Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi has said he will be on the presidential ballot during the 2022 general election.
The NASA principal, however, declined to reveal his preferred running mate saying he will “cross the bridge when we get there”.
"That is something that I have to think about very carefully, very tactfully and at the appropriate time, my running mate will be known," Mudavadi said in an interview with NTV on Sunday night.
The ANC boss, however, hinted that he expects the full backing of those he has previously supported in the past elections.
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In 2002, Mudavadi supported President Uhuru Kenyatta who was the then KANU candidate, and in 2007 and 2017, he threw his weight behind ODM leader and fellow Nasa co-principal Raila Odinga.
"The only time I have contested separately was in 2013. I have my ambitions for the presidency but I’m an individual who has been selfless... I have always built bridges in such circumstances," Mudavadi said.
He said after he coined the idea of forming the National Super Alliance that brought together the ODM, ANC, Wiper Party and Ford Kenya, he never insisted on being the presidential candidate.
Mudavadi said he does expect to be paid back for his selfless support for Raila and Kalonzo Musyoka during last year’s polls.
"Going into 2022, I’m not expecting to be paid or to be rewarded. No. I’m hoping and I’m going to work towards persuading the majority of Kenyans to supporting my bid," he said.
Mudavadi said failure by the NASA co-principals to support him in 2022 will not dim his ambition for the presidency.
"Let us not look at it and say that if a co-principal does not support you then your resolve to be a presidential candidate then ends,” he said.
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The ANC boss allayed fears that the National Super Alliance was moribund as claimed by Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetangula recently.
He said he will do everything within his power to ensure the coalition holds even as he continues working on a merger with Ford Kenya.
“To me a conversation of merger within the coalition parties is not a negative at all. If it happens, to me it’s even better.”
Mudavadi said the merger will involve bringing other political players on board.
"Politics is dynamic, and politics also calls for you making new friends. If you have to grow your numbers, that means you have to keep on adding people who did not support you to come on board and be supportive of you."
The former deputy Prime Minister said he snubbed the January 30 swearing in ceremony at Uhuru Park primarily because it was unconstitutional.
He said all the principals had the discussion on the matter where some went for the idea while others opposed it.
“There was also consultation with our international partners. The message was that if you engage in a parallel process of swearing in, your status changes. The Capitals will no longer see you as democrats, they will see you as people who have chosen the road of warlords,” Mudavadi said.
On corruption, Mudavadi said he believes in President Uhuru’s fight against the vice but urged him to be more aggressive.
He said among the issues the president needs to address includes formulating a legal framework that will guide the lifestyle audit of public servants.
“We also need to see not just the process of prosecution but we need to see a more aggressive approach towards asset tracing and asset recovery,” Mudavadi said.
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Towards this end, Mudavadi said a law needs to be formulated where a register of companies and its actual beneficiaries are listed.
"Through such registers, we shall be able to know who the thief in chief is."
He, however, criticized the government over its recent budget cuts to the Judiciary saying institutions that fight corruption must be properly funded.
"When we see parliament dominated by Jubilee taking away 70 per cent of the resources that ought to go to the Judiciary, then you wonder, are they in sync with the president?" Mudavadi asked.
On the handshake, Mudavadi said that the unity deal has achieved something towards bringing tranquility in the country.
He, however, said the bigger picture of the handshake should be the resolution of the issues that bedevil the Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
The Amani leader pointed out that there was a handshake that happened in 2008 soon after the hotly contested 2007 polls but the issue of electoral injustice was never resolved.
He said the lack of resolution of the issues around the electoral body were yet again the bone of contention during last years polls.
“To me the issue of electoral justice must be seriously and genuinely dealt with."
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