• Duale claimed that President Uhuru Kenyatta has assembled a group of leaders from various parties representing tribal interests.
• However, National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi said a meeting between a president and Opposition leaders should be seen as a step towards progressive cohesion.
For the first time in a mature democracy, the President is organising the opposition, former majority leader Aden Duale has said.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Wednesday night, Duale claimed that President Uhuru Kenyatta has assembled a group of leaders from various parties representing tribal interests.
“I know President Uhuru, I have worked with him since 2008. It has never happened in any mature democracy. ..that when a president is exiting and he has a rank and file membership of eight million in his party, feels he should leave that and organise the Opposition to inherit and be part of his legacy in succession," Duale said.
This comes after Uhuru met with Raila and OKA chiefs Gideon Moi, Moses Wetang'ula, Musalia Mudavadi and Kalonzo Musyoka at State House in Mombasa this week.
Duale gave an example of South Africa, where former President Jacob Zuma hoped to leave the presidency to his wife who had just returned home in 2017 after a successful stint at the African Union.
“...a president selecting a successor from the opposition appears to be an excerpt from a book that only Uhuru has read,” he said.
"The president can have a problem with Ruto but there are other key leaders within Jubilee. Tell me where a leader crosses over the fence to look for a candidate."
Duale was weighing in on the festering relationship between Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto who no longer see eye to eye.
“The President needs to assure Kenyans that he will hand over power to whoever will be elected according to the Constitution,” Duale said.
“We don’t want to be victims of political deceit. Where the rain started beating us is history. Uhuru should emulate Kibaki during his last days."
However, National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi said a meeting between a president and Opposition leaders should be seen as a step towards progressive cohesion.
"…Raila Odinga is not a leader of the Luo community he is a national leader, not a tribal leader…The President was meeting national leaders," he said.
"The official communication from the meeting in State House meeting said the meeting was about national issues…but we cannot rule out that there was a discussion about politics."
The President on Tuesday asked One Kenya Alliance luminaries to support Raila in the 2022 presidential contest.
The President reportedly showed the politicians an opinion poll which indicated Raila was by far the most popular.
Uhuru argued that Raila remains the most formidable politician to face off with Deputy President William Ruto in his succession race.
Uhuru's relationship with his deputy has hit rock bottom and he is expected to campaign against Ruto in next year's general election.
On June 15, Uhuru challenged the Opposition chiefs to unite to enhance their chances of forming the next government after he retires next year.
The President is keen to have the opposition united to enhance their chances of beating Ruto in next year's presidential election.
Edited by D Tarus