Mukalo Kwayera @kwayeram

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Dr Mukhisa Kituyi has trashed claims linking him to the attempted ouster of Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula as Ford Kenya leader by functionaries within the party.

 The former Trade Minister during the first term of retired President Mwai Kibaki distanced himself from the wrangles within the party of which he was a founding member and a leading light in the nascent days of multi-party democracy in Kenya, saying he has nothing to gain from such a move.

 “I have no role in the shenanigans at Ford Kenya and I am not going to join that party,” said Kituyi, a former three-term Member of Parliament for Kimilili Constituency in Bungoma County.

 Kituyi  lost the seat to Dr Eseli Simiyu (now Tongaren MP), the party’s current secretary-general, one of Wetang’ula’s tormentors at the moment.  

Early last month, a faction led by Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati and Eseli  staged the attempted coup against Wetang’ula to replace their party leader with Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi.

 The move quickly drew a protest from Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi, who blamed it on what he described as a senior member of the National Super Alliance.

Musalia’s statement was interpreted as pointed at Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga. 

Mudavadi also blamed it on Trade Unionist  Francis Atwoli who had a day earlier hosted a congregation of selected politicians from Western Kenya that included the Wamunyinyi brigade, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa and former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo. 

Political functionaries

However, weeks later, Kituyi’s name was dropped in the mix with claims emerging that he was the force behind the bid to dethrone Wetang’ula, with some of the coup plotters stating that the former Cabinet Minister was on their side.  

While Kituyi still has several months before his tour of duty at the Geneva-based UNCTAD comes to an end, the former legislator is increasingly being linked to the 2022 presidential elections in which he is expected to play a crucial role, if not as a candidate.  

He arrived in the country last Sunday for a three-week break within which he is understood to be keen to make contacts with key political functionaries across political parties.

 Even as he distanced himself from the Ford Kenya wrangles,  he told People Daily: “But I can easily understand why people are fed up with Wetang’ula,” in reference to the Bungoma senator.