- Atwoli says by 10am Raila will have won with support from Central Kenya and other areas of the country.
- Murathe said Kenyans should reward Raila for the lifetime sacrifices he has made for the country.
Trade unionist Francis Atwoli has endorsed Raila Odinga for the presidency in 2022, a day after Jubilee vice chairman David Murathe asked Kenyans to prepare for the presidency of the ODM leader.
Atwoli said he will back Raila although the country has prominent names like Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Gideon Moi (Kanu), Hassan Joho (ODM) and Mudavadi (ANC who could also make good presidents.
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s ally Murathe on Saturday said Kenyans should reward Raila for the lifetime sacrifices he has made for the country.
“Kenya can produce a good president but I am endorsing Murathe’s decision to back Raila in 2022,” Atwoli said at his Kajiado home.
If he runs for the top seat, Raila would be making a fifth stab at the presidency.
When announcing his endorsement of Raila, the Central Organisation of Trade Unions secretary general was hosting Murathe and other friends.
Murathe was Atwoli’s guest a week ago in the company of Raila, former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth and Senate Minority Leader James Orengo.
Raila, however, downplayed the visit to Atwoli’s home saying he accepted a personal invite for a nyama choma lunch only to find other prominent politicians there.
Raila said Atwoli is his brother in law and asked Kenyans not to read too much in the visit.
Lately, Atwoli has been hosting top politicians at his home and it is believed that high-level political deals are brokered during the meetings.
On May 29, Atwoli hosted at least 30 leaders from Western Kenya among them five governors, a Cabinet Secretary and MPs.
On Saturday, Murathe said Raila will certainly be on the ballot as a presidential candidate come 2022 as he asked Kalonzo to make way for “Raila’s final bullet”.
Efforts to get Kalonzo to comment on Atwoli's request proved futile as his phone was switched off on Sunday.
Atwoli said Raila is guaranteed to get the support of Western region, the backyard of ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi.
“Where I come from in Western Kenya, Raila is dominant. I know so many people will also support my decision to back for Raila,” he stated.
Atwoli was however quick to point out that his support for Raila should not mean other politicians should not vie for the seat. “We have prominent Kenyans like Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi, Gideon Moi, Hassan Joho, you can name them,” he said.
Atwoli that he sees Raila as the only person who could unite the country after Uhuru’s term ends.
“He also has supporters, suicidal supporters. By 10am he will have won with the support of our brothers and sisters from Central Kenya and other areas of the country,” he said.
Nasa co-principal Mudavadi has maintained he will be on the ballot.
He said that he will not shelve his ambitions for anyone this time around. “There is no reverse gear. I will be on the ballot come 2022,” he told the Star.
Mudavadi’s spokesman Kibisu Kabatesi said Raila or others should take Murathe's endorsement with a pinch of salt.
“It's cheeky for Raila to be recognised only after handshake in 2018, the same whose election has been stolen three times. To call it a Mandela moment is anachronistic,” he explained.
He added that Murathe’s statement was also a warning shot to those coalescing around the proposed Jubilee coalition. “That they're in there only as flower girls. If I were their likes I would take the shortest route out of the grouping,” he added.
Kabatesi further added that Murathe’s statement could also be deliberate to scatter the “laundering” of a Jubilee coalition.
“I know Murathe very well. He was a colleague at the university and we have kept in touch. There are certain things that are unpopular that they must get through with the help of Raila. They are now sweet talking Raila into believing that he has their support in 2022,” he said.
He said Murathe’s support for Raila is deceitful since the dynamics of 2022 do not require endorsement from anybody.
“The remark by Murathe is a scarecrow statement. It is probably to scatter the coalition agreements in the making,” he added.
Political analyst Herman Manyora concurred with Murathe that Raila has sacrificed a lot for the country.
“For Raila, the struggle has been long, hard, bruising and life-sapping. He has fought ruthless people. He has fought power. There isn’t a single war in the political context of this country that Raila has not fought,” he added.
To emphasise Mudavadi’s stand, ANC is set to make changes to its constitution that will bar him from being anyone’s presidential running mate in 2022.
The changes will make the party leader the automatic presidential candidate. Deputy party leader Ayub Savula said it will be impossible for Mudavadi to be anyone’s running mate, unless he ditches the party.
“Those who were thinking Musalia would endorse them should forget it,” he stated.
Edited by Henry Makori