Musalia, Gideon, Kalonzo pick team to build coalition ahead of 2022
Four Opposition leaders have picked a 12-member team to spearhead talks on the formation of a coalition for the 2022 presidential contest.
Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), Gideon Moi (Kanu), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper) and Ford Kenya's Moses Wetang'ula are to give the team its terms of reference.
The Star has established that Musalia, Kalonzo, Gideon and Wetang'ula have each picked three allies to sit in the panel.
ODM has recently protested that the 'Sacred Alliance' of four was being favoured by the state in the 2022 succession.
The alliance has said it is ready to face ODM leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto in next year's presidential contest.
Gideon, the Baringo senator, has picked Kanu secretary general Nick Salat, Tiaty MP William Kamket and West Pokot Senator Samwel Poghisio.
Kalonzo settled on Wiper vice-chairpersons Mutula Kilonzo Junior and Victor Swanya Ogeto as well Kitui Senator Enock Wambua to represent him.
Musalia has picked ANC deputy party leader Ayub Savula, Nambale MP Sakwa Bunyasi and chairperson Kelvin Lunani to hold brief for him.
Kimilili MP Chris Wamalwa, Kwanza's Ferdinand Wanyonyi and Ford Kenya organising secretary Chris Mandu Mandu will represent Wetang'ula.
On Monday, Wamalwa told the Star the Sacred Alliance was taking shape.
“This is the coalition to watch, this is the coalition that will form government in 2022. Structures are being put in place with team-leaders. Once we are done with BBI, we are going to unveil the team,” Wamalwa said.
The MP said the Sacred Alliance was open to other like-minded leaders who believe in 'teamwork and honesty' and not selfish politicians considering themselves as the only candidates.
The jibe was directed at Raila whom the alliance has accused of being deceitful after allegedly reneging on the 2017 Nasa pact.
“Whoever joins us must be ready to be the first among equals and one who is a team player,” Wamalwa said. The victories in Matungu and Kabuchai by-elections are proof that Kenyans have endorsed the union, he said.
The four spearheaded campaigns that helped Musalia and Wetang'ula recapture the Matungu and the Kabuchai parliamentary seats respectively.
They have also teamed up in the upcoming Machakos senatorial by-election where Kalonzo is facing a political onslaught from his rivals in the battle for the control of Ukambani.
An official aware of the developments in the Sacred Alliance told the Star that the work of the 12 members will include drawing a coalition agreement to anchor the formation.
“The twelve members will represent the interests of their principals at the negotiating table,” said the official.
The team will be backed up by legal experts who will handle issues of law likely to crop up during the negotiation period.
"In the next few weeks, we expect that the team starts to put together working terms," he said.
Part of the team's mandate will be to guide the four parties in developing terms of engagement, drawing up memoranda of understanding and delivering a coalition agreement to be deposited at the Political Parties' Registrar.
The four parties have existing coalition agreements with other parties not in the Sacred Alliance including the Nasa and the Jubilee coalitions
While Wiper, ANC and Ford Kenya are partners in the moribund Nasa coalition, Kanu last year entered into a post-election coalition agreement with the ruling Jubilee Party.
The four would be expected to denounce the initial agreements before formally putting ink to paper on the new alliance ahead of the 2022 polls.
The Sacred Alliance principals have already verbally committed to working together.
On Monday, Swanya did not deny that he is in the 12-member technical team working on the Sacred Alliance. He said the four principals will unveil their plans at the right time.
“About the teams being put together, while that may be true, it is not important for public discussion at the moment. We are currently focusing on BBI and once that is done our leaders will move to the next stage,” Swanya said.
He said the Sacred Alliance was raring to go after the leaders agreed to breathe “fresh air into the country's politics.'
“The four principals want to deliver sanity in the way we play our politics by ensuring that there is honesty and respect for agreements. We are going to show the country why it matters to be gentlemen,” he said. BY THE STAR
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