By James Wafula in Nairobi.
jackson.kairu@yahoo.com
When they were campaigning for the hotly contested August 9 general elections, many heavyweights of the Azmio la umoja coalition under former prime minister Raila Odinga were confident of victory against Deputy President William Ruto of Kenya Kwanza.
They were so certain that they even shared out positions akin to sharing parts of a wild animal even before you have hunted it down and killed it!
Some of the heavy weights like Kitui goveror M/S Charity Ngilu, had cobbled a massive women following around Raila Odinga running-mate “iron lady” M/S Martha Karau secure of critical numbers in swing vote areas.
With the envisaged huge numbers of female supporters replicated in many areas considered Odinga strongholds, victory could only be deferred, according to Karua. But alas something went terribly wrong on voting day.
It was with utter disbelief to many “Baba” supporters after voting closed and results started streaming in beamed Live on national television and easily accessed on IEBC public portal. The unthinkable was happening. Ruto had pulled a fast one on mzee. Baba was staring at utter defeat. A total routing in mount Kenya region of President Kenyatta where he had been assured of 40 percent support! Ruto was bagging 80 percent! Replicated in his Rift valley home-turf. How could he lose?
But it was a close race and many including Musyoka expected ‘Baba” to weather the tide and emerge victorious but that was not to be. Political careers of many who had banked on a Odinga victory were now on the line.
The swahili saying that on the day a monkey dies every tree turns out to be slippery could well have been referring to Musyoka who for the third time has backed a “losing horse”. Even a consolation prize of House speaker in parliament has just eluded him. His community is up in utter rage accusing him of failing to be his own man and always playing second fiddle to Odinga.
A crestfallen Musyoka, a lawyer by profession is now 68 and certainly not getting any younger. But the highest he has risen is Vice President for five years under the late President Mwai Kibaki 2008-2012, and his frequent attempts at the high office has seen him chicken out at the last minute.
In the hotly contested and deeply troubled 2007 elections, the flip flopping Musyoka threw his hat in the ring battling Kibaki and Raila Odinga but came a distant third only managing to bag his Kamba vote.
Musyoka would re-emerge in 2013 to back Odinga as one of the CORD coalition co-principals but again apparently backing the wrong horse as Raila, 77, lost to President Uhuru Kenyatta, 62.
A subsequent petition by Raila at the supreme court was thrashed and Kalonzo retreated with his allies to lick their wounds and wait to fight another day. In 2017 Musyoka backed Odinga under the NASA coalition where IEBC again gave victory to Kenyatta forcing Raila to head to the courts. This time he was lucky and the court overturned Uhuru’s victory and ordered repeat election which the opposition boycotted.
After 2018 March 9 handshake political truce with Odinga, the President cobbled a formidable coalition he was confident could deny his deputy a chance to be Kenya’s fifth President. Kenyatta camped in his vote rich home-turf and spoke in Kikuyu urging his tribesmen to reject Ruto and vote for Odinga. Musyoka after a period of dilly dallying with his One Kenya Alliance towards the August 9, 2022 poll finally threw in the towel and joined Odinga, for the third time.
Now after the Supreme Court upheld the victory of Dr. Ruto, 55, the future looks bleak for the Kamba kingpin who initially appeared to be leaning towards the Deputy President.
Kalonzo with a handful of MPs on his Wiper ticket is unlikely to qualify for opposition funding which will go to Raila’s ODM. Even the honorary diplomatic status he holds courtesy of the government to represent Seychelles and Cyprus could easily be scrapped by the Ruto government!
Kalonzo delivered substantial votes to Azmio’s Raila but that now appears to have been nothing but water down the drain as he mulls a bleak future of no power, no job, and no steady income.
Discerning Kamba watchers who include former Wiper chairman and financier gemstone dealer John-stone Muthama, the Chairman of Ruto’s UDA party, say Musyoka must carry his own cross and is paying the price of indecision and bad judgement. After claiming that he would be the most stupid person if he backed Odinga for the third time, he went on and did the same. He lost his other comrades Musalia Mudavadi, 62 and Moses Wetangula, 67 who joined Ruto, 55.
Which way now for the Kamba kingpin as the new Ruto administration begins to take shape? Kalonzo can take comfort in the fact that politics is never personal with no permanent enemity. With eyes on 2027 Ruto could just as well close ranks and work with the Kamba kingpin. Who knows about tomorrow■
