Saturday, May 18th 2013
By Oscar Obonyo and Daniel Nzia
NAIROBI, KENYA: She ably and eloquently presented her case against the election of President Uhuru Kenyatta before the Supreme Court, alongside a team of lawyers including her late father, Senior Counsel Mutula Kilonzo.
Now
some leaders within the CORD fraternity and supporters in Makueni
County want Kethi Diana Kilonzo to step into her father’s shoes in the
Senate.
While this has been the quiet prayer and push of
supporters of the late Mutula, the pressure on his daughter to replace
him in the Senate has heightened. This follows the issuance of writs for
the seat by Speaker Ekwe Ethuro on Thursday.
As political
pressure piles on the celebrated lawyer, she opts to stay mum to weigh
her options first. At one point she agreed to accord The Standard On
Sunday an interview but on second thought postponed the same to Monday.
The
pressure notwithstanding, a Wiper Democratic Movement (WMD) allied MP
who pleaded anonymity, confided to The Standard On Sunday that Kethi was
less enthusiastic about joining politics as compared to his elder
brother and lawyer, Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.
“But
the reality is that our people are keener on Kethi and not Jnr. In fact
if he opts to vie, Jnr will get challengers and might even be shocked
at the ballot, as opposed to Kethi who could get elected unopposed,”
opines the politician.
In the meantime, The Standard On Sunday has
learnt that the Mutula family has been consulting over the matter and
has certainly agreed to present a candidate for the Makueni County seat.
What remains unclear is who between Kethi and Mutula Jnr is that
candidate.
Suitable replacement
Interestingly,
all those harbouring ambitions to succeed the late Mutula are anxiously
monitoring the signals and direction of his family members. Although
Makueni has a long list of experienced politicians, they have all
separately adopted a “wait-and-see” approach.
Mr Michael Kisoi
Munyao, who succeeded Mutula as Mbooni MP, appeals to the people of
Makueni to elect a suitable replacement for Mutula – a person who has
the charisma and zeal to deliver on services as the former Education
minister. Given that the Senator hailed from Mbooni, it is Munyao’s
prayer that his constituency produces Mutula’s replacement.
But
Yatta MP, Francis Mwangangi openly roots for Kethi: “There are three
reasons why her name is on the lips everyone in the County – she
demonstrated, during the Supreme Court sessions, her ability of being
ruthlessly efficient just like the father, she is young and just the
kind of crop of leaders that this country now wants.
And finally, considering that the Senate is full of men, her
inclusion is good for gender balance.” Other possible names on the
card include that of former Minister and Kaiti MP, Gideon Ndambuki, whom
Kalonzo trounced during the Wiper party nominations. There is also
former Kibwezi MP, Prof Philip Kaloki, who lost the Governor’s contest
to Prof Kivutha Kibwana.
And of course, the former Kilome MP John
Harun Mwau, who lost to Mutula during the March 4 poll. Mwau, who lost
by a huge margin, had filed a petition contesting Mutula’s win.
There
are two other possible challengers – the immediate former Makueni MP
Peter Kiilu who lost the seat youthful lawyer Daniel Maanzo and former
Provincial Commissioner Alfred Ndolo.
The latter hails from Mbooni
and has had long term close relations with the departed senator.
Instructively, Ndolo played a central role in Mutula’s burial
arrangements including as master of ceremony.
Reached for
comment, Kaloki admitted that a larger section of Makueni residents have
approached him to contest the seat. However, he said was weighing
options with a strong indication that he was ready to run.
“I
jointly campaigned with the late Mutula throughout the entire county as
Senator and Governor candidates of the Wiper party under the CORD
alliance and the Makueni people are asking me to contest”, he added.
He admitted the late Mutula was a focused leader who would have helped the Makueni County develop because he had great ideas.
Complicate matters
On his part Ndambuki said it was too early to say whether he will contest or not choosing to give the matter a bit of time.
A
Makueni County Assembly member Francis Mutuku alias Muso said the
possible entry of the late Mutula’s daughter Kethi would complicate
matters for the other candidates.
He however said in the absence
of Kethi or her brother Mutula jnr, Kaloki will be the man to beat in
the race expected to be the mother of all battles.
But even as the
replacement of Mutula in the Senate gets underway, leaders of the Wiper
party are in agreement that it will be difficult to get a politician
who can add value to the party and CORD coalition as Mutula.Ideally, while residents of Makueni County will soon get a new Senator,
the Wiper party and CORD coalition have doubtlessly been left poorer,
with regard to organizational strategy and legal mind. These are crucial
skills in today’s highly competitive politics.
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