Kalonzo is a suave politician, diplomat and servant leader

I refer to an article in last week’s Sunday Nation where the writer appeared to have gone out of his way to wage a vicious political battle against former vice president Kalonzo Musyoka (Kalonzo’s gaffes: A watermelon’s guide to not winning the presidency, February 24, 2019).

To show how sinister his motive was, he went ahead, in connivance with the editor, to mask his by-line. The dark cloud of anonymity gave away the article a sinister motive that I suspect was pushed at the behest of Mr Musyoka’s opponents.

The article also lacked balance and fairness with opinion being passed off as fact. For instance, the writer claimed Mr Musyoka had suggested that, after the planned referendum, President Uhuru Kenyatta “should vie for a third term in office.” Where and when did Mr Musyoka say this? The true position is that the Wiper Party leader talked of Mr Kenyatta becoming Prime Minister while supporting Mr Musyoka for President.

To the ordinary reader, the article was tailored to injure Mr Musyoka’s political standing. It was too personal, exhibiting bias and contempt. Reading through the so-called “guide”, one would be tempted to think that, other than Mr Musyoka, all the other presidential wannabes are guaranteed victory since they are angels in the political arena whose utterances are without blemish.

Although Mr Musyoka is not perfect, he has many positive traits. For starters, he is not an antagonistic figure, unlike some of his opponents. Secondly, he has a God-fearing and a forgiving heart and he abhors violence.

Mr Musyoka is not only a suave politician but is also an internationally acclaimed diplomat. Many may recall his diplomatic endeavours in South Sudan and Somalia when he was Foreign minister and vice-president. He also has foresight. While in Germany after the August 2017 General Election, he vouched for dialogue between President Kenyatta and Mr Raila Odinga. Though many dismissed his proposal, he was later proved right by the March 9, 2018 “handshake”.

Politically speaking, Mr Musyoka has repaid all his “debts”, including supporting Mr Odinga’s presidential bid in 2013 and 2017. He had previously given his support to presidents Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki during critical times. It is now time for others to reciprocate.

In conclusion, let me state categorically that Mr Musyoka has always stood for the well-being of Kenya. In 2007 when Kenya was on the verge of destruction, he joined President Kibaki to “stabilise” the then wobbling administration, and was later joined by Mr Odinga who came in as Prime Minister. Had the Coalition Government foreseen by Mr Musyoka been such a bad idea, then Mr Odinga would not have joined it. This stopped the political violence and eventually brought economic progress.

Mr Musyoka is, therefore, the right man for the top job in 2022 and when the campaign whistle is blown he will present himself before Kenyans and ask for their vote with the humility desirable of a servant leader.

Onesmus Kilonzo, Head of Communication, Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya