Which way for Oka as Mudavadi launches presidential bid

ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi is set to launch his presidential bid on Sunday.

The event is set to be a litmus test for the unity of the One Kenya Alliance.

The National Delegates Convention at the Bomas of Kenya is expected to set the stage for the alliance to now name its flagbearer.

Other Oka principals Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Moses Wetang'ula (Ford Kenya) and Gideon Moi (Kanu) also nurse presidential ambitions and have been endorsed by their respective parties.

Political analyst Gitile Naituli believes all Oka principals will run to keep their followers votes away from ODM leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto.

“They have what it takes to force a runoff. Remember in 2013, had Mudavadi just got an additional 25,000 votes, we would have had a runoff. I am looking at it nationally,” he said.

However, Kanu secretary general Nick Salat said he hopes that in the end, Oka and Azimio La Umoja will team up.

“Both in Oka and Azimio, there is a call for unity. If we have one common call, why should we fight? We need to be together,” he added.

Salat said there will be need for leaders from both sides to make sacrifices.

“People have to sacrifice their ambition. I am not saying there are those who should be sacrificed. There are only two positions; president and deputy president,” he said.

He said leaders, sometimes, have to step down for the good of the nation.

“Even on the Azimio side, there should be sacrifices,” he said.

However, even within Oka, picking the presidential line-up has been its biggest hurdle.

The eventual decision is seen as a make or break moment for the the alliance.

Already, allies of the principals have publicly differed over who should carry the flag.

Kalonzo allies believe their party leader should be given the mantle because his backyard is intact, while Mudavadi has seen his MPs defect to Raila’s Azimio La Umoja movement.

While Oka has kept Kenyans guessing on who their flagbearer will be, Ruto and Raila have intensified their campaigns across the country.

Makueni MP Dan Maanzo says Oka has no choice but to sit and negotiate while being honest with each other.

“As much as Oka is disorganised, Azimio has a bigger problem,” he stated.

Ford Kenya National Organising secretary Chris Mandu Mandu said a tussle is expected in the alliance as parties push to have their aspirants named as flagbearer.

“Even during the 2017 elections, we had a tussle and the flagbearer was named just three months to the polls,” he recalled.

Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu said OKA does not have any challenge with Mudavadi declaring his presidential bid.

“He is just getting an endorsement from his ANC party. He will compete with the rest of the team in terms of who becomes the flagbearer.

"Our focus is on consolidating the alliance’s political bases. There is still sufficient time to pick the candidate,” he added.

Wiper National Organising secretary Robert Mbui (Kathiani MP) said all parties under Oka have to get mandates of their respective parties in order for them to negotiate.

“Kanu, Ford and Wiper did it. As we have been negotiating with Musalia, he was yet to get the mandate of ANC to vie for president.

"The convention has no bearing on Oka since we will still have to make a decision on who among the principals is fit to fly the alliance’s flag,” he added.

Maanzo warned that unless Mudavadi puts members of the Luhya community together, he will not be a formidable force.

“If he can command all Luhyas, he will be useful to everybody,” he said.

Mandu said Oka will emerge stronger even after Mudavadi launches his presidential bid.

“Oka will take off once Musalia launches his presidential bid. It is only then that he will sit at the table with other Oka principals who have the greenlight from their respective parties.

"After Sunday, they will all now be playing in the same league,” Mandu added.

He said the Sunday event will crush the notion that the election will be a two-horse race.

“Time has come for us to go out there and seek votes,” he stated.

Salat said after the ANC convention, Mudavadi will now be able to sit at the table with other Oka principals.

“You have to come from somewhere and with the full support of your party. He was the only one who had not received the greenlight from his party,” he said.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)