Uhuru, Raila work on new 2022 alliance – Weekly Citizen

Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga promised the late former president Daniel Arap Moi and the larger family that Senator Gideon Moi will be in the next government through the Building Bridges Initiative.

In one of the meetings in Kabarak when Mzee was ailing, Moi is said to have told Uhuru and Raila to take Gideon as a serious player in the Uhuru succession game. Uhuru and Raila were one of those allowed to visit ailing Moi as William Ruto was denied access.

Gideon

It was on these grounds that during Moi burial, Raila defended Gideon and dynasties politics further claiming the Baringo senator has a right to run for a national seat. The BBI report was released to the public on November 27 at the Bomas Kenya. The report has retained president and his deputy.

The report has set in motion alliances being build ahead of 2022 election. The initial report had position of the prime minister with no deputies. But now to accommodate more, a push for two deputy PM slots is on.

They want the slot executive as the first Bomas Report pushed for non-executive, within the two arms of government – parliament and the executive.

MPs will be appointed to cabinet. Initial report indicate that Musalia Mudavadi was to be favoured for presidency but to counter Ruto wave in Rift Valley, a scheme to isolate him, render him financially broke has been hatched.

Mudavadi

After Ruto unable to finance presidential campaign by 2021, Gideon will be brought on board to take care of the Kalenjins in the new alliance.

It is whispered, that if Ruto will be powerful by 2022, Gideon will run for presidency in the power sharing formula with positions distributed across regions.

History is likely to repeat itself as it happened in Moi succession when Uhuru and Mwai Kibaki faced each other both being from Mt Kenya region.

However, insiders say unlike Moi succession when MPs were instrumental, Uhuru has decided to have governors play a key role in his succession, and hence his recent meeting with them in Mombasa and allowing them to being in charge of regional BBI rallies.

Others say that the Kenyatta and Moi families, after a political bonding initiated by late Moi, and Mama Ngina Kenyatta have decided to back Raila’s presidency and Gideon as his deputy with Mudavadi and Wiper leader being locked out.

Here the scheme is for a long time, the Kikuyus read Kenyatta I, Kibaki and Kenyatta II via Uhuru and Kalenjins for 24 years have ruled Kenya since independence and is time for another tribe as president to be elected. Raila is the man to break the jinx and hold brief for Gideon to succeed him.

Keen observers will have noticed, before Moi died, Kenyatta siblings and those of Moi were hosted at Raila, Upper Hill office. In the arrangement, Gideon will be Raila running mate to take care of Kalenjins as Ruto is doing now in Jubilee government just until the recent cabinet shuffle when he was kept in darkness.

Also in the alliance is powerful CS Fred Matiang’i. The CS has come out in open to claim that he takes orders from Uhuru and Raila. Analysts say with Raila roots in Nyanza and Matiang’i having countered Ruto wave in Kisii by holding a powerful slot in Jubilee, the community needs to be allocated powerful slots in next government hence the CS as the pointman in the region.

The position of prime minister will go to Mount Kenya with the populous Kikuyu vote in mind. To win Luhyas, deputy PM slot is being tangled and another to coast.

To Uhuru and his handlers, governors are more financially endowed than MPs who have been allowed to troop Ruto rallies getting handouts and milking him dry. The move to create regional governments to accommodate governors doing last term in power is further aimed at taming Ruto.

Joho

The report has proposed the creation of the powerful office of the leader of the opposition with benefits, shadow cabinet ministers to a runnerup in the presidential polls as it happened during the introduction of multipartism.

The office of the official opposition leader, which was repealed in 2010, could see the return to parliament of bigwigs who have been out in the cold after losing presidential elections.

Then there is the position of minister of state, also a sitting MP, which the BBI team says is to ensure “effective political direction and parliamentary accountability”.

Apart from the new position, there is the position of deputy president as well as the speakers of the two houses of parliament that presidential candidates would attempt to dangle before their suitors.

The players in Uhuru succession are bringing Uhuru, opposition chief Raila, Gideon while isolating Mudavadi and Kalonzo whom they believe cannot fund a serious presidential campaign. In fact, in 2013, Mudavadi was backed by Moi family and a section in Kibaki government who founded UDF.

The only headache is Ruto when it comes to funding presidential campaigns hence, cut to size as it is happening now.

Kenya politics is decided in boardrooms that started in Kabarak visits when Moi was ailing. Those locked out of the visits are seen as outsiders.

Analysts say that Uhuru decision to publicly claim he will not back Ruto 2022 despite the understanding he will rule for 10 years and his deputy take over speaks volumes.

In Nasa, it was also expected Raila would back Kalonzo as per the MoU but he has decided to isolate Kalonzo. Boardroom politics are being played behind the scenes with casualties major ones on the chopping board.

The decision to hand over Moi baton to Gideon by his elder brother Raymond, Rongai MP and Cotu boss Francis Atwoli remarks, Gideon must come out forcefully in Uhuru succession which speaks volumes