Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi has declined to enter the political realignment to form the government with an expanded executive, something that could see all top seats distributed across the country.
According to Mudavadi, the President has not approached him and asked him to forward names from his party for inclusion in the proposed expanded cabinet.
“President Kenyatta is my friend but he has not spoken to me about such an arrangement. In any event, all the critical and strategic public appointments have already been filled,” Mudavadi said.
Mudavadi said the cabinet expansion to create an all-inclusive team two years to the end of Kenyatta’s term would mount into a political “gimmick”.
Mudavadi wants the government to fix the ailing economy by addressing public debt through negotiation to seek the rescheduling of the debts.
“Our economy has been battered by the growing public debt and it could take up to five years to fix it and turn around the situation,” he said.
LESSON LEARNT THE HARD WAY
Mudavadi added that he had learned a painful political season in 2002 when he was appointed the Vice President for three months by the former president, Daniel Moi and he lost his Sabatia Parliamentary seat in the subsequent polls.
“I am now wiser so I don’t want to repeat the mistakes which badly affected my political career. I am focused on serving Kenyans as their next president. I do not want to be derailed from my course by the so-called political realignments,” said Mr. Mudavadi.
In an interview aired on local broadcast stations – Mulembe, Sulwe, and Vuka radio stations, Mudavadi was categorical about his presidential bid in 2022 and he preferred playing his rile in the Opposition until 2022 general elections.
Mudavadi also dismissed claims he wanted to be Western political kingpin but he was targeting to serve the entire nation.
“My target is not to be a regional kingpin in Western. I want to offer myself to serve the 50 million Kenyans in 2022,” he said.
The ANC party leader urged Kenyans to carefully examine track records of leaders who are positioning themselves for the Presidency in 2022 and chose a person who will revive the nation’s economy and end corruption.
REVIVING WESTERN ECONOMY
On plans by Kenyatta’s government to revive the ailing sugar sector, Mr. Mudavadi said the measures punt by the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Muya which involves a debt amnesty for sugar miller, was not included in the budget.
According to Mudavdi, the move by the government to waive the debts owed by the sugar miller had not been catered for in the budget.
Mr. Mudavadi criticized the promises about the implementation of development projects in the Western region made by Devolution Cabine Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparamaya, and Cotu boss Francis Atwoli and described them as those made to hoodwink the people.
“If you look at the recent budget, there is no single line about funds allocated for the projects. This means the meeting Mr. Wamalwa, Governor Oparanya, and Mr. Atwoli had with President Kenyatta and [Interior] CS [Fred] Matiang’ i will not yield much.”
LUHYA UNITY
The ANC party leader scoffed at criticism by Bungoma Senator Wetang’ula fro declining to embrace calls to work with other leaders from Western to promote an elusive Luhya unity and choose a suitable local candidate for the presidential race in 2022 poll.
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“The political scramble being witnessed in the Western region is aimed at dividing the Luhya community and weakening their chance of having a formidable candidate to contest the presidency,” Mudavadi said.
“A new awakening is taking place in Western. That is why all the attention has been focused on the region ahead of the polls in 2022.”
