One Kenya Alliance brings together Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), Moses Wetang’ula (Ford-K), , Gideon Moi (Kanu), and Cyrus Jirongo (United Democratic Party).
While all of them wish to run for presidency in 2022, some Kenyans believe that a joint ticket of Kalonzo and Mudavadi in that order would be the strongest that Oka can produce, while others believe interchanging the two might also work.
It is useful to compare the strengths of the two to dissect who would the best option for Oka in the presidential race.
Kalonzo led Raila Odinga in the surveys as from October 2006 up to March 2007, when Raila, who had formed the pentagon, caught up. This was a critical time when the thoughts of Kenyans had not been manipulated by the campaigns.
One could judge that it was a time when Kenyans knew exactly what they wanted or needed. While Kalonzo’s tribe is among the top five largest in Kenya in population distribution, Kenyans considered him the most suitable to lead Kenya to unity following a turbulent first term by President Mwai Kibaki, whereby many decried tribalism and nepotism in the then government.
In the 2007 General Election, Kalonzo vied on the ODM-K ticket, as Raila moved out to form the Pentagon and use the ODM party for his second stab at the presidency. The story is well known that it was Raila who unscrupulously torpedoed Kalonzo, who was the preferred candidate for president.
In 2006, scientific polls undertaken by the Steadman Group suggested Kalonzo was the most popular candidate the opposition could front against Kibaki. However, machinations by Raila led to a breakup following the embarrassing situation at Khadija grounds in Mombasa, where Kalonzo was heckled by Nyundo-wielding Raila supporters.
Raila also had the audacity to cast aspersions on the polls, asking whether looks would determine who became Kenya’s president. He would strategically usurp the tag of the people’s president but rallied other tribes against Kibaki’s Kikuyu in the chaotic elections of 2007.
Kalonzo still has his bedrock intact, despite Raila and DP William Ruto’s efforts to make inroads in the region. Mudavadi, on the other hand, cannot say he has a bedrock really. Raila scooped more votes than him in 2013.
The ODM leader does not have staunch supporters within the political class in Ukambani, who can shake Kalonzo, something that makes him woe the Wiper leader rather than try to outshine him in the region.
Recently, during a visit to Makueni in the company of Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, Alfred Mutua of Machakos and Kivutha Kibwana, the host, Raila still paid homage to Kalonzo, saying he ‘had sent him with greetings”. Raila does not even mention Mudavadi whenever he visits Western Kenya.
Besides, many Kenyans consider Mudavadi a coward, a tag he has futilely laboured to jettison. Both Kalonzo and Mudavadi are firm that they will contest in 2022. It will take Mudavadi, who garnered a paltry 480,000 votes in 2013, a lot of time and resources to become a serious presidential candidate. Besides Kalonzo is the more suitable candidate to deal with corruption because he had demonstrated he is clean having no scandal linked to his name.
It could be useful for Oka to adopt the ticket where Mudavadi becomes Kalonzo’s running mate. While Kalonzo was Kibaki’s vice president for five years, Mudavadi was only Moi’s for 60 days, a massive difference in experience.
Kalonzo has an impeccable record in diplomacy with his time as foreign affairs minister leading him to become a top diplomat for Kenya in Africa to date. Mudavadi’s time in the Cabinet had him linked to Goldenberg, Angloleasing and the cemetery scandals but was exonerated.
Again, if we are to take count, the person most attacked by Ruto is Kalonzo, including when he attempted to smear him with the Yatta land grabbing claim, which the Director of Criminal Investigations absolved him from. This means Ruto considers Kalonzo his strongest possible opponent for 2022, despite the incumbency support of Raila.
Kalonzo has a more cogent plan on how to revive Kenya’s economy as he fronts the Uchumi Maradufu-24hr economy model, promises free secondary education and slicing taxation by half. Kenya is struggling with heavy taxation, which has been proven world over to be a deterrent of economic growth as it hinders medium and small businesses.
This is a platform that can make Kalonzo the presidential candidate to beat in 2022. As Deputy President, Mudavadi will be in position to prepare for president in the future. As running mate he will have more time to unite the Luhya nation, and being a peaceful man, will ensure that Kalonzo’s government functions smoothly as he injects his economic prowess to it.
