- Charity Ngilu's party Narc asserts that Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has lost control of Ukambani politics.
- On Sunday , Wiper said Ngilu and Governors Alfred Mutua and Kivutha Kibwana have no influence in Ukambani.
Image: FILE
Nasa sibling rivalry intensified on Monday a day after ODM rebuked coalition partners for being cowards responsible for the death of the opposition outfit.
ANC deputy party leader Ayub Savula said Raila Odinga’s ODM party should carry the cross for the death of Nasa “since it behaved like the big brother disregarding the rest of the partners".
“Nasa was founded on the spirit of unity of purpose and all the coalition partners had equal rights and privileges but ODM started prefecting the other parties,” Savula told the Star on the phone.
The Lugari MP said ANC would demand an audit of all the money they contributed to Nasa. "We want an itemised record of how the money each elected leader was contributing was utilised," he said.
He said ANC is now charting its way forward to ensure party leader Musalia Mudavadi succeeds President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“The ODM secretary general is engaging in sideshows attacking leaders such as Mudavadi and Kalonzo Musyoka just for attention seeking. Mudavadi is in a different league to engage a mere secretary,” he said.
ANC secretary general Barrack Muluka declined to comment on the claims made by the Wiper leader, saying it was a matter between him and the ODM leader.
“We will not drag ourselves into a pact that they are saying was secret. Whether it was there or not is for them to address,” he said.
He said ANC would not want to be part of other people’s conflicts, which are unnecessary for his party.
On Sunday, ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna claimed that ter the 2017 elections, ODM single-handedly financed the Nasa secretariat. He said it paid staff salaries after the other Nasa parties “refused to submit the Sh10,000 monthly payment of their elected leaders to finance the secretariat".
Spart from ODM and ANC, the other Nasa partners are Wiper and Ford Kenya. Its secretariat was run by funds deducted from the lawmakers.
ODM has the largest number in both houses of Parliament: 76 MPs and 20 senators.
Wiper has 23 MPs and three senators. ANC has 14 MPs and three senators. Ford Kenya has 12 members in the National Assembly and one senator.
In total, the umbrella opposition has 152 members in both houses of Parliament.
Under the coalition agreement, all Nasa affiliate MPs were to contribute Sh10,000 per month to the outfit.
A similar amount was being wired to their parties’ accounts.
Nasa was receiving Sh1,520,000 every month from MPs’ subscriptions. This translates to Sh18,240,000 in a year.
“ODM had no option but to stop shouldering the burden. Nasa became untenable after Kalonzo, Moses Wetang'ula and Musalia Mudavadi, in their usual cowardice, skipped the swearing-in of its presidential candidate despite having committed to be present. They alone are responsible for the death of Nasa,” Sifuna said.
Mudavadi's close confidant Kibisu Kabatesi, however, criticisedthe disrespectful tone towards Raila's former running mate.
"Sifuna can still say the same things without insolence and character assassination. Politics is fluid. Whom you insult today you will verily need tomorrow. Be careful with personality attacks. They may come to haunt you," Kabatesi said.
However, Savula said despite the swearing-in of Raila being illegal, he still attended and represented Mudavadi.
“I was there my in capacity as the deputy party leader not only representing ANC members but also Mudavadi. What else did he want? We are not cowards” Savula said.
At the same time, Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu’s party Narc dismissed claims by Wiper that three governors from Ukambani have no influence in the region’s politics.
Alex Nganga, Kitui Assembly Minority leader and Ngilu’s right-hand man, said that were it true that Kalonzo controlled Ukambani politics, the three governors would not have been elected on different parties' tickets.
“Those are illusions, Kalonzo should refresh his mind. He does not have a sitting governor. In Kitui, his home county, his candidate came a distant third in the 2017 gubernatorial election. Which other proof does he want that he lost the control of Ukambani?” Nganga asked.
“And this was happening when Kalonzo was a running mate to Raila. In fact, in Ukambani, people identify morre with Raila than Kalonzo. Basically, he overrates himself and it is time he embraces other leaders.”
Nganga said of the total 40 MCAs, Wiper has 24 when “ordinarily it would have swept all the seats".
Edited by Henry Makori