Kanu on Thursday threw its weight behind President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election bid, ending speculation that it would join the Opposition’s National Super Alliance (Nasa).
The party said while it would field candidates for all other elective seats, it would vote for President Kenyatta in the August 8 General Election in a decision that is a blow to Nasa, which had hoped to ride on Kanu’s enormous influence in the vast Rift Valley region.
“We have had fruitful consultations and negotiations among ourselves and other key partners. The party has now resolved to support President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election bid,” said secretary-general Nick Salat after a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the Lake Nakuru Lodge.
He was with party's chairman and Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, nominated senator Zipporah Kittony and West Pokot Senator John Lonyangapuo, among other NEC members.
The younger Moi, who spoke after Mr Salat, said he would defend his Baringo senatorial seat using the party.
Thursday’s announcement came despite repeated pronouncements by Mr Salat that Kanu was “firmly” in Nasa, the latest being at the burial of Vihiga Senator George Khaniri’s mother two weeks ago.
Speaking at the burial, both Mr Salat and Mrs Kittony urged the Opposition to remain united if they wanted to remove President Kenyatta from power, signalling that Kanu was headed to the Opposition.
During the launch of the Opposition coalition at the Bomas of Kenya last month, Mr Salat declared that Kanu was part of Nasa, though he was contradicted by Mrs Kittony and Prof Lonyangapuo, who said the party had made no such decision.
The clearest indication that Kanu would throw its weight behind the Jubilee Party came last week when President Kenyatta visited retired President Daniel Moi, arguably the party’s most influential figure, at his Kabarnet Gardens home in Nairobi.
Details of the meeting, attended by Mr Gideon Moi and Prof Lonyagapuo, are scanty, but sources indicated that Mr Kenyatta pleaded with the retired President to prevail upon his son and the party to back his re-election bid.
Mr Kenyatta reportedly made several concessions, including sharing Cabinet slots with members of the independence party if he won re-election and that the Jubilee Party would not field a candidate to contest the Baringo senatorial seat, to give Gideon a free ride.
MAMA NGINA
Earlier, President Kenyatta’s mother, Mama Ngina, had visited the former President, inviting speculation that the two discussed Kanu’s possible support for the Head of State, who has described Mzee Moi as his mentor in politics.
In 2002, President Moi defied the entire Kanu leadership and picked Mr Kenyatta; then a political greenhorn, as the party’s presidential candidate, who went on to lose against a united opposition.
Kanu’s decision to back Mr Kenyatta is bound to solidify his support in the greater Rift Valley and more specifically, the Kalenjin community.
During the last General Election, Kanu teamed up with the United Democratic Forum (UDF) to form the Amani coalition, which backed Musalia Mudavadi’s presidential bid.
BITTER EXCHANGES
Before Thursday’s decision, Kanu had posed the biggest challenge to the Jubilee Party’s domination in the expansive region, as demonstrated in recent by-elections, with Deputy President William Ruto going head to head with Senator Moi in the battle for the community’s leadership.
Mr Ruto and Mr Moi have previously exchanged bitter words in public, the latest during the funeral of former nominated MP Mark Too in Eldoret last month.
Last week, Mr Ruto’s trusted ally, Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, dismissed reports that Mr Kenyatta had entered into a deal with Kanu that Jubilee would not field a candidate to challenge Senator Moi.
It remains to be seen how the Deputy President will take the latest developments, given what is perceived as bad blood between him and the Kanu chairman.
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