Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has come out to say he was the force behind Uhuru Kenyatta’s ascension to Deputy Prime Minister’s position in 2008.
In a meeting alongside his Okoa Kenya Alliance (OKA) luminaries, Mr. Musyoka said that he is one of those people that President Uhuru Kenyatta owe a political debt. The meeting that was held at Safari Park Hotel, in Nairobi, was also attended by some of Mt. Kenya leaders under Mt. Kenya Foundation umbrella. “I will tell you something which I am saying for the first time publicly. It was me who convinced President Kibaki to appoint Uhuru Kenyatta the Deputy Prime Minister,”
The Wiper party leader alleges that President Kibaki had never wanted to appoint, not only Uhuru to a plum position in the government, but just any other Kikuyu. This, according to Mr. Musyoka, was something that the president would not take home. “Because mzee Kibaki was a nationalist, he asked me: Vice president, you want me to appoint another Kikuyu?” Kalonzo went ahead.
“As you can remember during Koffi Annan talks when Raila appointed Musalia Mudavadi as Deputy Prime Minister – then I was on alliance with PNU – I told him: yes! And Uhuru became the Deputy Prime Minister, from there, then Minister for Trade, then eventually Minister for Finance,” he added.
Kalonzo believes that it was out of such political moves that Uhuru would later muscle enough political clout that galvanized him to finally clinch the 2013 presidency.
Safari Park hotel has now become another symbol of political negotiations. Just a week ago, the hotel played host to former Premier Raila Odinga. Coincidentally, the ODM leader had also met leaders from Mt. Kenya region in what was seen as a clandestine political pact that would bind both Mr. Odinga, and the business moguls from the mountain. It is not yet clear on what grounds the OKA leaders met the leaders from former Central Province.
RELATED STORY: “Umelala Na Bibi Yangu Sana”- Words By Kosewe Which Made Mboya Almost Kill Him
