Reuben Mwambingu, Rawlings Otieno and DPPS

Deputy President William Ruto yesterday rubbished Wednesday’s State House meeting in Mombasa convened by President Uhuru Kenyatta to unite Opposition leaders, saying it was an exercise in futility.

Ruto spoke as One Kenya Alliance (OKA) leaders Musalia Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula denied reports that the president had pressured them to support Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga in next year’s presidential election.

In a joint statement at the Tamarind Hotel in Mombasa yesterday, the OKA principals maintained they are in the race to State House on the premise that every presidential aspirant stands an equal chance of winning the election.

They said their visits to State House are never summons to arm-twist them into supporting a particular candidate and that “no one asked or even suggested that we support anyone for anything.”

National interest

The leaders added that during their meeting with the Head of State on Wednesday, they purely deliberated on matters of national interest, among them the new Covid-19 surge and containment measures.

“We hereby state categorically that our visits to State House aren’t summons to browbeat us into supporting one candidate or the other. These have been very cordial consultative meetings deliberating on national matters. Indeed, yesterday’s meeting was one such conference where a new Covid-19 surge and containment measures were the subject of extensive discussion,” Mudavadi stated.

But speaking at his Karen residence in Nairobi after meeting MPs from Embu County, Ruto insisted the formation of political alliances will not make Kenya any better.

“The poor will no longer be misused by the powerful to go up the political ladder,” he argued.

He was emphatic that the envisioned alliance being crafted by the President would be defeated at the ballot box by the Hustler movement. 

  “It is not the alliance of the mighty but that of the lowly and the jobless that will create a revolution that will change our country.”

Positions for a few

  He said people had come to the realisation that changing the Constitution was only aimed at creating positions for a few leaders instead of transforming the country.

 “As a people, the decision has been made. We are going to build an equal-opportunity society through an economic revolution that is anchored on the bottom-up model,” he said.

The revelation comes just a day after President Uhuru Kenyatta met the leaders in Mombasa where he is said to have prevailed upon the quartet to  back Raila since none of them can beat Ruto without the support of Raila.

“Our doors are open and we are inviting all Kenyans to join us. But let our competitors know that we are firm and resolute, and nobody should pretend that they are inviting us to join them, this is already a majority and we understand the need to win this next contest precisely and decisively,” said Kalonzo during the Naivasha retreat.

The meeting also resolved to fast-track the process of picking the OKA flagbearer.

Sources at the two-day meeting in Naivasha disclosed that already a technical team and the Parliamentary Groups of the respective parties have been tasked to form a joint parliamentary caucus to spearhead the adoption of resolutions.

This even as OKA is said to be on the verge of registering a coalition that will see one of the four founders become the presidential flagbearer of the coalition.

Kanu Chairman Gideon Moi said his engagement with the OKA team is solid, adding that there is need for unity of purpose.

“Kenyans should not doubt our commitment to this OKA journey. 

“Our history as Kanu and my personal history is that once we have made up our minds, we always stick to the course up to the end,” said Moi.

Wetangula said they will traverse the country to explain to Kenyans what the OKA administration will do for them should they form the government and not the usual false promises their competitors have been giving to Kenyans.