|
|
Post by miguna on May 13, 2007 1:48:58 GMT 3
The going gets tough for ODM-K aspirants
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Sunday Standard Team
The resurgence of Mr Raila Odinga after he launched his manifesto appears to have sent panic among his rivals for the party presidential ticket.
And by standing out from the crowded field, last Sunday, the going is getting tough in the battle for the Orange. Some of the aspirants are regrouping to contain the Lang’ata MP’s soaring popularity new demands are coming up.
Kanu, a member of the ODM-Kenya coalition, last week issued strong demands that a National Election Board be put in place urgently. The party went ahead and picked its members to the board.
Presidential aspirants, Mr William Ruto, Kanu’s secretary general, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, the party’s chairman, and Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party have joined that demand.
But even as Kanu was making the demands, a case to determine its fate is coming up on May 22, a day after the ODM-Kenya plenary meeting, which is expected to come up with names of those to sit on the election board.
Bad blood
The Kanu case, which pits the current officials against Keiyo South MP, Mr Nicholas Biwott, will determine which Kanu is legitimate.
Some observers in ODM-Kenya see Kanu’s sudden and hard push for the election board as a strategy to have its slice of the coalition ahead of the May 22 ruling, which could go either way.
Kanu’s demands and the court case also come against the backdrop of President Kibaki launching his campaign in the South Rift with an array of praises for retired President Moi.
Moi is associated with Biwott, who is engaged in a tug of war with Uhuru and Ruto for Kanu leadership.
It is also not lost on many that Moi has openly said he will support President Kibaki’s Government and, possibly, his re-election bid.
LDP’s National Executive Committee meets on Tuesday to discuss representation on the election board after some members disputed a list presented by the party’s chairman, Mr David Musila and secretary general, Mr Joseph Kamotho.
On Friday, the party’s registered secretary general, Mrs Mumbi Ngaru, wrote to ODM-Kenya secretariat, asking it to ignore the Musila and Kamotho list.
So even as the ODM-Kenya presidential aspirants converged at the Coast to campaign for the party’s candidate in the Magarini Constituency by-elections, bad blood runs deep in the party.
Media to blame
On Saturday, Raila held closed door meetings in Kilifi with Ruto and Kalonzo and declared all was fine in the party.
Raila and Kalonzo hugged enthusiastically at Janaheri shopping centre in Magarini constituency, as hundreds of ODM-Kenya supporters sang Tanzanian Saida Karoli’s rendition of "Wenye Wivu Wajinyonge".
Raila emphasised that a section of the media were determined to break up ODM-Kenya but vowed they would never succeed.
"We shall conduct free and fair nominations. Believe it or not, we are a united ODM-Kenya and those who think they will divide us are dreaming," he said.
"We are all in competition. When I campaign for myself, I say ‘I am the best’ candidate for nomination and subsequently for the presidential seat. So do all the other aspirants. But that does not make us enemies," Raila explained.
The Lang’ata MP concurred with Kalonzo, Ruto and Uhuru that it was important to have an independent and representative electoral board that acts under the secretariat of the party.
"The application for nomination is always forwarded to the party secretariat. The secretariat then processes the forms and hands them over to the election board. It is then returned to the party. One pays the nomination fees to the party," he said.
He added that he would pay his nomination fees on Tuesday.
Dictating terms
But after the hug, Kalonzo said he would stand by his word and would not submit his forms even by May 20 if ODM-Kenya does not constitute an independent electoral board.
"We stand by what we said. We must have the election board in place. It is a critical issue and time is of essence."
Kalonzo spoke to The Sunday Standard at Gongoni Trading Centre where he had joined other ODM-Kenya leaders in campaigning for the party’s candidate, Mr Amason Kingi.
The Mwingi North MP, said as much as he had great respect for ODM-Kenya secretary general, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, it was wrong for him to dictate terms to ODM-Kenya presidential aspirants.
"Nyong’o is a friend and I respect him. But who is Anyang’ Nyong’o? He is not a candidate. He cannot speak on our behalf. Who has given him the authority to postpone the date?" Kalonzo posed.
But in Nairobi, Nyong’o said: "All aspirants should not worry. We are here as their servants and we know the party’s constitution and we will do everything to abide by it."
On Friday, when Kalonzo picked his nomination forms he claimed he had a cheque of Sh1 million, which he would not give until an election board is constituted.
The conditions
It emerged that the presidential aspirants are not required to pay the Sh1 million when collecting the forms and none has done so.
Emuhaya MP Mr Kenneth Marende, who chairs the party’s committee on constitution, election and nomination rules, said no presidential aspirant was required to pay the money while collecting the forms and Kalonzo may have been staging unnecessary drama.
"The Sh1 million is supposed to be paid when the aspirants return the forms. It is just one of the qualifications the party has put in place," Marende said.
"But this is politics. It is about power and power games have many intrigues. From my committee on the constitution and nomination, the application forms were to be returned to the national secretariat by May 15," Marende said, adding, "It is what we proposed and it is documented. There may be some dynamics but some of them could be arbitrary."
The MP said the rules stated that forms be returned to the secretariat to be processed by the election board.
Raila, who was among the first to collect the forms alongside Dr Julia Ojiambo, Mr Musalia Mudavadi and Mr Joe Nyagah, said nobody was required to pay for the forms.
"The condition is that you pay Sh1 million when you return the forms, not when you are picking. Let us be honest in our dealings with Kenyans," Raila said.
The Lang’ata MP said there are conditions to be met in the application form and applicants are given time to study them before they decide whether to apply.
"You must collect 1,000 signatures from each province. There are also questions you have to answer, like your record in struggling against injustices, your anti-corruption record, among many other things," Raila said.
He elaborated: "You may pick the forms, then realise you don’t meet those conditions and decide not to apply. That is why Sh1 million is paid when you are returning the forms."
Another member of the committee that crafted nomination rules also said had the party adhered to its rules, it would not have issued presidential nomination forms on Friday.
The official said a NEC meeting late last month ratified a recommendation by the committee on nominations that the deadline for picking nomination forms be May 9.
"The application for the ODM-Kenya presidential ticket is to the secretariat. The secretariat will then table the applications before the NEC, which will then forward them to the election board. No candidate can go to the board before the NEC approves the application. Those forms were to be picked by May 9," the official said.
Threats
On Saturday, the party’s secretariat moved the deadline for returning nomination papers to May 20.
Nyong’o, who is the party’s secretary general, said the deadline was extended because of the Magarini by-election and also because the nation will tomorrow be mourning the Kenya Airways plane crash victims.
Kalonzo, Ruto and Uhuru had threatened not to return the forms when expected if an election board were not constituted.
But at a press conference, Nyong’o said presidential aspirants are to submit their applications to the secretariat, which will forward them to the board.
"I, therefore, request all party members, particularly the presidential aspirants to respect the rule of law within the party and to help build party institutions by adding value to the work of the young party organs through constructive suggestions rather than ultimatums," Nyong’o said.
Some party members want the board to be picked by the plenary.
The ODM-Kenya plenary meets on May 21, a day before the court rules on the leadership of Kanu.
Some observers believe, however, that the real cause of the new ultimatums and regrouping of the aspirants is the strong emergence of Raila who is basking in the success of launching his manifesto, last week.
Hypocrisy
Soon after the launch last Sunday, Raila said at a rally in Nyanza that he is the man to watch adding that the presidential race would be between him and President Kibaki.
At the launch, Raila received colourful and sometimes moving statements of support from a cross-section of leaders, some of who were previously thought to be backing his rivals.
Among those who endorsed him include Narok North MP Mr William Ntimama, nominated MP Mr Kipkalya Kones, former Head of the Civil Service Dr Sally Kosgey, former Nyeri Town MP Mr Wanyiri Kihoro and lawyer Tim Wanyonyi, who is a brother to Foreign Affairs Assistant minister, Mr Moses Wetangula.
Until last Sunday, the assumption was that all Rift Valley leaders and their supporters would rally behind Ruto. With Ntimama, Kones and Kosgey’s support for Raila, the battle for Rift Valley took a new turn.
Their endorsements, according to ODM-Kenya activist and parliamentary aspirant, Mr Tony Gachoka, are at the heart of the list of new demands the other aspirants are putting out.
"Raila is ahead of the pack and his strength is feared by other party leaders. But no amount of ultimatums can change the fact that Raila is ahead of the pack. He who laughs last, laughs loudest," Gachoka said.
Gachoka said Raila was not the first to declare himself the winner. He reiterated that Kalonzo, Ojiambo and Ruto have at various times said they were the best.
"People are being hypocritical. In January, Ruto said at Tuyoo Primary School in Trans Nzoia that Raila and Kalonzo lost their chances to be president and it was now his turn. He said he was the right candidate and asked the party to back him," Gachoka said.
"Who does not know that Kalonzo has said repeatedly that he is the best suited to beat Kibaki? Why is it good when they say it and bad when Raila says it?" he posed.
On Friday, Ruto and Kalonzo, speaking at separate functions, dismissed Raila’s declaration that he would be the party’s candidate as chest thumping
|
|
|
|
Post by aeichener on May 13, 2007 1:52:42 GMT 3
Miguna Miguna Miguna Esq.:
it may be total news to you, but some of us know that the Standard's articles are accessible online. A link will suffice. Jukwaa is a discussion board, not a recycling yard.
Obey this rule in future.
A.
|
|
|
|
Post by miguna on May 13, 2007 3:37:16 GMT 3
Aspirant outfoxes ODM-Kenya allies
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By XN Iraki
They refused to go to London. They refused to go to KICC last Sunday, yet they went for nomination papers. They unveiled their visions so early that we have forgotten what they said. They have criss-crossed the country before the whistle is blown. They have shown their cards, all their arrows are out of the quiver, before the prey is dead.
Like in a marathon race, Raila Odinga has successfully turned the other contenders in ODM-Kenya into pacesetters before he sprints to finish and get the ODM-Kenya flag bearer trophy. Future analysts will have a good time analysing how Raila outfoxed his opponents using deceit, stealth, strategy and some skulduggery to render them into reluctant cheerleaders.
Outfoxed, why can’t they simply say ‘tosha’?
Unable to get the trophy themselves, the cheerleaders may have a few choices; cheer more loudly, go quiet or become a cheering squad for hire. In the next few months, their options will become clearer.
Kalonzo Musyoka’s refusal to attend Raila’s function was a careless political mistake unless it is an ODM-Kenya ploy. We are left asking if it was jealousy or an admission of being outfoxed. Kalonzo should have known by now that attending the wedding of a man who won a beautiful girl over you is the best complement. He will always suspect that she invited you and live in fear.
Uhuru is said to have been in Tanzania, somewhere beyond Loitokitok, the place Kalonzo retreated to when ODM-Kenya was deciding on the modalities of nominating its flag bearer. May be the snows of Kilimanjaro need admiration before they disappear, courtesy of global warming.
Uhuru was outfoxed when he abandoned his house, Kanu for ODM-Kenya. He forgot that a wife never calls shots in the home she is married. Why did he hold a Kanu meeting before going for ODM-Kenya nomination papers?
William Ruto was doing well in the Rift Valley until Dr Sally Kosgey came into the scene to steal some limelight from him. It is not clear if Kosgey is supposed to complement or substitute him. It is an open question whether Kosgey’s close association with Moi will be an asset or a liability for Raila.
Najib Balala’s case is even more interesting. Going before Raila on ODM-Kenya list is like opening the door for your boss. It also insulates Raila from being accused of owning the party. If Balala’s political star is twinkling, it must be on a cloudy day.
Joseph Nyagah long conceded by suggesting that Raila’s presidency will earn him a Cabinet post. His last Cabinet post may be the apogee of his political career. Coming from the same region with the President makes his bid even harder.
Musalia Mudavadi and Julia Ojiambo come from a backyard crowded with VPs. Nothing short of presidency will mollify this region. Mudavadi may launch his vision, but what new shall he tell us?
Raila attended Ojiambo’s launch and she was there for his, to praise him and admit being outfoxed. The fact that ODM-Kenya council of elders is led by someone from Mudavadi’s backyard is not to his advantage. There might be good political reasons why Kosgey is being taunted as a Luhyia.
Raila may not want to be a kingmaker anymore. The cheerleaders would better cheer more loudly, who knows they may be rewarded some day.
The writer teaches business at the University of Nairobi. xniraki@aol.com
|
|
|
|
Post by kamalet on May 14, 2007 7:39:34 GMT 3
As is typical of the likes of Miguna, now we see Kalonzo as the guy killing ODM, and to this 70% of the article is devoted to Kalonzo.
Miguna cannot even acknowledge Raila's role in the impending fallout of ODM. He can now see the corruption of Ruto and amazingly that of Kalonzo, but will not even notice that Raila has been one or two scandals that include Strabag and Molasses even if we are to forget others!!!
Miguna cannot see the problem other aspirants have with a top heavy luo presence in the secretariat of ODM headed by Nyong'o. No, these are not the problems causing the fires in ODM.
Miguna is utterly blind to the fact that right until recently, the forays of Raila in the international circuit was to popularise ODM, and several people may have given contributions ostensibly to ODM, but these funds have now been used as part of the Raila campaign kitty!
You cannot wish the problems in ODM away by only seeing Kalonzo as the man behind the problems and ignoring that Raila is perhaps key to the present problems.
Perhaps you should ask yourself if ODM is anything without Kalonzo, Uhuru and Ruto and if Raila alone can be ODM? My answer is a NO and the current arrogance being shown by some luo leaders in ODM as well as political wannabes like Miguna will lead to the early demise of ODM.
|
|
|
|
Post by bkichwa on May 14, 2007 8:52:50 GMT 3
Kamale, Seems like it's see, hear or do no evil with many of Raila's supporters. He is Kenya's sole messiah, the alhpa and omega - everyone else is surbodinate, if not worthless. I don't know how far such self-absorption and importance can take anyone - even most of his colleagues are all up in arms cause of his latest condescending remarks about the ODM K nominations being a foregone conclusion. Even opposition die-hard Kamotho (of all people) is now changing his political tune - are things in ODM that thick? On Miguna's tireless, sycophantic postings on Raila commentaries - maybe he is working overtime so that he too can get some annointing from the "decider" of luo-nyanza politics (see below link). Wasn't someone just last week here on jukwaa vehemently denying the existence of this type of siasa in luo-nyanza? Democracy kweli. www.timesnews.co.ke/14may07/nwsstory/other1.html |
|
|
|
Post by adongo12345 on May 14, 2007 14:52:53 GMT 3
Kamale and bkichwa
I think the celebrations about the "impending" death of ODM are premature. Actually I like what is going on. Kenyans need to see how these "leaders" handle themselves in crisis. I am glad this is hapenning now.
bkichwa, I didn't know you too are caught up in the "Luo Nyanza" nonsense. The Luos live in Kenya. They really don't need anybody's permision to participate in Kenyan politics and they have been doing that as long as I have lived.
Raila is a Kenyan, he has been around for a while, he has never called himself a messiah, I don't know anybody here on Jukwaa who has called him a messiah, I remember in another thread you were asking us what would happen if Raila was to die. Kenya is much bigger than Raila. I think we need to look at the political dynamics of the country and fit Raila and others in that context. It seems to me that Raila's political opponents even here in Jukwaa are more obssessed about him than even his admirers.
The ODM will be fine. I have always told people that it is the wananchi who hold Kenyan parties together. In 2002 when the Rainbow coalition was under intense pressure with Moi issuing orders and bribes, Kenyans stood with the coalition and people like Mudavadi, a VP by the no less, paid dearly when they abandoned the people. If the ODM has the support of the masses and I believe they do, people like Kamotho can leave. Most of the top guns have to make a decision either to jump in bed with Kibaki, which could be quite problematic on the ground or to stick with ODM. That is their democratic right.
There is probably a lot more hapenning in the ODM than we read in the papers.
Adongo,
|
|
|
|
Post by aeichener on May 14, 2007 16:12:23 GMT 3
"Leaders" in proper quotation mark, wow. That is a first time for Jukwaa. Also, I sense a slow movement from the sycophantic veneration and semi-religious discipleship towards a more sober approach towards one's elected or otherwise chosen political servants, which also is good.
Alexander
|
|
|
|
Post by bkichwa on May 14, 2007 17:39:57 GMT 3
Kamale and bkichwa bkichwa, I didn't know you too are caught up in the "Luo Nyanza" nonsense. The Luos live in Kenya. They really don't need anybody's permision to participate in Kenyan politics and they have been doing that as long as I have lived. Raila is a Kenyan, he has been around for a while, he has never called himself a messiah, I don't know anybody here on Jukwaa who has called him a messiah, I remember in another thread you were asking us what would happen if Raila was to die. Kenya is much bigger than Raila. I think we need to look at the political dynamics of the country and fit Raila and others in that context. It seems to me that Raila's political opponents even here in Jukwaa are more obssessed about him than even his admirers. AO, Agreed, on both points (except my obsession of Raila). But surely you must see how news reports like the one I posted earlier on KT, really do not help the certain perceptions. I'm just speaking on what I see and continue to see (are all such media reports false?). And mine is not quite a celebration of an impending ODM collapse - it's an observation of the current events at home as regards the party. Infact, to me this party, should it stick together and clinch the executive, is just another Narc waiting to happen. Probably even worse as we can already see the cracks even before victory is achieved - with Narc at least there was calm...until maybe a month after they were the govt, but not before. On my question on Raila's mortality and what-not, again it's just a reaction/response to the endless and seeming very non-objective drumming on the man by those who support him. It's just a "by the way, have you considered such and such scenario", seeing how he has been placed on the highest pedestal of the country's political leadership, etc. Trust me, if you were not a Raila supporter and you were on the outside, looking in, vis a vis the celebration of the man, you too might find yourself asking yourself if these die-hard supporters have considered scenario A, B, and C. And yes, the message that does come through to the rest of us who are not necessarily Raila supporters, is that he is the country's savior - hakuna mwingine. Those are simply the perceptions from the other side of world, AO. Btw,did you get my follow-up question to Raila's mortality...that regarding ODM? Would like to you get your take on that. |
|
|
|
Post by adongo12345 on May 14, 2007 18:12:53 GMT 3
Bkichwa I will answer your follow up. Actually I thought it was a good question. I will probably respond to it tonight. I am not suprised that people like Oburu, Jakoyo, Kajwang' etc want to be "annointed". They are facing stiff competition. I am from Bondo and Oburu was on very thin ground last election. There were a lot of complains and he knew he could get in trouble. But everybody was focused on removing Moi from power. That Ochanda fellow who responded to their claims is well known in Bondo. Actually I thought that PLO Lumumba who is from Yimbo, could have given Oburu a run for his money, but he opted for Kamkunji, and I think Nyaga is in real trouble. PLO has the money and the organizational skills to take that seat. May be I should be asking Raila to tosha me to replace his brother. Hahaha. That would be funny. Oburu has done a much better job in the last four years than he ever did before, so if I was him I would stay away from making ridiculous statements. If I am not wrong my nephew told me the other day that Bondo CDF has the best record in Nyanza according to some independent survey. Which is good. But the really depressing thing about that Kenya Times story is the part where it is reported the M.P's contributed Kshs 2.3 million for a water project in Usigu. Then the story goes Oburu contributed Kshs 2 million from the CDF and Kshs 25,000.00 from himself.This is outrageous. I have to talk to my nephew about that survey. Are these people allowed to contribute CDF money at Harambees. If the money was allocated to the water project, why does the M.P have to give it to at the Harambee to make it look like it is their personal contribution. It is interesting that nobody picked up that side of the strory. As for the ODM, of course it has many characteristics of Narc. May be the ODM has already outlived its usefulness. That is the problem with people like me. We are revolutionaries. We are not politicians. Our patience with nation building is infinite. We have no patience with political crooks and we often kick their butts with no mercy, but we are never in a hurry. You cannot rush a country. We can easily take another 10 years or twenty to build the Kenya we know our people want and deserve. The masses will build the nation and they are starving so it might be a good thing if things were speeded up, but history moves at its own pace. Narc achieved something for us. ODM could have moved us a step closure. But in my books, the greatest contribution of ODM was killing that Wako madness. We are on dry ground now as far as Katiba is concerned. Kibaki will never impose another Katiba on us. If that is all the ODM could achieve, I will gladly take that. In fact, I think were the ODM to collapse, there is a lot of progressive forces who have invested their energies in the ODM, who could be freed to go into more overtly left leaning politics. Trust me there is plenty of room for that. But we are also pragmatic. If anybody thinks we have kept all our eggs in one basket, they don't know us. The people shall govern. Aluta continua Adongo |
|
|
|
Post by politicalmaniac on May 17, 2007 20:16:34 GMT 3
Miguna Miguna Miguna Esq.: it may be total news to you, but some of us know that the Standard's articles are accessible online. A link will suffice. Jukwaa is a discussion board, not a recycling yard. Obey this rule in future. A. Some of us also know Standard Newspaper links DO expire!! |
|
