Call for an all-inclusive Government was misinterpreted, says Kalonzo Musyoka

CORD co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka. (Photo:File/Standard)

Nairobi, Kenya: Just exactly what was said by Coalition for Reforms and Democracy leaders at Saturday’s Uhuru Park rally to suggest their willingness to join the ruling coalition and again, by whom?

That is the question that continues to drop off many lips, especially given that on the same day Deputy President William Ruto declared in Narok that Jubilee did not need the help of CORD. Ruto also ruled out any talks with the Opposition.

The next day, at the national Madaraka Day celebrations, President Uhuru Kenyatta welcomed CORD’s call for national dialogue on issues affecting Kenya, but ruled out any power-sharing negotiations along the lines of the Grand Coalition between Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga in 2008. It is this lapsed Grand Coalition arrangement that has come to bear the name nusu mkate (half-a-loaf) because that is the analogy Raila used to describe how Kibaki’s Party of National Unity had given him a raw deal.

But this time round, is there a CORD leader angling for invitation into government?

CORD leader Raila Odinga, whom the rally was organised to welcome after a two-month absence in Kenya, and his co-principal and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, have declared there was no such suggestion at all.

But both leaders were clear the Jubilee leaders must reflect the ‘face of Kenya’ in their appointments, meaning they must have a good mix of representatives from all the communities in Kenya.

From the verbatim reports, this is what Raila said: “Yale yote ambayo yamefanyika, hayawezi kurekebika bila ya watu kuketi chini na kuongea kwa kongamano. Kwa hivyo, tumesema ndani ya siku sitini, siku ya saba saba, mpaka tuketi chini kama wakenya na tuanze kuzungumza juu ya shida yetu.”

(Everything (bad) that has happened cannot be corrected without people sitting down in a national conference and talking about it. That is why we have said, within sixty days, on July 7, we have to sit down as Kenyans and talk about our problems.

Two communities

Raila added:  “Tunataka Jubilee ikae na CORD ili tupange ratiba ya mazungumzo hayo yote. Sawa sawa? (We want Jubilee to sit down with CORD, so that we can plan the whole national dialogue. Right?)”

Then in came Kalonzo’s statement, the only one with a reference to the term ‘all-inclusive’,  in the context of not letting the Government to be left in the hands of only ‘two communities’, as other speakers had declared.

Kakamega Senator Dr Boni Khalwale even declared that 60 per cent of Government was made up of people from “Mount Kenya”.

Tunawaalika Jubilee waje kwa hiyo kwa sababu haiwezekani asilimia sitini ya nchi wawe nje. We’re talking about an all-inclusive government. (We are inviting Jubilee to come with (an open heart to the dialogue) because it is impossible for 60 per cent of the country to be left out of government. We are talking about an all-inclusive government.”

Uhuru’s response was blunt: “Wale ambao wanafikiria ya kwamba kuna mambo ya nusu mkate, hakuna hiyo. Serikali hii ni imara, na tunasonga mbele. Lakini tunakaribisha wote waje tujadiliane pamoja juu ya maendeleo ya taifa hili letu la Kenya. That, we welcome. (Those who think there will be sharing of ‘half a loaf of bread’, there will be no such thing. This is a stable government, and we are moving forward. But we welcome everyone to come so that together we can discuss the development of our country, Kenya).”

But Monday, a day after Raila declared CORD never and will never contemplate an alliance with Jubilee, Kalonzo also came out fighting the perception that had made Ruto declare: “Now, there are those who want us to meet somewhere, to discuss about something. They say they want a government that is full of noise from all over. That cannot happen. If someone wants to talk… if someone has something to say, take your dialogue to Parliament.”

Kalonzo, whose reference to “an all-inclusive government”, could have triggered the onslaught by Uhuru and Ruto, told The Standard that he was shocked that their message had been misinterpreted.

 “When we say we need an inclusive government, we do not mean that the Opposition and Government are coming together. What we have now is a Government where the majority of Kenyans have been excluded…you find that today there is tribalism and all key appointments are going to two particular communities,” he explained.

After the President’s remark on Madaraka Day, Raila’s spokesperson sent a statement to newsrooms refuting suggestions that CORD leaders were eager to join Government.

“The CORD coalition has never contemplated and will never contemplate, joining the (Jubilee) government,” Raila said.

Monday, Kalonzo buttressed Raila’s position, saying: “We cannot even think of joining a sinking ship.”

This was in reference to the Jubilee administration, which he claimed is struggling to run the country amid corruption, a resurgence of tribalism and insecurity.

Kalonzo was upset that the Opposition’s core message of quashing tribalism in public appointments had been misrepresented.

Kalonzo suggested that may be the reference to “forget power-sharing” from President Kenyatta was a jibe at his deputy William Ruto.

“I think (Kenyatta and Ruto) have their own issues. Maybe that ‘nusu mkate’ reference is between them. I cannot speak for them,” said Kalonzo.

Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar said his team had “no plan”, and “no interest” to join Kenyatta’s administration.

Security situation

“I am a member of the national dialogue team and I am not aware of a plan by CORD to join the Jubilee government. We want national issues such as the current security situation addressed. We are satisfied with the 24 counties under CORD,” Omar said in Mombasa.

He said CORD was concerned about the security situation as 22 hotels at the Coast have closed down and 16,000 workers rendered jobless.

The Opposition leaders are emphatic that there is need for the leadership to “meet, sit down, and genuinely discuss” the runaway insecurity, the high-cost of living, the increasing cases of corruption and tribalism, and the overhaul of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

“CORD’s intervention is driven by a growing feeling that the Jubilee administration has lost touch with the pains of ordinary Kenyans,” Raila had said in the Sunday news dispatch.

Raila will issue a comprehensive statement on national dialogue Tuesday.