The 2022 presidential battle could be shaping into a three-horse race with the One Kenya Alliance aggressively wooing political big guns from Mt Kenya region.
The Oka chiefs on Tuesday formally welcomed Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua and National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi into the fold, signalling the making of a giant 2022 third force.
They formed working teams to harmonise their respective manifestoes and agree on modalities and dates of naming their presidential candidate.
"You will soon see the big news. We will challenge this narrative that it's a two-horse race," one of the senior leaders said.
Also in the Karua team are ex-Kiambu Governor William Kabogo and former Tetu MP Ndung'u Gethenji.
The Oka team comprises Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Gideon Moi (Kanu) and Moses Wetang'ula (Ford Kenya) and Cyrus Jirongo.
It is not clear how the entry of Karua - the Mt Kenya Unity Forum spokesperson - and Muturi into the Oka ship would alter its 2022 presidential line-up.
Over the last few days, there have been indications that some Oka principals are preparing to work with ODM chief Raila Odinga.
The arrival of the Mt Kenya leaders could, however, give Oka the much-needed link to penetrate President Uhuru Kenyatta’s vote-rich backyard.
Former Mukurweini MP Kabando wa Kabando told the Star that despite the Oka push, the 2022 presidential battle remains a two-horse race, at least for now.
“One day in politics is eternity. Even an hour can reshape the political dynamics. At the moment, the race is between the Deputy President and the ODM leader,” Kabando said.
Raila and Deputy President William Ruto have been sprinting for the 2022 presidential contest with Oka seemingly dithering.
Raila and Ruto are traversing the country hunting for votes, laying major emphasis on Mt Kenya that is home to close to six million votes.
The two are likely to name their running mates from the region as part of the bargain in the 2022 power-sharing plan given the region’s numerical strength.
On Tuesday, Karua and Muturi agreed to "explore possibilities of working together" in a pre-2022 alliance agreement that will see them back a single presidential candidate.
Anticipating the inclusion of more political players into Oka, the team also agreed to form a sub-committee to work out details of a binding MoU ahead of the polls.
The Star has established that each of the parties will nominate one person to sit in the panel that will craft the terms of engagement to unveil a bigger machine.
“It is a done deal that Oka is going to expand and bring on board more players and partners in the coming months as arrangements are being made to ink a landmark MoU,” a high-ranking Oka official aware of the developments said.
Away from the technical committee working on an agreement, the Star understands that yesterday’s meeting resolved that the team will play rough on their 2022 protagonists as they shape their political space.
Part of the plan would be to roll out an aggressive offensive to portray Raila and Ruto as being too divisive and dangerous for the country should either of them win the presidency.
They will be projecting themselves as the safest pair of hands for the country.
Lifting the lid on the behind-the-scenes intrigues around the formation of the alliance, Wetang'ula said the country should be ready for a major political shift.
“We are starting a journey together. Watch this space,” declared Wetang'ula in his brief remarks after the meeting held at Hermosa Gardens Hotel, Nairobi.
He said the "dynamics of politics is at play," declining to give no details about how the Oka alliance would redefine the 2022 presidential contest.
On her part, Karua said they met with a view of working together with the Oka chiefs for the sake of the 2022 polls.
"We've come as a group of Mt Kenya politicians to see how we can work with Oka," she said.
Former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, who is also part of the Mount Kenya Unity Forum was, however, not present.
The expansion of the Oka machine could escalate the infighting in the outfit over the 2022 presidential line-up and alliance plans.
On Tuesday, Kakamega Senator Cleopas Malala warned that the expansion of team should not be an excuse to delay the unveiling of the team’s presidential candidate.
“They (Karua and Muturi) are dependable players who can change the game but I hold the view that we should work with the December 25 deadline to name the presidential flag bearer and running mate,” Malala told the Star.
Hours before the Oka meeting, West Pokot Senator Samwel Poghisio, a well-known ally of Gideon, on Monday declared that Oka should back Raila.
"We shall all unite from our various political parties and give you [Raila] the presidential votes,"Phogisio said in Kapenguria on Monday, adding that Raila will be the fifth Kenya's president.
The Senate Majority leader’s remarks came two weeks after Malala, a confidant of Mudavadi, launched a scathing attack on Gideon, saying he is the "weakest link in Oka.”
The attacks exposed the simmering storm in Oka over clandestine associations with rivals including Raila ahead of the 2022 polls.
There have been indications that Gideon has a soft spot for Raila and that Kalonzo has been quietly engaging the ODM boss with a view of working together.
Mudavadi has been seen as the hardliner in Oka, with his allies openly threatening to ditch the outfit, if he is not named the presidential candidate.
Political analyst Kariuki Ngunjiri said tapping Karua and Muturi would be a big plus for Oka since they are trying to establish a base in Mt Kenya region.
“Oka does not have a representative from Mt Kenya and the principals are well aware that if they do not have Mt Kenya in the picture, the contest may not even begin for them,” Ngunjiri said.
There are fears that the emerging Oka juggernaut could significantly chip away the support bases of Ruto and Raila, the perceived 2022 presidential front-runners.
The two main protagonists have rolled out aggressive campaigns to woo the six million Mt Kenya voters, with Raila seen as spoiling the party for the DP in the region.
Edited by Henry Makori
