey and Dr Kosgei) are now concentrating on their private businesses,” said Songok.

The ODM official claimed that most voters voted euphorically during the last elections and had no time to evaluate the candidates they were voting for, leading to the defeat of strong leaders like Kosgey and Dr Kosgei.

 “There was a strong wave prior to the polls. In some regions, voters voted overwhelmingly for people they did not vet. That is why you see that some of the elected MPs cannot elect their CDF officials because of resistance they are now facing,” said Songok.

Phillip Keino, a former Vice Chairman to Nandi County Council and a supporter of Kosgey says that Kosgey has adopted his usual political style of silence.

“He is not a spontaneous leader. He carefully examines political changes before making a move. I am not surprised by his silence since that is typical of him. Soon I know he will emerge with a decision,” he said.

Party hopping

Keino, however, predicts that with the defeat of ODM in the last elections, it is highly unlikely that the former party leaders in the region will want to remain in the party.

“The Jubilee win rendered ODM obsolete and things may change now. These leaders may want to repackage themselves in new outfits to remain relevant,” he added.

Already, former Cabinet minister Franklin Bett has shown such indications with his recent remarks in that he now supports the Jubilee Government and that he has no bad blood with Ruto. He was addressing mourners at a funeral in Konoin over the weekend.

Former Kipkelion MP Magerer Langat is the only Rift Valley politician seen to still want to be close to the former PM and ODM.

He was among leaders in the party who were at hand to receive the former PM at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport upon his arrival from London where he attended a forum. 

Dr Kosgei also keeps her political moves to herself but is an abrasive politician who never shies away from speaking her mind.

Her close allies revere her and would not want to comment on her political plans, only saying that the former minister for Agriculture has yet to show any indications politically.

URP wave

“She had great plans for Aldai but the URP wave saw all these go up in smoke. She is yet to tell us her next move but we were all disappointed by her defeat,” said an aide who requested not to be named.

He said Dr Kosgei would possibly take a deserved rest as she ponders her next political move.

Political observers are of the view that having served in public positions for considerable long periods, the two should consider retiring from active politics.

“The country has recently experienced a generational change in leadership. This and other factors may make it hard for most senior politicians defeated in the last elections to make a comeback,” said Philip Chebunet, a political commentator.

The Maasai Mara University don said Kosgey’s move to conceded defeat early enough was a pointer that he could be headed for retirement.

“I do not know about Dr Kosgei. But she may have to follow suit given that the generational change of leadership mostly swept Rift Valley and it may take long to reverse this,” added Chebunet.