Raila does not owe me political debt — Mudavadi

Amani National Congress party leader Musalia Mudavadi has maintained that no one owes him any political debt.

Mudavadi clarified that in politics there is nothing like political debts resulting from one’s previous support of another.

He said people come together politically with an agenda through shared ideologies, and that should not be seen as a debt.

Mudavadi made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview with Kass FM/TV.

Responding to questions regarding his 2007 and 2017 support for ODM leader Raila Odinga and whether he feels the former Prime Minister should reciprocate by supporting his 2022 bid, Mudavadi said he is seeking the support of all Kenyans and not from a specific person.

“I don’t believe in the idea of ‘political debts’. Raila owes me no debt politically. I am seeking the votes of all Kenyans on the basis of my economic recovery policies,” he said.

The ANC leader, who is campaigning on the platform of reviving and growing the economy, said leaders should seek the mandate of Kenyans on the basis of what they will do for them and not selling fear to the electorate.

He said every Kenyan has a right to live and do business in any part of the country without intimidation and feeling like an ‘outsider’.

“The events of 2007-08 should not be allowed to play out again. Our clarion call should be peace and more peace in our country as we head to the elections,” he said.

At the same time, Mudavadi called on the government to allocate more funds to the Ministry of Health to buy Covid-19 vaccines.

“The economy was doing badly even before the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic has affected the economy more. We need to have all our people vaccinated so that we open up our businesses,” he said. 

Mudavadi strongly defended himself against allegations that the State House meetings they have been having with President Uhuru Kenyatta are meant to strategise on how they can succeed the head of state.

The ANC leader called on the government to adequately fund the electoral agency for it to be able to carry out its mandate effectively.

Musalia said the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is a key player in the electoral process with a big role in seeing the country have peace before, during and after polls.

“We need to ensure the electoral commission is well-funded to carry out free, fair and credible elections. It must be well resourced with human capital and technology,” he said.

Mudavadi called on players in the electoral process such as political parties and politicians to stop discrediting the IEBC, for doing so amounts to planting seeds of suspect outcomes.

“The state must guarantee the independence of IEBC and should be insulated from external interference. All electoral laws should be reviewed with a view to ensuring accountability,” he said.

The Amani leader promised to work towards lowering the cost of farm inputs so as to help reduce the cost of production and ensure farmers reap from their hard work.

“Why should we import cheap eggs from neighbouring countries? Our farmers are spending too much on production and at the end reducing the profit margin. We need to zero-rate the animal feeds,” he said.

Edited by Henry Makori