A war of words has rocked the One Kenya Alliance as allies of former Vice Presidents Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi tear into each other.
The war of words has dramatically diminished the possibility of a joint presidential Oka flagbearer as a rancorous split looms.
Mudavadi's troops are accusing Kalonzo of insincerity and rigidity in his presidential bid, saying the Wiper boss is not ready to listen to the opinions of others in the tattered alliance.
Kalonzo’s men hit back, accusing Mudavadi of always having one leg out the door and challenged him to be clear on his commitment to the alliance.
“They (Wiper) should not take us for granted. We have options and we are open to any political negotiations. We are open to any partner, so they should not tempt us,” Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala told the Star.
Last Saturday, Kalonzo held a mega political meeting at his Yatta farm where he announced he will go all the way to the ballot.
The meeting came just a day after Mudavadi sparked suspicion after he skipped a key Oka meeting with the alliance's technical team at Lake Elementaita lodge in Nakuru county.
The meeting was to receive a report on the formula for picking a presidential candidate from among the four principals.
The others are Kanu boss Gideon Moi and his Ford Kenya counterpart Moses Wetang'ula.
Instead, Mudavadi took to social media, telling his supporters and the country to expect a big announcement during his party’s NDC scheduled for next Sunday.
There has been speculation he could team up with Deputy President William Ruto.
Malala now accuses the Oka top brass of calling a meeting to name the alliance's flagbearer before Mudavadi is endorsed by ANC delegates.
He said after the Elementaita Lodge meeting, Wiper insiders went ahead to leak the technical committee's report to sway public perception.
What is the essence of us being in Oka if he is not ready to listen to anybody? He has himself said he cannot leave it to anybody and that means we cannot also leave it to him
Reports indicated Mudavadi was trailing Kalonzo in at least three of the four simulations developed by the technical team.
“It was unfair to call our boss to a meeting that was going to announce a flagbearer of OKA yet our party leader has not been endorsed by the NDC,” Malala said.
The vocal first-term senator is a close ally of Mudavadi.
“Then immediately after that meeting, they leak the information that Kalonzo is the flagbearer. He goes to Yatta and says that he is not going to back anybody else," he added.
Malala said, Mudavadi has at least 10 political options and is ready to pick from the remaining nine if Kalonzo’s team maintains their rigidity.
“So what is the essence of us being in Oka if he is not ready to listen to anybody? He has himself said he cannot leave it to anybody and that means we cannot also leave it to him,” Malala said.
Butere MP Tindi Mwale said their Wiper counterparts are not sincere in their engagement, saying they fabricated the technical team’s report to water down their much-anticipated NDC.
“I don’t think there is sincerity in it (Wiper),” Mwale, a Mudavadi insider, said.
Kalonzo’s men hit out at Mudavadi, daring him to publicly declare his commitment to Oka, claiming the ANC boss has always had one leg out of the alliance door.
Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr, a close ally of Kalonzo, said it would not be surprising if Mudavadi dumps the alliance.
He said some of the people around the ANC boss have been pushing him to go it alone.
“There are people who have been pushing Mudavadi to run for the presidency, irrespective of what that push means. It will not be surprising at all and it will not be a big announcement,” Mutula told the Star.
Mudavadi has promised a major announcement that will "shake" the country at his party's NDC on January 23.
Mutula also said the technical team’s report is yet to be released to other members of the alliance, adding a candidate for Oka will be arrived at "politically".
“We can’t confirm (the report) because it has not been shared. The technical committee completed its work and then gave it to the principals. The other details will be dealt with politically, not technically,” Mutula said.
On Sunday, Mavoko MP Patrick Makau, a Wiper elected legislator, claimed Mudavadi has kept his Oka colleagues in the dark. He challenged him to publicly come out and tell Kenyans whether he supports the alliance or Deputy President William Ruto’s UDA.
“If he has decided otherwise, let him be gentleman enough and announce it instead playing a cat-and-mouse game,” Makau said.
The exchanges expose the mistrust and suspicion believed to be weakening the 'alliance' and preventing its takeoff.
It has been reported Kalonzo has been plotting to work with Raila's Azimio la Umoja. The Star exclusively reported last week the former vice president was under pressure to join the ODM boss's camp.
His allies denied the reports.
It also has been suspected Mudavadi could be planning to work with Ruto or go it alone after Malala, his confidant, attended the DP’s meeting in Eldoret and maintained they were seeking friendships outside Oka.
Last year, Mudavadi hinted at picking a running mate from Mt Kenya, bringing into focus the sincerity of his commitment to Oka.
Details gleaned from the Oka technical committee indicate Kalonzo topped at least three simulations.
In the first set, the former vice president was proposed as the Oka presidential flagbearer, with Musalia as his possible running mate.
The second simulation proposes Kalonzo be paired with Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua as the deputy president.
Karua is the leader of the Mount Kenya Unity forum that brings together a group of political bigwigs from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s backyard.
The third and final proposition suggests a Kalonzo-Moses Wetang’ula ticket.
On Monday, the Star established that the Oka bosses have planned yet another make-or-break meeting to pick a flagbearer.
The meeting follows one by the Oka technical team last week that came up with a four-scenario formula for selecting a candidate.
The formula is expected to guide the process of picking a flagbearer but reports have already emerged that the principals have clashed over the report.
“We used a scientific methodology to come up with a possible flagbearer. We looked at various scenarios,” a member of the technical team disclosed to the Star.
The team considered the possible number of votes that each principal could bring onboard, various combinations, the popularity and integrity of the four partners, among other factors.
“We have given them four scenarios. It is up-to them to decide the most appropriate," he said. They will retreat before long to study the report and settle on one scenario.
(Edited by V. Graham)
