Push for third election populist gimmick, says Musalia

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka (2nd left), is overwhelmed by emotions as  Raila Odinga (2nd right) explains a bomb attack on Kalonzo's Karen home a day after Raila's swearing-in. [File picure]

The leader of Amani National Congress party Musalia Mudavadi has urged other NASA members and top leadership to re-evaluate their strategies and focus on 2022 elections rather than pushing for another election later this year as was suggested by NASA leader Raila Odinga.

At a local television station on Wednesday Musalia said that due to legal, financial and logistical problems; it was impractical to call for another election before 2022.

He said: "I was asking our MPs for instance …that right now you are going to parliament and one of the key issues you are going to discuss is the budget. I asked them, inside that budget, have you made provision for fresh presidential election? They said no."

He said that such a presidential election must be financed by citizens to the tune of 90 per cent, which was not feasible.

Musalia’s position contracts NASA leader Raila Odinga’s. In a BBC interview two weeks ago, Raila told Hardtalk host Zeinab Badawi that the coalition was demanding a fresh presidential election in August 2018.

In the TV interview, Musalia tellingly says: “There are those who may want to do what is perceived to be popular; but there are those who have the courage to sometimes tell the people, “this is not the right path’”.

 Odinga was controversially sworn-in as the 'People's President' on January 30 at Uhuru Park in an event that was expected to be violent but went on smoothly when police were withdrawn from the Uhuru Park venue.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetangula and Musalia Mudavadi failed to turn up for the event, eliciting criticism from NASA supporters.

The differences in the alliance are now visible through the veneer of togetherness the principals are trying to project. Mudavadi has maintained they are focused on achieving electoral justice as a common goal.

 On Wednesday a local daily quoted Musalia as saying that Raila had “sneaked” into Uhuru Park for the inauguration without the knowledge of the other NASA principals.

Musalia was reported to have, on Sunday, hit out at Raila in a meeting with Luhya elders at the home of Cotu boss Francis Atwoli, which Atwoli had earlier on called Musalia a coward for not showing up at the Raila swearing-in. Why he executed the somersault is not clear.

The paper reported Musalia as telling elders that Raila had proceeded to Uhuru Park as the other principals waited for him to put the final touches to the inauguration of the “People’s President.”

He has since accused the paper of misquoting him as the farce about the swearing-in refuses to go away.

With additional writing by Wambua Sammy