Mudavadi quietly marshalling troops to bolster state house bid

ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi is quietly but intensely working behind the scenes to position himself as the best person to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Mudavadi has covertly been meeting key political players and grassroots leaders from various parts of the country for discussions on the current political environment and the 2022 election.

In an exclusive interview with the Star, Mudavadi revealed that his discussions with key political figures have centred on possible future cooperation with leaders of other parties.

"We have not been going deep into conversations about coalitions because it is a bit early but we have been talking about emerging issues in the political arena and the unfolding scenarios,” he said.

Asked if he talks to President Kenyatta often, Mudavadi said the two are in constant touch, only that he does not talk about it publicly.

“I am not a leader who name drops to give impressions. We have consultations from time to time,” he said.

On October 13, Mudavadi met Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and deputy leader Farah Maaalim over lunch, a meeting that raised eyebrows.  

Although details of the discussions were not shared, the Wiper party leader posted on his Twitter handle: “Consulting with my brother Musalia Mudavadi and Farah Maalim over various national issues earlier today.”

The statement pointed to the possibility of a fresh coalition ahead of the 2022 election. Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua also met Mudavadi on May 29.

Karua later hinted at a possible alliance bringing together Narc Kenya, ANC and other parties before the next national polls.

Mudavadi nonetheless said Kenyans should expect to see new formations and alliances from April next year. He further revealed that he has been talking “quite often" to Kalonzo and other top politicians.

He reiterated that there are lots of things going on behind the scenes, which he did not wish to talk about at the moment.

“A lot of work is going on now. I don’t talk about them for strategic reasons. I don’t want to be targeted by opponents,” he explained.

ODM leader Raila Odinga, Deputy President William Ruto and Kalonzo are other possible 2022 candidates. Raila has, however, yet to declare whether he will run for the top seat.

The former prime minister has made it clear that he will announce his 2022 political plans after the Building Bridges Initiative process is concluded.

Kalonzo has already indicated that he will be in the political formation that President Kenyatta will support in the lead-up to 2022 election. The former vice president said he had made a personal decision to stick with Uhuru even after 2022.

Ruto, on the other hand, hopes the head of state will support his bid because of their long political partnership. He is confident that the President’s Mt Kenya backyard will support him, come Election Day.

But Mudavadi said Uhuru and Raila could return the favour by supporting him as he has backed both in previous elections. He has also been meeting Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, who has also indicated that he wants to succeed Uhuru.

Kibwana has, however, been seen with the Deputy President in several functions lately, a matter that Mudavadi has downplayed.

“You will be mistaken to jump into conclusions when you see him (Kibwana) meeting with other people. He holds public office, meaning he will have meetings with various people,” Mudavadi said, affirming that their relationship goes back to the days he was a student at the University of Nairobi.

Mudavadi added that plans are underway to tour all corners of the country to consolidate his support. He pointed out that his meetings will adhere to Covid-19 protocols set by the Ministry of Health.

“ANC has the Amani Council of County chairs. These are the people I am in touch with in various regions as I move to popularise my candidature,” he added.

He said he already has a campaign think tank built with the help of his point men from the 47 counties.

Mudavadi recently met leaders from Northeastern and Coast regions at Musalia Mudavadi Centre in Nairobi in readiness for a tour of the two areas.

He will at the beginning of next month pitch camp in Tana River and Lamu counties for a meet-the-people tour.  “I want to embark on a national outreach. I strongly believe in a united country where good ideas bring us together,” he said.

He reiterated that his focus as president would be to address the ailing economy and reduce public debt.

“The economy is stressed and it was even before Covid-19 came. I have been very consistent on the need to tame public debt since it is denying the economy the resources to spur growth internally,” he said.

He said the economy could be resuscitated by fighting corruption and relooking at the country’s priorities. “We must live within our means. The Kenya Revenue Authority is not meeting its targets because it had expected to collect way above what is achievable,” he said.

He added that small and medium enterprises are not getting credit because so much money goes to repaying the public debt.

In August, Mudavadi met various groups, including current and former leaders from the larger Mt Kenya region, at the Musalia Mudavadi Centre. He used the meetings to position himself as "Mt Kenya's safest pair of hands" to succeed Uhuru.

“I want to assure Mt Kenya people that I have no business of revenge in my heart. In my leadership, there should be no fear,” he said.

Mudavadi said Jubilee vice chair David Murathe and Cotu boss Francis Atwoli are entitled to their opinions on his candidature. The two at one point said he is the best person to succeed Uhuru but later appeared to throw their weight behind others.