RAILA ODINGA 2022 RUNNING MATE

ODM leader Raila Odinga has to perform a political balancing act in picking a running mate for the race to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Having declared his intention to face off against Deputy President William Ruto, the next question in Raila’s camp is who will help him deliver a decisive win.

Apparently buoyed by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s backing, the former Prime Minister has begun mobilising his troops.

“I have projected what is lying ahead of us and I have seen a way we will use to pass through.”

Raila told his backers that he has a formula for winning Mt Kenya, a prized possession that political observers say would depend on his choice of a deputy.

“Some people said we won’t scale the mountain but I have seen how we will climb it,” he told a charged gathering at his backyard in Homa Bay.

Several key politicians have lined up to catch the eye of the former prime minister, largely after the recent endorsement by President Kenyatta in Mombasa.

Raila, insiders say, is under pressure from various quarters that are keen on working with him.

Sources intimated to the Star that Raila backers are keen that he choose a deputy from Mt Kenya should the talks with One Kenya Alliance fail.

“Among the conditions set for the Raila-OKA team is that they form a mega secretariat, have one budget, and conduct their campaigns as a unit,” a state official privy to the machinations told the Star.

The official said Kalonzo is the preferred choice among many “since the President and his deputy should ideally come from both ends of the country”.

Whereas former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth appears to be having a head-start as the possible running mate, some quarters in the President’s circle are reportedly propping Peter Munya to assume the mantle.

At the same time, the region’s leaders have initiated a movement to consolidate their support under one umbrella. This would be an advantage to whichever side the Moses Kuria, Martha Karua, and Mwangi Kiunjuri joint caucus would back.

The crisis is that OKA principals Musalia Mudavadi (ANC) and Kalonzo (Wiper) have remained noncommittal to Uhuru on his call that they back the ODM leader, again.

Musalia and Kalonzo are adamant that they would not drop their ambitions for the top seat, more so in favour of the former PM.

The OKA team is set to hold a meeting today, from which they are expected to declare whether they’d work with the handshake or form a third force.

Should the two stick to their guns that they’ll proceed to the presidential ballot, ODM sources said retiring governors Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega) and Alfred Mutua (Machakos) will come into play.

Political pundits hold that the elephant in the room on the 2022 running mate question is how a candidate appeases Mt Kenya.

With Mt Kenya not likely to field a presidential candidate, and never a formidable one should any emerge, voter apathy is a concern.

In the ensuing circumstances, observes project a dismal turnout in the event one doesn’t have a Mt Kenya representative in the top ticket.

As part of the quest to catch Raila’s eye, Mt Kenya leaders allied to the President have planned a meeting on Wednesday to announce a coalition of small parties that did not fold up to join Jubilee.

Leaders from the Jubilee Party, the Party of National Unity (PNU), the Democratic Party (DP) and Safina are set to take part in the meeting, including persons from the pastoralist community.

Pundits hold that Raila’s choices rest on a candidate with not only resources but also numbers, to secure a first-round win.

Analyst Martin Andati says the ODM leader would be faced with a challenge ahead of 2022 as any choice would affect how Mt Kenya would vote.

He argued that the former PM needs the numbers to bolster his fifth stab at the presidency, more than monetary support.

“Settling for a running mate would be a challenge. The headache is how to get the numbers to vote for him.

“Someone like Kenneth brings in the tycoons – money but doesn’t bring the numbers. Raila needs the numbers more than the money,” Andati said.

Maseno University communications lecturer Charles Nyambuga echoed the sentiments, saying the solution rests with the Building Bridges Initiative.

“For him (Raila) to get the new kid on the block, then he requires a Mt Kenya running mate, which will not augur well with the OKA team,” Dr Nyambuga said.

“The OKA requires that position of deputy president plus more.”

He told the Star in an interview that the headache for 2022 candidates is that Mt Kenya must be appeased.

“That is why the BBI is critical. That is why the two handshake brothers hope that the BBI comes to fruition so that they can accommodate all of them,” Nyambuga said. 

And in what reveals the extent of lobbying, Governor Mutua said if Raila is to be president, he’d need a youthful team to complement his campaigns and running of government.

“Raila has fought for this country. He has a track record. If he is to be president, he will need a youthful and energetic team to complement his campaigns and running of government when he wins,” the governor said.

Mutua said that should the BBI be adopted, Kenya will require a prime minister who can work and help the President transform the fortunes of our country.

“We need action leaders, who not only unite but who initiate speedy development to rescue our youth and mothers from the yoke of unemployment and poverty,” he said.

He holds that talks between Maendeleo Chap Chap, ODM and other like-minded players must factor in people-focussed socio-economic development.

“…not just positions for leaders as some flip-floppy people are doing,” Mutua said.

The quest is to net the numbers from regions such as Ukambani, which has slightly over one million voters; Mt Kenya, which has over five million voters; or Western, which boasts of around 1.3 million voters.

Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni on Sunday told the Star that the ODM leader would have to look at the running mate question as a package.

“Since there is a high price placed on it, he has to look at it as a package. When you are looking at running, you have to get a person who can negotiate and come with people who can be ministers,” Kioni said.

Kioni said they seek to reenergise the small parties to form a coalition they’d use in the negotiations ahead of the 2022 general election.

Deputy President Ruto is touted as likely to get a running mate from Mt Kenya, further complicating the matrix for the handshake side.

But an undisturbed, ODM says the running mate talk is premature, with officials saying it would not be a problem, after all.

Secretary general Edwin Sifuna said, “That question will come way later. We can’t discuss that now. The negotiations are just beginning.”

Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi, who is the party’s secretary for political affairs, said, “It is premature to engage in such discussions. We shall cross the bridge once we get there.”

By The Star

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