The opposition alliance’s retreat
that had been set to start Monday has been rescheduled to begin today,
according to one of the principals. Last evening, Ford-Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula
said he and his colleagues in the National Super Alliance (NASA) would start
their meeting today. Earlier, it had emerged that the absence of one of the
principals, the expected entry of Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, and outstanding
issues on power-sharing were among the reasons that prompted the postponement
of the retreat.
Also cited were concerns that too
much publicity could undermine the delicate talks and apprehension that holding
the crucial meeting with the ongoing contentious party primaries could send
signals to the grassroots that could influence the nominations. Initially, the
National Super Alliance (NASA) had announced that the four opposition leaders
would meet on April 17, 18, and 19 to consider a report by the National
Coordinating Committee (NCC) on the coalition’s presidential flag-bearer and
power-sharing proposals.
The much-awaited retreat was put off
after ODM leader Raila Odinga travelled to South Africa over the Easter holiday
to visit his ailing daughter, Rosemary, and was expected back in the country
either last evening or this morning. “We cannot go to a retreat because some of
the principals are not present. Raila is in South Africa while Kalonzo Musyoka
had travelled to Dubai,” said Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia
Mudavadi. Mr Mudavadi added: “The principals can only have a full meeting when
all of them are around.
Mr Kalonzo
had, however, returned to the country by yesterday. When contacted, Kalonzo
alluded to a change of strategy. The Wiper party leader said the intention was
to keep the schedule of the retreat a closely guarded secret. “We want this
meeting to remain a mystery. We know that there is huge interest but we don’t
want to be infiltrated and that’s why we are not disclosing any details,” he
said. While disputing a leaked report that suggested a Raila-Kalonzo ticket had
been recommended, Siaya Senator James Orengo, a member of the National
Coordinating Committee (NCC), had announced that a decision on the coalition’s
flag-bearer would be made during a retreat of NASA principals which he
indicated was scheduled for April 17, 18, and 19.
Reports received yesterday had indicated that the retreat might be delayed for two or three days after Governor Ruto agreed to join NASA as the fifth principal. It is understood that Ruto will be received in Nairobi before the end of the week and will hold discussions with the four principals before they all fly down to the Coast to agree not only on who among them would fly the opposition flag, but also the power-sharing formula. The NASA chiefs are set to hold what they term a scheduled meeting in Nairobi this morning and it is not clear whether Ruto will join them. Yesterday, the governor confirmed that he would meet the four principals. “I will be meeting the NASA principals. However, for now I am conducting party primaries between Tuesday and Wednesday. So we will be meeting from Thursday heading to the weekend,” said Ruto.
Fine-tuning report Asked if he had been invited to the Coast retreat, Ruto
replied: “Who told you the retreat will be in Mombasa? It can be anywhere and
yes I will be attending the retreat.”
“There is a need for more time so
that the coalition is able to bring Ruto on board and work on ways of
accommodating him and what his stake in the coalition will be,” said a source
privy to the discussions. He, however, confirmed that the retreat would take
place before the end of the month. Although NCC had completed its report, a
technical committee was said to be fine-tuning it own on power-sharing.
The
NASA technical team will be compelled to adjust its document to incorporate
Ruto’s Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM). Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire, a member of
NCC, said his team had done its work. (Source :The Standard News Reporter)