KANU Endorsement of Raila and the Kibaki Succession

That the independence party KANU has finally showed intentions of endorsing Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga for president in 2013 will be seen as representing a major political coup in the Kibaki succession game. When it comes, it will also throw the spanner into the works in so far as Rift Valley politics goes.

Interestingly, KANU was recently abandoned by Uhuru Kenyatta who opted to form the TNA and who has himself showed signs of willingness to work with ODM "after" the elections. Questions are now being raised as to whether Mudavadi's deparutre has suddenly made ODM and Raila an attractive political partner.

Ex-President Moi has remained steadfast in KANU and when Gideon Moi made this announcement while campaigning for the party's candidate in the Ndhiwa by-elections he could have been echoing the words of the elder statesman. The younger Moi also promised announcement would have to be ratified by the KANU NDC.

Political observers will recall how in 2002, President Moi suprised everyone by insisting on a greenhorn successor in Uhuru Kenyatta when the party was bursting with presidential talent having only months before mergred with National Development Party. Ten years down the line, KANU is now warming up to ODM which inherited most of the defectors from KANU in the Rift Valley and elsewhere.

As a party whose campaign is premised on reform, ODM must be seen to be reformist in the company it keeps. We wait to see the formal announcement of a pre-election deal between ODM and KANU a relationship that is already being tested by the Ndhiwa by-election where a number of unsuccessful ODM nominees have opted to support the KANU candidate rather than rally behind one of the own.

When Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto allied MPs of the 10th parliament rallied to make amendments to the Political Parties Act 2010 legitimising pre-election and post-election agreements none of them would have imagined that ODM would also be in similar frame for crafting alliances since their objective then was limited to building a united vehicle to defeat Raila Odinga in the 2013 general elections. Not only has the G-7 collapsed but a lot of water has passed under the bridge with the political landscape changing almost daily. Perhaps even more importantly, a preferred presidential successor has apparently been unveiled by the incumbent president much to the chagrin on Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto who at one time many assumed would be endorsed by President Kibaki as his natural successors. 

The next two months promises even more alignments and re-alignments.

Prime Minister's Weekend Programme Updated

The earlier announced Western Province Leaders' Forum scheduled for Saturday 15/09/2012 at the Golf Hotel in Kakamega town has been postponed and now the Prime Minister's diary for the weekend has been adjusted as follows;

Thursday 13/9/12
The Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga will be in Murang'a County for a series of rallies in Kangema Constituency.

Friday 14/9/12
The Prime Minister will be in Kajiado County to drum up the support for Eng. Peter Ole Mositet, the ODM candidate in the Monday 17th September by election in Kajiado North.

Saturday 15/9/12
The Prime Minister will be in Homabay County to join in the campaign trail for the ODM candidate in the Ndhiwa constituency by election scheduled for Monday 17/9/12. The ODM candidate in Ndhiwa is Mr. Agostinho Neto.

South Rift MPs Now Affirm Commitment to ODM

It was widely reported a few days ago that ODM MPs from the South Rift the Hon Franklin Bett, Hon Magerer Langat, Hon Dr Joyce Laboso and the Hon Beatrice Kones  had resigned from Ad-hoc Committee on Mau Forest Complex evictees resettlement.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Roads Minister Franklin Bett and Energy Assistant Magerer Langat during a meeting with leaders of the people who were evicted from Mau Forest at the Premier's office

It turns out today that these were a distortion by media and while resentment does exist on the status of the yet to be settled evictees, the MPs have not resigned from any committee nor made plans to defect to any other party.

Earlier today, the four MPs led  representatives of over five thousand families that were evicted from Mau Forest three years ago into a meeting with Prime Minister Raila Odinga in his office in Nairobi. The MPs denied that they had resigned from the committee and warned politicians to keep off the issue of reseetlement of Mau evicteed and forthwith stop dragging the name of the Prime Minister into the matter. The meeting was organised by Lands Minister James Orengo, who was reported they had blamed for failing to disburse the Mau resettlement funds.

The MPs also publicly declared that they never had any plans to ditch ODM for any another political party.

Hon Langat had earlier condemned reports of plans to defect from ODM and instead blamed the stories on media fabrication and called them simply “mere speculation”, adding that his support and that of the Kipkelion people for the candidature of Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is also the ODM leader, was still intact.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga Tours Western Region This Weekend

Meeting with Mau Squatters Also Planned

The Orange Democratic Movement – ODM Party Leader Raila Odinga will this weekend tour Western Kenya region for a series of meetings and development activities.

During the tour, the Prime Minister will visit Homabay, Migori and Kakamega Counties. The following is the full itinerary of Eng. Odinga;

Friday 14/9/2012;

1. 1. 9.00 AM - Prime Minister Raila Odinga will preside over the official launch of the construction of Lower Kuja irrigation Scheme in Nyatike Constituency in Migori County.
2. 2.00PM – The PM will address a political/campaign rally at Ndhiwa Centre in Ndhiwa Constituency. The PM will be drumming up the support for the ODM candidate in the Ndhiwa Parliamentary by-election Mr. Augustinho Netto.

 Saturday 15/9/2012;

1. 10.00 AM – The Prime Minister will attend the Western Leaders Forum at the Golf Hotel in Kakamega town. The meeting will be attended by the ODM party officials from all the four counties of Western i.e Kakamega, Vihiga, Busia and Bungoma.

Meeting with Mau Forest Evictees

Meanwhile,  news from Kuresoi indicate Prime Minister Raila Odinga is expected to meet leaders of families evicted from Mau forest over the delay of the resettlement program today, Tuesday (11th Sept 2012).

Raila’s move comes barely a week after a section of MPs from South Rift region resigned from the committee which he had formed of identifying land to resettle the evictees. The MPs also threatened unspecified political statement to express their displeasure on the handling of Mau Forest resettlement by the Ministry of Lands.

A brief statement from the PM’s spokesman Dennis Onyango confirmed that Raila will meet the delegation of the evictees at his Office of the Prime Minister along Harambee House Nairobi office to assure them that the resettlement program is on course.

“The PM will meet the delegation of leaders of Mau evictees on Tuesday over the resettlement program. Meeting is being coordinated by Lands Minister James Orengo,” Onyango said.

Last week members of the committee chaired by Roads Minister Franklin Bett, Energy Assistant Minister Magerer Langat, his Home Affairs counterpart Beatrice Kones and Sotik MP Joyce Laboso announced their resignation from the committee.

The legislators quit from the committee arguing that the Government was taking too long to purchase parcels of land in the Nakuru County to resettle the evictees, yet the money for the purpose has been disbursed to the Ministry of Land.

On Saturday, the MPs led by Magerer while speaking at a church function in Bomet County blamed the PM’s office for dragging its feet in the implementation of the resettlement program.

The more than 5,000 families who were kicked out of the forest by the Government in 2009 to pave way for the rehabilitation of the country’s largest water tower, are camping in makeshifts camps by the road side at the edge of South Western Mau forest.

Changes at Raila Odinga Presidential Secretariat

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has today announced changes in the management of his Presidential Campaign Secretariat.

This comes in the wake of the decision by the Head of the Secretariat, Mr. James Ongwae, to step down in order to run for the position of Governor of Kisii County. Mr. Ongwae will leave the Secretariat in two weeks time, to seek the ODM ticket for the position of Governor in the county.

Mr. Eliud Owalo is the new Head of the Secretariat. Until today, Mr. Owalo was the Secretary General of the Friends of Raila (FORA) lobby group.

The PM also appointed Mr. Ngunjiri Wambugu as Director of Political Affairs for the campaign and Dr. Langat Kipkirui-Langat as Director of Field Operations.

Dr. Langat will be assisted in Field Operations by Mrs. Rosemary Kariuki and Mr. Wafula Buke.

Other appointments are Mrs. Lilian Dhahabu and Ms. Rehema Abdul-Rahman, both who will work in the Communications Department.

The PM thanked Mr. Ongwae for serving with dedication, diligence and commitment and wished him well in his new venture.

He appealed to Kenyans to plan adequately for the new County positions saying some regions appear to have moved ahead with preparations while others watch. “Some parts of the country have even come up with Strategic Plans and are going ahead to vet those interested particularly in the position of governor while other regions have not started anything at all,” the PM said.

He emphasized that ODM will conduct free and fair nominations to ensure the best candidates are picked to contest against other parties.

Signed

Barrack O. MULUKA

For the Raila Odinga for President Secretariat

Eight Kenyan Blogs Face Closure and Prosecution

Eight Kenyan political and tabloid blogger sites and their handlers are today reported to be at risk of closure, prosecution and fines for spreading hate-speech including wikileakskenya and dennisitumbi.com both of which are run by Dennis Itumbi;  and TheDaily Post run by Evans Gor Semelango.

The Daily Post has recently run propaganda and defamatory reports on Fidel Castro Odinga and is reputed to run hogwash on political personalities.

Sources intimate that  Gor Semelango has already been served lawsuit papers by Fidel Odinga lawyers, and it is unconfirmed if Dennis Itumbi has also been served although sources say his blogs are redflagged and earmarked for closure.

UPDATE

The National Steering Committee on media Monitoring has expressed concern over the growing misuse of the Internet to propagate hate filled and inciting massages. At least eight blogging sites have been identified as being responsible for spreading hate speech.

Miguna Finally Resigns As ODM Life Member

On Saturday 1st Sept 2012, one Miguna Gowok circulated an email and an attachment to media editors and his bossom friend Onyango Oloo, supposedly resigning from the Orange Democratic Movement Party. Here is a the full text of the resignation:

Prof. Peter Anyang' Nyong'o
Secretary General
ODM
Nairobi

Dear Prof Nyong'o,

RE: LETTER OF RESIGNATION FROM ODM - LIFE MEMBERSHIP No. 49

By letter attached herewith dated today's date, please be advised that I have resigned from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

The letter will be delivered to you tomorrow by separate cover.

Thank you.

Miguna--
Miguna Miguna
Advocate. Barrister. Solicitor. ADR Consultant
P.O. Box 1522-00621
Nairobi
http://www.migunami guna.com/

Since formation in 2007, the ODM has been the most popular political party in Kenya. It party ticket for any elective post is, more often than not, a fiercely contested affair - a pointer to the popularity of the party.

Give the devil its due. Mr. Miguna Gowok is ahead of William Ruto and Musalia Mudavadi with respect to laws of the land. Miguna is far much more courageous than the two presidential candidates who no longer subsicribe to the ideals of the party but have been unable to resign from the party.

While anyone is free to seek political party membership elsewhere, steadfast members of ODM will breath a sigh of relief and some will even mumble 'good riddance' to the departure of the man who has all but been a member of the party.

In 2007, Miguna sought the ODM nomination for the Nyando parliamentary seat but he was rejected by the people. After that, Miguna was headhunted by Mr. Raila Odinga, the party's nominated presidential candidate, to work at one of his presidential secretariats in campaigning for the presidency. This essentially meant Miguna was a personal employee of Mr. Odinga and not necessarily an adherent of ODM.

Following the formation of the grand coalition in 2008, Mr. Miguna Gowok, was again selected by Mr. Odinga then serving as Prime Minister of Kenya, to work as his advisor in coaltion affairs. Again, this is an arrangement that had absolutely nothing to do with the ODM.

His subsecquent suspension and summary dismissal from his position as PM's advisor was done without the involvement of the ODM.

The ODM continues to recruit hundreds of Kenyans into its membership register and more and more people are expressing interest seeking to be nominated as candidates for the various elective positions in the forthcoming general elections.

In so doing, the ODM remains a front runner to not just form the next government, but also win a majority of seats in parliament and the senate.

Good luck to Mr. Miguna Gowok.