Details of the Saturday meeting between retired president Moi and former first lady and mother to Jubilee leader President Kenyatta can now be revelaed.
DP Ruto who has been aggressively attacking Gideon Moi is said to be the loser, he is set to lose some power, here is how:
Following the meeting, Kanu will be encouraged to renew its election pact signed in 2013 with Uhuru’s Jubilee and support the President’s reelection bid, but can field candidates in other tiers (Senate, MPs, Woman Rep and MCAs) in August.
In the proposed deal, Uhuru’s Jubilee Party will keep off Gideon’s Baringo Senate seat and will therefore not field a candidate there.
In addition, Kanu will be expected to work with Jubilee in Parliament and Gideon will also get slots to propose appointees as Principal Secretaries. (remember in the current cabinet, senator Moi is said to be behind the nomination of CS Amina Mohammed (Foreign Affairs) and Pyhillis Kandie (Labour and East Africa Community). He is also behind atleast 5 PSs and several heads of parastatals.
“Gideon and Uhuru will most likely work together this year and towards the future. The meeting by their parents has helped consolidate this desire by their allies,” a senior Jubilee official who was unwilling to be named said.
President Moi is said to still hold a strong influence on his son’s political decisions, making the meeting with Uhuru’s mother very significant as the country prepares for the election.
The same is said of Mama Ngina, who has influenced key political decisions by Uhuru, to protect the interests of the Kenyatta family.
Last month, Uhuru called Gideon, seeking to have him work with Jubilee instead of Kanu joining the massed opposition under proposed National Super Alliance of ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi.
The meeting also came just days after Kanu held a meeting and decided to make an announcement in two weeks to decide on who to support for the Presidency.
Kanu has decided to field candidates in all elective positions across the country except for President.
The Saturday meeting also comes at a time when Deputy President William Ruto and Gideon are fighting for control of the Rift Valley vote bloc.
“The DP is an individual and I’m focussed on building a united and a prosperous nation. Kanu is working to serve the interests of Kenyans, not individuals. We will announce our way forward in two weeks,” Gideon said after his party met last week.
Ruto’s dealings with Gideon are perceived as being too confrontational and not helping bridge the relationship between Kanu and Jubilee.
Last year, Ruto hosted Baringo MCAs in Nairobi as he moved to plan on how to tame Gideon’s influence in the Rift Valley.
On Saturday, Ruto was in Gideon’s backyard of Baringo, where he told off the opposition and other parties that are not part of Jubilee Party.
In a veiled attack on Gideon, the DP told Baringo residents to reject other political parties and only elect JP candidates.
“I want you to vote for Jubilee in all seats available. Will you vote a Jubilee senator? I want to be sure that you will give me a Jubilee senator,” Ruto said.
Kanu has a post-election agreement with Uhuru’s Jubilee but one of Gideon’s key allies, the party’s secretary general, Nick Salat, has been attending key opposition meetings.
On January 11, at the Bomas of Kenya, Salat declared that the former ruling party was firmly in the opposition and would be party to the proposed NASA.
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