By Oscar Obonyo And Mutinda Mwanzia
It was in literal terms the most unlikely political alliance and like in the celebrity gold and diamonds weddings, the question quickly popped up — how long will it last?
ODM-Kenya Presidential aspirant Mr Kalonzo Musyoka again said he neither moved house nor defected — he just switched rooms but remained under the same roof.
His fiercest rival in the party, Lang’ata MP Mr Raila Odinga, declared Kalonzo’s move a defection and added he would not be part of the theatrics.
On Friday, as a result of the infighting in ODM-Kenya, and the string of conflicting letters the two sets of officials are sending the Registrar of Societies, the Government gave the party 30 days to sort out the mess or face deregistration.
To complete the picture of the threat facing ODM-Kenya after the registered chairman Mr Daniel Maanzo picked up the warning letter at Sheria House, the Government spokesman circulated press statement to the same effect in his official website.
The clouds of confusion over who owns ODM-Kenya, the sustained bid by the Kalonzo team to take over its bank accounts, and the ‘missing’ certificate — which has again turned out to be in the Mwingi North MP’s vault — have all added up to put the fate of ODM-Kenya on the balance.
The surprise decision to join the little-known party led by another ODM-Kenya presidential aspirant, Dr Julia Ojiambo, was a reaction to the ‘formula’ fronted by Eldoret North MP Mr William Ruto— giving Raila the presidency in a ODM government, and the number two slot to Kalonzo.
Even as the mainstream ODM-Kenya — which has under its wings the other presidential aspirants , former Vice President Musalia Mudavadi, Mvita MP Mr Najib Balala, Gachoka MP Mr Joe Nyagah, Raila and Ruto —ponder the future, Kalonzo-Ojiambo bloodless coup still lingers in the shadows.
Kalonzo to skip unity rally
The aftertaste of the fallout will be replayed on Saturday when the leaders meet for a rally in Kakamega. Kalonzo last evening sent out an apology to his ‘colleagues’ saying he will be attending the Mwingi Cultural Festival.
Although Kalonzo and Ojiambo have a long history, having served together as officials of the former ruling party Kanu in the late 80s through to early 1990s, their resolution to walk the same path and Kalonzo’s perceived ‘boardroom coup’ has attracted the ire of other presidential contenders.
Going by their language and rapprochement last week, Kalonzo’s move appears to have moderately succeeded in shoring up relations between Raila, Ruto and Musalia. Balala and Nyagah have equally expressed solidarity with this group.
Except for the six-point statement read by former Public Works minister, Mr Andrew Kiptoon, which appeared to install Kalonzo as the de facto leader of ODM, the switch from the Liberal Democratic Party to Labour Party of Kenya raised eyebrows.
The statement not only declared ODM-Kenya a coalition, contrary to the position of the other presidential hopefuls, but also went further to mandate Kalonzo to initiate immediate structured and honest discussions with other presidential hopefuls.
But Ojiambo distances herself from the statement: “LPK and I had absolutely nothing to do with the press statement read out to the media on that day. Those were purely resolutions of the LDP defectors.”
And much as Kalonzo is a big catch for LPK, it is intriguing that Ojiambo opted to receive a ‘defector’ at his presidential campaign secretariat instead of the other way round — at LPK headquarters. The move could be a clear pointer of who now calls the shots in the new alliance.
Stephen and Julia have indeed come along way. And as times get tougher within the Orange party, the two — now on one side of the net — are curiously living up to their saintly Biblical names.
Julia, the Roman Christian to whom Paul sent greetings, is a name that points to a member of the imperial household. Her small party notwithstanding, the LPK leader is currently at the centre of focus within ODM. She is the holder of political power in an outfit Kalonzo hopes to inherit.
Stephen, on the other hand, is described in the Book of Acts as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. And just as might be the case now —where he is a victim of public lynching by a section of ODM supporters —the Biblical Stephen infuriated Jewish leaders by his fervent preaching, which led to his stoning to death.
“When I joined LDP in 2002, I believed in its broad principles and what it stood for. However in the course of time, I have come to realise that there may not be convergence of those broad principles and the actual practice,” Kalonzo explains his in-house ‘defection’.
He argues he has always maintained and held that Kenyans cultivate and inculcate a culture of peace and order “in our country and replicate it in their daily activities and business.”
“If we cannot allow democracy and governance in our political parties, how will we be able to allow it when we are in national leadership?” he poses.
Alliance to derail ODM train
Separately, The Saturday Standard has reliably established that Kalonzo and Ojiambo have been holding a series of consultative meetings. The consultations believably intensified after the troubled Mombasa rally last month.
Wundanyi MP, Mr Mwandawiro Mghanga, views the Kalonzo-Ojiambo alliance as one meant to derail the ODM train. The MP accuses Ojiambo of giving Kalonzo a platform to perpetuate divisive politics within the movement — a position shared by other politicians allied to the Raila-Ruto-Mudavadi axis.
“There cannot be any reason for anyone defecting to another party at this point in time except with the intention to wreck ODM-Kenya. And that is exactly what Kalonzo has done,” he charges.
However, Ojiambo maintains that what she has done is purely in the interest of her party. “I have done nothing wrong. I have simply opened doors to other ODM-Kenya members, and this is good for LPK. I am solely after the growth of my party, period!” says Ojiambo.
Kalonzo says he opted for Ojiambo’s party because it is true and faithful to its constitution, rules and structures. “The party under the leadership of Honourable Julia Ojiambo has succeeded where no other party in Kenya has. LPK is without wrangles and has functioning institutional structures and organs,” he told The Saturday Standard.
The Mwingi North MP further concedes that his new outfit will accord him an opportunity to exercise, experience and enjoy party democracy without suffocation by extra-legal bodies or persons.
Kilome MP, Mr Mutinda Mutiso is in agreement: “It is a strategic move and I do not think he has anything to regret. I mean, when a house is on fire the only logical thing to do is step out. Kalonzo has all along been chained by Raila and he just had to disentangle himself.”
So how does LPK plan to accommodate the Kalonzo brigade and will Ojiambo be surrendering the party’s leadership to her colleague who has a larger political clout with a wider following?
“I am still in the presidential race and I remain the leader of LPK. Those questioning this position are political enemies who want me and my party to remain underdogs and marginalised,” she says.
Eyes on ‘brother’ and ‘sister’
Nonetheless, Ojiambo has taken Kalonzo through an internal orientation and showed him structures of the party to enable him “decide how he wants to integrate himself in LPK”.
The MP further believes she should be lauded and not vilified for “letting out some steam” in ‘politically crowded’ LDP house. “They have been fierce fights amongst two leading contenders but now I have at least solved the problem, partly,” she says of the Raila-Kalonzo wars.
“I want to appeal to my brothers (Raila and Kalonzo) to respect my decision as their elder sister,” she says. Ojiambo, who openly admits to having been granted a scholarship to study at Alliance Girls High School by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in the 1950s, still fondly refers to the Lang’ata MP as “my brother”.
Albeit her sentiments, a new twist revolving around ODM-Kenya’s registrations paints the opposite picture. Ojiambo sides with Kalonzo’s allies in the battle over the party’s ownership.
In a letter to the Registrar dated July 31, she denies that the party ever elected her into office and even states: “I do know that I am a vice-chairman of ODM-Kenya interim NEC.” The same position is taken by Kanu Nominated MP Mr Mutula Kilonzo (vice-Chairman) and Mr Lucas Maitha (organising secretary).
It is this development, coupled with Kalonzo’s defection from LDP, that is believed led Raila into declaring that the Mwingi North MP had walked out of ODM.
“Kalonzo has defected from ODM-Kenya because LPK has decided to advertise, inviting people who want to run on LPK ticket to apply, which is contrary to the ODM-Kenya constitution, so whoever wants to run on LPK has defected,” he said on Wednesday.
But his “sister” won’t hear any of this: “They are beginning to panic and are now grabbing any reed in sight to stay afloat. Unfortunately I am not one of the reeds and they should stay clear of me,” she declared.
Some LPK operatives and supporters have nonetheless expressed discomfort over the invasion of the Kalonzo group.
“This deal was highly secretive and I can tell you frankly that it is not good for Julia. These guys are simply going to suck all the air in the LPK room, push Julia to the periphery and leave us gasping for political space,” laments an ally of Ojiambo, who declined to be named.
At the same time, some are questioning the political worth of both legislators. Just who is helpful to whom in this arrangement?
According to Afwande, a two-time challenger of Ojiambo and Vice President Moody Awori for the Funyula seat, Ojiambo represents no serious political front in ODM-Kenya movement — back at home and on the national platform.
“Her style of politics is not in tandem with the political reality on the ground, especially her people in Samia and Western Province, who are inclined more to Mudavadi or even Raila,” claims Afwande.
However, the Deputy Speaker and Mwingi South MP Mr David Musila maintains that Ojiambo is a crucial player at the national platform and her contribution will greatly help the ODM’s march to State House.
Recalling her “excellent role” in the election of President Kibaki in the 2002, Musila observes that Ojiambo worked hard and deserved her nomination slot.
On Kalonzo’s defection to LPK he says: “He felt uncomfortable in the party and as long as he defected to a party that is member of ODM-Kenya, I do not see a conflict in that. He is still Orange, anyway.”
Noting that the quest for unity in ODM-Kenya is clouded by suspicions among the political class, Musila regrets that some MPs have chosen to discredit the Elders Council Forum, which in his opinion would have easily arrived at the right candidate.
Musila, who has dedicated his efforts on reconciling the warring factions within LDP, eventually threw in the towel last Monday citing insubordination by junior party officials. He, however, is still a member of the party and has not joined the LPK bandwagon, as did virtually all his colleagues from Ukambani.
“Of cause I belong to a community that has its own political biases, but at this point in time we must all remain sober to stay afloat,” says the Mwingi South MP.
But in the bigger picture the story of Stephen and Julia is yet to unfold. Like the compass to the sailor of the old, every eye in ODM will still be on the ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ and whatever step they take.
Lifted and published by Korir, API*APN africanpress@chello.no tel +47 932 99 739 or +47 6300 2525 source.standard.ke
Langata MP Raila Odinga (second left) joins other leaders in a dance after he officialy opened the Kisumu Town west ODM kenya Office yeserday. photo by Sylvester Onyango 
